R. Kelly found guilty in federal child pornography case

A federal jury in Chicago on Wednesday found R. Kelly guilty of three counts of child pornography for filming himself sexually abusing his then 14-year-old goddaughter.

According to the , of the 13 counts, Kelly was also found guilty of three counts. accusation of sex with children deals with coercion and incitement. He was acquitted of charges of conspiring to obstruct justice in his 2002 Cook County case. Additionally, he was acquitted of two counts of receiving child pornography and one count of conspiracy in view of receiving child pornography.

The verdict follows the testimony of Kelly's goddaughter, who was named Jane. Three other women testified that Kelly also recorded and saved tapes of himself sexually abusing them when they were underage.

There were two co-defendants in the proceedings, former employees Milton "June" Brown and Derrel McDavid. The charges against them alleged a conspiracy to hide the videotapes and convince Jane to keep her sexual contacts with Kelly private. Brown and McDavid were both acquitted of all charges, including that they conspired to receive child pornography and that McDavid conspired to obstruct justice.

In closing argument, Kelly's attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, claimed that Jane's parents were to blame for lying about her relationship with the singer and claimed it was not due to coercion, but because "they tolerated it".

Kelly was convicted of seduction regarding witnesses Jane, Nia and Pauline (all pseudonyms), but has was found not guilty on two others. Jurors acquitted Kelly on charges of allegedly instigating another woman Tracy, one of the only witnesses whose age at the time of her alleged encounters with Kelly was disputed by attorneys for defense. Jurors also acquitted Kelly of one count of incitement related to Brittany, which prosecutors had originally planned to take to the stand. This did not happen for reasons that remain unclear.

Jane joined the investigation just three years ago, after the documentary series aired Lifetime 2019 "Surviving R. Kelly. In her June verdict, Jane testified that it was her on the videotapes and that Kelly repeatedly sexually assaulted her when she was underage.

Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison in June after a jury found him guilty racketeering related to the sexual exploitation of children, kidnappings and forced labour. He was also charged with eight counts of violation of the Mann Act in another federal case in New York.

Comments