R. Kelly Reportedly Injured in Jail Amid Being Found Guilty of Child Pornography
Robert Sylvester Kelly, aka R. Kelly, will be spending much more than 30 years in prison. After being sentenced in his Brooklyn racketeering case earlier this year, the disgraced R&B singer was found guilty of six charges in Illinois related to child pornography. He is scheduled to face sentencing in late September but is asking for special accommodations after suffering an alleged injury while behind bars. Kelly now faces a life sentence.
R. Kelly found guilty of child pornography
Unlike in his first child pornography case in his hometown stemming from a sex tape seen around the world with an underage girl in 2008, Kelly was not acquitted. The same tape was used as evidence in the new case. The game changer was the alleged victim in the video, who is now in her 30s, taking the stand to testify against the singer. In the first trial, her family claimed they fled town after being threatened by Kelly and opted not to be a witness for the prosecution.
The jury in the new case deliberated for 10 hours, finding Kelly guilty of three counts of producing child sex abuse images and an additional three counts of enticing underage girls to engage in criminal sexual activity. He was acquitted of seven other charges. His lawyer says he’s no saint but was not guilty of the crimes accused of.
The victim in the tape said on the stand that she vowed to take her experiences with Kelly to the grave. She testified that Kelly coerced her into having sex with him and other women hundreds of times, beginning when she was just 15. The singer reportedly paid the family off in addition to making threats amid the first trial.
Singer reports injury while behind bars
As he awaits sentencing, Kelly is asking the judge to make special exceptions for him. His lawyer alleges that his injury makes it hard for him to move around. The singer is set to appear in New York on Sept. 28th, but wants to appear via zoom.
In a letter to the judge obtained by The Jasmine Brand, his lawyer writes: “Undersigned counsel writes to respectfully request that Defendant Kelly be permitted to appear via zoom for the September 28th, 2022, restitution hearing. Mr. Kelly is currently housed at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago, Illinois. Mr. Kelly has sustained an injury to his leg that makes traveling challenging and uncomfortable.”
How he obtained the injury is not known. But a judge has yet to rule.
The singer also has minimal funds in his jail account
As if being behind bars is reportedly difficult for Kelly to wrap his mind around, being broke adds to the turmoil. It’s been widely reported that a judge also ordered him to relinquish the $28,000 he collected in inmate commissary to be used to cover $140,000 court fines, which will be paid as restitution for his victims.
His lawyer does not agree with the ruling. “After seizing his funds and after sending this email, @EDNYnews decided to file a motion to confiscate his trust account money. You’re supposed to do that BEFORE you take the money,” she Tweeted.
