Thursday, a federal judge in Chicago sentenced disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly to 20 years in prison for his child pornography and enticement of minors sex convictions.
The 56-year-old will serve 19 years of the 20-year sentence concurrently with his New York prison sentence of 30 years and will serve one additional year after.
Last September, Kelly was convicted on three counts of production of child pornography and three counts of enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity.
Prosecutors initially recommended Kelly serve 25 more years, consecutively to his New York sentence, calling the singer a sexual predator who used his money and status to abuse his victims.
“Robert Kelly is a serial sexual predator who, over the course of many years, specifically targeted young girls and went to great lengths to conceal his abuse of Jane and other minor victims,” prosecutors said in a filing. “To this day, and even following the jury verdict against him, Kelly refuses to accept responsibility for his crimes.”
On the other hand, Kelly’s defense asked for a sentence of 10 years to run concurrently with his New York sentence, saying the abuse Kelly suffered as a child justified leniency.
