Robert Kelly Found Guilty Of Racketeering In Sex Trafficking Trial

NEW YORK : A jury has found R&B superstar R. Kelly guilty on racketeering and sex trafficking charges after a trial where the prosecution portrayed the 54- year- old singer as a heartless predator who preyed upon young Black girls and women.<br /><br />The panel of seven men and five women had begun deliberating the charges on Friday afternoon after prosecutors and defense attorneys finished their closing arguments at the end of a grueling trial of often shocking testimony.<br /><br />He is accused of running a Chicago-based criminal enterprise that recruited his accusers for unwanted sex and mental torment. Multiple witnesses said Kelly had subjected them to perverse and brutal whims when they were underage in a scheme that stretched back more than two decades. Meanwhile , he had denied any wrongdoing.<br /><br />The charges were based on an argument that the entourage of managers and aides who helped the singer meet girls — and keep them obedient and quiet — amounted to a criminal enterprise.<br /><br />His accusers’ stories received wide exposure after the 2019 Lifetime documentary Surviving R Kelly. It explored claims that an entourage of supporters protected Kelly and silenced his victims for decades.