R. Kelly Convicted by Federal Jury on 9 Counts of Racketeering, 5 Mann Act Violations

Robert Sylvester Kelly – commonly known as R. Kelly – faces ten years to life in prison following a guilty verdict on Monday, September 27, 2021. After nearly nine hours of deliberation, a federal jury in Brooklyn convicted the R & B singer on all counts of racketeering and predicate acts.

Jacquelyn M. Kasulis, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent-in-Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI), revealed the decision.

In 2019, following investigations from HSI and the New York Police Department (NYPD), Kelly was simultaneously indicted by a federal grand jury in Chicago on 13 counts, while an unsealed superseding indictment occurred in Brooklyn, revealing the known extent of Kelly’s exploitation and the execution of a search warrant by federal agents.

The trial lasted six weeks, with nearly 50 government witnesses – including 10 survivors. Evidence ranged from text messages and travel records to DNA evidence and expert testimony.

The first charge was bribery of a state employee to create false identification for Jane Doe #1, then 15 years old, to marry her and avoid prison. The following three counts are exploitation of a child, with the coercion of Jane Doe #2, Jane Doe #4, and Jane Doe #5 to participate in sexual acts on video. The forced labor of Jane Doe #4, Jane Doe #5, and Jane Doe #6 included sexual assault, confinement, and intimidation with a gun.

The final four acts of racketeering are Mann Act violations – a federal law that prohibits transporting “any woman or girl for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose.”

Kelly arranged sexual encounters and transported Jane Doe #4 and Jane Doe #5 to specific locations to evade differing state consent laws. In the case of Jane Doe #5, Kelly transported Jane from her home in Orlando, FL, to Los Angeles, CA, and did not inform Jane of his incurable sexually transmitted disease (STD) before engaging in sexual intercourse. The same incident occurred with Jane Doe #6, who left her home in San Antonio, TX, for Queens, NY. Kelly also failed to disclose his incurable STD to her and therefore did not receive consent.

Despite extensive accusations, Kelly eluded charges for nearly 30 years through settlements and nondisclosure agreements. As early as 1996, an agreement concealed Kelly’s misconduct with Tiffany Hawkins for $250,000.

The Chicago Sun-Times’s investigation of R. Kelly’s sexual abuse in 2000 brought these allegations of illegal activity to light. The Chicago police twice investigated Kelly on allegations of sex with a minor (dropped for lack of cooperation by the victim) before state officials in Illinois indicted Kelly on child pornography charges in 2002. The trial occurred six years later, resulting in acquittal because the victim nor her parents testified.

 “Mr. Kelly ran a criminal enterprise whose mission was to serve his sexual gratification by setting up a complex organization of enablers and handlers,” stated HSI Special Agent-in-Charge Fitzhugh, “The brave survivors who overcame Mr. Kelly’s abuse deserve our upmost respect for telling their stories and bringing an end to his 30-year reign of terror over the young and vulnerable.”

R. Kelly still faces additional charges of child pornography and obstruction of justice by federal prosecutors in Chicago.