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R. Kelly Found Guilty in Child Pornography Trial in Chicago
R. Kelly has been convicted in his federal child pornography trial in Chicago.
On Wednesday, an Illinois federal jury found the disgraced singer guilty on six of the 13 counts, including three child pornography counts and three counts of enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity.
He was found not guilty on seven of the counts brought against him in July 2019, while his former business manager Derrel McDavid and former employee Milton “June” Brown were acquitted of all counts they faced.
During the trial, which lasted five weeks, jurors heard from several of Kelly’s alleged victims who all testified that they were underage when Kelly began sexually abusing them, including one star witness known as “Jane” who testified anonymously that Kelly sexually abused her and recorded the interactions when she was 14.
The conviction comes 14 years after another jury acquitted Kelly of child pornography charges. That case stemmed from a videotape that allegedly showed Kelly engaging in sex acts with “Jane.” Jurors in that trial said her refusal to testify played a major role in Kelly’s acquittal.
The 55-year-old singer was previously sentenced to 30 years in prison after a jury in Brooklyn convicted him of racketeering and sex trafficking charges last year. The conviction in Chicago could add years to that prison sentence.
Kelly still faces two other pending criminal cases in Cook County and another in Minnesota.
