R Kelly’s Appeal In Sex Trafficking Case Gets Firm Rejection

R Kelly’s attempt at overturning his New York sex trafficking and racketeering conviction has fallen through at a federal appeals court. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals handed out the decision in an 85-page statement on Wednesday. Kelly was originally sentenced to 30 years in prison in June 2022 on racketeering and sex trafficking charges.

“The record is replete with evidence that Kelly was able to commit the predicate acts because he was the head of a close-knit group of associates and he controlled the affairs of the enterprise,” Judge Denny Chin wrote in the decision. “For instance, members of Kelly’s entourage participated directly in a predicate act when they devised a plan for Kelly to marry Aaliyah when she was underage.” Kelly’s attorneys had attempted to argue that the singer shouldn’t face racketeering charges as his employees didn’t know the age of his alleged victims. In turn, they couldn’t have been acting with criminal intent.

Kelly had also attempted to argue that multiple members of the jury were biased after the release of the bombshell documentary, Surviving R. Kelly, in 2019. “While we are disappointed that the Second Circuit affirmed Mr. Kelly’s convictions, we believe the United States Supreme Court will be interested in reviewing this unprecedented opinion that gives the government limitless discretion to apply the RICO statute to situations absurdly remote from statute’s intent,” Kelly’s lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, said of the appeals court’s decision. “The statute was intended to punish organized crime – not individual conduct.” With the ruling, Kelly will cotninue to serve his 30-year sentence.

Prior to the appeal, Kelly’s name popped up in headlines after Kanye West labeled Drake “the new generation R. Kelly.” West made the remark while speaking about the Super Bowl Halftime Show on Monday. It came amid a series of controversial statements made by West over the weekend.