- Illinois’ Cook County prosecutors have dropped the state sex-crime charges against R&B singer R. Kelly due to his federal convictions, according to Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx.
- Kelly is facing a prison sentence for federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges, as well as child pornography charges in federal court in Chicago.
- Kelly’s Illinois charges were for aggravated criminal sexual assault and abuse involving four accusers.
- The decision to drop the charges was made in part due to the prison sentences Kelly is already facing.
R. Kelly, the American R&B singer, has seen a significant development in his legal battles as prosecutors in Illinois’ Cook County have dropped the state sex-crime charges against him.
Despite this recent development, Kelly still faces a long road ahead as he is currently serving a long sentence for his federal convictions.
The state charges that Kelly faced in Illinois included allegations of aggravated criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse involving four accusers.
The charges were dropped by Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, who stated that the decision was made in part due to the federal sentences Kelly is already facing.
In 2021, Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison in his federal case in New York, where he was convicted on charges of federal racketeering and sex trafficking.
He was also tried in federal court in Chicago on charges of child pornography and acquitted on some counts in 2022. Although a sentence has yet to be announced for his Chicago case, Kelly faces a minimum sentence of 10 to 90 years in prison for his convictions.
The Cook County state’s attorney’s office noted that despite the dropped state charges, Kelly still faces substantial time behind bars for his federal convictions. In a news release, Foxx stated her admiration for the courage of the victims who came forward to tell their stories and her belief that justice has been served, despite the dropped charges.
The Cook County prosecutors had launched their investigation into Kelly after the airing of “Surviving R. Kelly,” a Lifetime documentary series that documented allegations of abuse, predatory behavior, and pedophilia against the singer.
The office established a hotline and conducted interviews with hundreds of witnesses in Chicago, Atlanta, and New York. Foxx noted that her office will continue to seek justice for other victims of sexual abuse and expressed her commitment to finding justice for those who don’t have the power of a documentary to bring their abusers to light.
This information was sourced from CNN.
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