R. Kelly convicted of sex trafficking and racketeering in federal court
09/27/2021 12:47 pm PDT
NEW YORK (TCD) -- The now-disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly was convicted of racketeering Monday in a federal court in Brooklyn.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York announced the news in a tweet just after 3:15 p.m. Eastern time. Kelly, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, was charged with crimes in July 2019 that the U.S. Attorney’s Office said occurred over the course of 20 years.
According to a statement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York at the time, the charges were "racketeering predicated on criminal conduct including sexual exploitation of children, kidnapping, forced labor and Mann Act violations involving the coercion and transportation of women and girls in interstate commerce to engage in illegal sexual activity."
The sex trafficking reportedly occurred in New York, Connecticut, Illinois, and California, according to the statement.
The "I Believe I Can Fly" singer pleaded not guilty in August 2019.
According to CNN, Kelly also faces charges in Illinois.
The New York Times reports Kelly’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 4, 2022.
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