The R&B singer R. Kelly has been sentenced to 20 years in prison on Thursday following his conviction last year, on charges of child pornography and enticement of a minor.
Judge Harry Leinenweber said Kelly would serve all but one year of his sentence concurrently with a previous 30-year sentence for federal racketeering & s+x trafficking convictions in last year.
This means that Kelly, who is currently 56 years old could be released from prison when he is approximately 80 years old. In a courtroom in his hometown of Chicago, a federal judge rejected prosecutors’ call to keep him locked up until he was 100 years old.
While the sentence may allow Kelly to live out the rest of his life outside of prison, the judge acknowledged the horrific nature of his crimes & the lasting impact they would have on his victims. “The nature of this offense is…horrific,” said Leinenweber.
