[AFRICANEWS] R. Kelly's convictions for racketeering and sex trafficking, along with his 30-year prison sentence, were affirmed on Wednesday by a federal appeals court, which determined that the artist had exploited his celebrity status for over 25 years to perpetrate sexual abuse against girls and young women.The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan delivered its ruling after considering arguments presented last March.
The Grammy-winning and multiplatinum R&B artist was found guilty in 2021 in a Brooklyn federal court on multiple counts, including racketeering and sex trafficking.
Jennifer Bonjean, Kelly's attorney, expressed her belief in a statement that the Supreme Court would agree to review the case. She characterized the 2nd Circuit's decision as "unprecedented," arguing that it grants prosecutors excessive discretion to apply the racketeering statute to scenarios that are "absurdly remote" from its original purpose.
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