R. Kelly’s bid for an early release has fizzled out.
According to The Chicago Tribune, the disgraced R&B singer, who was convicted in 2022 of three counts of producing child pornography and three counts of enticing minors into criminal sexual activity, has had his attempts to appeal his 20-year prison sentence rejected by a three-judge panel.
In his appeal, filed in February, Kelly argued that Illinois’ previous, shorter statute of limitations — which allowed charges to be brought until the victim reached the age of 25 in child sex prosecutions — should have applied to his Chicago case instead of the current law permitting charges during the lifetime of the accuser.
The 57-year-old also argued that charges involving one accuser should have been tried separately from those tied to three other accusers due to video evidence central to the Chicago trial. However, the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit of Appeals rejected Kelly’s argument, maintaining that he should have been prosecuted despite the timing of the allegations under Illinois law, which previously required prosecution of child sex crime charges before the victim turned 25.
This means that even if RKelly wins his appeal of the New York racketeering case, he’ll still likely have to serve another 18 years behind bars for the Chicago conviction https://t.co/u7pkbUQtwV
— Jason Meisner (@jmetr22b) April 26, 2024
In a statement, R. Kelly’s lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean tells TMZ, “Our fight is not over. We will see review from the USSC (SCOTUS) on the statute of limitations questions at a minimum. And he has habeas remedies at his disposal. And if we win in NY. He will be entitled to resentencing in Illinois. So this story is far from over.”
“With today’s sentence, a sexual predator is being held accountable for the years of abuse he inflicted on minor victims,” said U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch, at the time of Kelly’s initial conviction. “Kelly used his celebrity and wealth to attract and victimize young girls, and to obstruct prior criminal proceedings intended to end his despicable conduct. We commend the courage and the strength of the victims who came forward in this case to expose Kelly’s crimes. Our office will never cease seeking justice for victims of child sexual abuse, and the public can take comfort knowing that Kelly will never again be in a position to exploit young girls.”
Meanwhile, in his New York appeal, Kelly argued that the Lifetime docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly” Lifetime unfairly influenced the trial before it even commenced, painting him as guilty.
Kelly is currently held in a medium-security prison facility in North Carolina. He is not scheduled for release until December 2045.