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PEDO R Kelly GUILTY of Child Porno /Sex Trafficking -Gets 30yrs For Child Abuse,
Surviving R. Kelly New Trial Begins SEP 2021.
Inside R Kelly's 'Cult' - 'Grooming, Sex Training, Beatings and Brainwashing'
"This case is about a predator,"
Netflix series Surviving R. Kelly adds to harrowing claims the rapper held women against their will for his own sexual gratification
AP 14 SEP 2021.
CHICAGO, IL SEPTEMBER : Singer R. Kelly appears during a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court... Getty Images
R. Kelly’s Trial Begins: Here Are The Main Takeaways
Topline
Prosecutors accused R&B singer R. Kelly of being a “predator” who used his fame to coerce victims while Kelly’s defense called the allegations a “mess of lies” during the opening of Kelly’s trial on nine counts of sex trafficking and racketeering Wednesday, the result of multiple acusations spanning two decades across three different states.
R Kelly Appears In Court in Chicago For Status Hearing
Key Facts
At the federal trial New York, Jerhonda Pace, one of Kelly’s accusers, testified that she entered into a sexual relationship with Kelly at the age of 16, though she had lied and told Kelly she was older.
After their first sexual contact, Pace revealed the truth to Kelly, who she said told her “to continue telling people I was 19 and act like I was 21.”
Pace said Kelly took her virginity and the two continued a sexual relationship over the next 6 months, during which she said Kelly physically and emotionally abused her by restricting her movements and taking her phone away.
Lead prosecutor Maria Cruz Melendez, deputy chief of the civil rights division of the Eastern District, told the jury in her opening statement that Kelly used his fame to entice victims and coerced them into sexual acts with him, saying he “learned that he could take advantage of this access.”
She also alleged Kelly enacted his control on his inner circle of bodyguards, managers, personal assistants and drivers, who assisted in recruiting victims and helped facilitate a criminal enterprise system.
Cruz Melendez highlighted new evidence against Kelly submitted last month that alleged he married singer Aaliyah Haughton so she would be unable to testify against him about any alleged sexual misconduct, and he obtained a fake ID for her when she was 15 so they could get married.
Kelly’s defense lawyer, Nicole Blank Becker, said in her opening statement the allegations against him were a “mess of lies,” alleging he did not recruit women, but that fans willingly came to Kelly.
Becker told the jury the women “knew exactly what they were getting into,” and Kelly was transparent about dating multiple women, according to The Independent.
R. Kelly pled not guilty to all charges last year.
Crucial Quote
"This case is about a predator," Cruz Melendez said in her opening statement Wednesday. "... A man who for decades used his fame and his popularity in order to target girls, boys, and young women for his own sexual gratification."
Big Number
24. That’s the total number of criminal charges against R. Kelly in three states, New York, Illinois and Minnesota. Along with the nine charges in New York, the singer also faces 13 charges of child pornography and obstruction of justice in Chicago, with that trial date still waiting to be set. He also faces two criminal charges of prostitution with a minor in Minnesota.
Key Background
The charges against R. Kelly, whose real name is Robert Kelly, were filed in 2019, but the trial was delayed multiple times due to the pandemic. He faces one charge of racketeering and eight charges of violating the Mann Act, which criminalizes transporting women across state lines for the purpose of prostitution. Multiple women came forward with the allegations against Kelly following the “Me Too” movement in 2018 and the “Surviving R. Kelly” documentary released in 2019. Kelly has denied all allegations against him. Prior to the trial, Kelly’s lawyers filed a motion to dismiss some charges, but were unsuccessful. This isn’t the first time the R&B singer has gone on trial. He was previously charged with child pornography in 2008, but was acquitted. The federal trial in New York is expected to go on for about a month, and Kelly could face decades in prison if he is found guilty.
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