R. Kelly will find out Thursday whether he’ll spend the rest of his life behind bars on his child porn conviction in Chicago.
The 56-year-old disgraced R&B singer is already serving a 30-year sentence handed down in Brooklyn federal court last year for racketeering and sex trafficking.
If sentenced to a 25-year term to be served after the 30-year term was completed, the “I Believe I Can Fly” singer would be eligible for release in 2066, when he would be 99-years-old.
A Chicago jury last year convicted the perv, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, on six of 13 counts — three of them for producing child porn in connection with videos of himself abusing his 14-year-old goddaughter, and three of enticement of minors for sex.
Kelly spoke at the start of Thursday’s hearing, answering federal court Judge Harry Leinenweber when he asked if he had reviewed evidence for any inaccuracies.
“Your honor, I have gone over it with my attorney,” Kelly said. “I’m just relying on my attorney for that.”
Two accusers read statements out load in court, asking the judge to harshly punish the convicted sexual predator.
“I have lost my dreams to Robert Kelly,” a woman who addressed the court under the pseudonym “Jane” said. “I will never get back what I lost to Robert Kelly. … I have been permanently scarred by Robert.”
“When your virginity is taken by a pedophile at 14 … your life is never your own,” she continued.
Another accuser had addressed Kelly directly, speaking under the pseudonym “Nina.”
“Now you are here … because there is something wrong with you,” she said, as her voice quivered. “No longer will you be able to harm children.”
Kelly was acquitted of charges that he had rigged the not-guilty results of a 2008 child porn trial, in addition to being cleared of three counts of conspiring to receive child pornography and two enticement charges.
Prosecutors had requested a 25-year sentence, citing his lack of remorse and crimes against children.
Defense attorneys argued that Kelly should be slapped with a 10-year sentence, served concurrently with his current prison term.
Last month, Cook County, Illinois Judge Lawrence Flood dropped additional sex abuse charges in connection with alleged abuse against three minors and one woman against Kelly at the advice of a prosecutor.
State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said she was comfortable with the dismissal of the state charges because the three-time Grammy winner was set to spend decades behind bars.
The move prompted accuser Lanita Carter to rail that “justice was denied” for her.
“I have spent nearly 20 years hoping that my abuser would be brought to justice for what he did to me,” Carter said.
Another sexual misconduct case against Kelly is pending in Minnesota.
Kelly, who illegally married the late singer Aaliyah when she was just 15 after falsifying documents, was the target of widespread outrage and criminal charges after the 2019 Lifetime docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly” detailed his penchant for abusing minors.
With Post wires
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