R. Kelly was also sentenced to twenty years in prison on appeal. The former singer was found guilty in 2021 of, among other things, leading an organization that aimed to abuse women and girls.
Kelly was sentenced to thirty years in prison for this. He was later sentenced in Chicago to an additional twenty years in prison. The American appealed against both rulings.
Kelly’s legal team, which has always denied the allegations, made several arguments to dispute the validity of the 20-year prison sentence. The panel labeled this as an attempt by Kelly to avoid charges entirely and did not agree.
Kelly’s attorney Jennifer Bonjean said in a statement that they plan to ask the Supreme Court to review the ruling. “We are disappointed in the ruling, but our fight is far from over.”
Prosecutors in Kelly’s hometown of Chicago previously demanded a harsher sentence than the twenty-year prison sentence, namely 25 years in prison. Moreover, they wanted this prison sentence to only start after Kelly had served the thirty-year sentence. That was rejected and the American may serve the sentences of twenty and thirty years concurrently.
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