R. Kelly Found GUILTY at Sex Trafficking Trial After Forcing Women and Girls Into Abusive Sex Cult

When we say that the disgraced rapper is having a bad week, we don’t just mean that R. Kelly’s net worth is negative $2 million.

Debt is not a legal consequence.

R. Kelly is accused of having spent decades grooming and even capturing young women and minor girls to abuse, assault, and film them.

Now, thanks to a federal trial and a jury of his peers, he is finally going to be held accountable.

On Monday, September 27, Robert Sylvester Kelly was found guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking charges.

The federal case included a total of nine counts — one count of racketeering, and fourteen underlying acts.

Those underlying acts included the sexual exploitation of a child, kidnapping, sex trafficking, and bribery charges.

Additionally, R. Kelly was charged with eight counts for violating the Mann Act, which is a law against sex trafficking.

We reported on R. Kelly’s sex trafficking trial on Friday, which is when jurors began their deliberations.

The jury was made up of seven men and five women. 

This marks a serious change for R. Kelly.

Just thirteen years ago, he was acquitted of child pornography charges when he was placed on trial in Illinois.

Many have noted that he may have begun to feel invincible at that time, as an acquittal certainly did not discourage him.

The defense attorneys are of course considering filing an appeal.

In the mean time, R. Kelly is awaiting sentencing.

He is going to be waiting for a while, as his sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 4.

While the rest of us look forward to that extra piece of good news on Star Wars Day 2022, R. Kelly might not be.

He could potentially face decades in prison based upon this conviction.

Of course, that may be somewhat moot … because there are other jurisdictions in the country eager to take him to court on familiar charges.

The trial began on August 18 and last for five weeks.

Out of fifty witnesses who testified under oath during the trial, 45 spoke for the prosecution.

Some of those who testified were identified under pseudonyms at the highly publicized trial to protect their identities from the public.

R. Kelly’s crimes — for which he has now been convicted — date back to 1994, when he married Aaliyah.

He was 27. She was 15. Witnesses testified about the wedding, which included a marriage license that claimed that she was 18.

Even the minister who performed the marriage spoke, explaining that he met them that day and had no idea who — or how old — either of them were.

Aaliyah may be R. Kelly’s most famous victim, but following her tragic death in 2001, she could not speak for herself at trial.

The same could not be said for numerous other survivors who spoke about how he recruited, imprisoned, and abused them — in some cases, beginning in their teens.

Locked rooms, locked vans, escalating physical abuse, sexual assaults, starvation … their hauntingly similar stories send chills down our spines.

We can all acknowledge that a lot of people, particularly men who were R. Kelly’s employees, failed these girls.

It also seems likely that there are more horror stories that none of us have heard, in interviews or in court, surrounding the former rapper.

But for now, we can celebrate his long overdue conviction, and keep our fingers crossed regarding his sentencing.

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