R. Kelly’s legal battle suffered another setback Wednesday (February 12) when a federal appeals court in Manhattan upheld his conviction for racketeering and sex trafficking, rejecting his attempt to overturn the ruling.
The disgraced R&B singer, who was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2023, had argued that prosecutors misapplied the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) in his case.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed Kelly’s claims, ruling that the government’s evidence overwhelmingly demonstrated how the 58-year-old used his celebrity status to manipulate and exploit young women and underage girls for more than two decades.
Circuit Judge Denny Chin, speaking on behalf of the three-judge panel, stated that prosecutors provided “extensive evidence showing how Kelly ensnared young girls and women into his orbit, endeavored to control their lives, and secured their compliance with his personal and sexual demands through verbal and physical abuse, threats of blackmail and humiliation.”
Kelly’s legal team, led by attorney Jennifer Bonjean, had contended that the singer was wrongfully convicted under laws originally designed to dismantle organized crime syndicates.
Bonjean argued that the ruling “gives the government limitless discretion to apply the RICO statute to situations absurdly remote from the statute’s intent… The statute was intended to punish organized crime, not individual conduct.”
Despite this defeat, Kelly’s defense team has already signaled plans to take the case to a higher court, continuing their efforts to challenge the conviction.
Kelly, once a towering figure in the music industry with multiple chart-topping hits, has seen his career and legacy collapse under the weight of disturbing allegations and extensive legal battles.
His downfall accelerated after the 2019 docuseries Surviving R. Kelly shed light on the allegations that had followed him for years, leading to renewed scrutiny and, ultimately, his conviction.
While his efforts to appeal continue, Kelly remains incarcerated, serving a sentence that could keep him behind bars for the rest of his life.