CHICAGO (AP) — A federal jury on Wednesday found R. Kelly guilty of multiple counts of child pornography in his hometown of Chicago, dealing another legal blow to the singer who was once one of the biggest R&B stars in the world.
Kelly, 55, was found guilty of three counts of child pornography but was acquitted of conspiracy to obstruct justice, accusing him of tampering with a child pornography trial in 2008.
The decision comes after a federal judge in New York sentenced Kelly to 30 years in prison for racketeering and sex trafficking in June. Based on that sentence, he won’t be eligible for parole until he’s about 80 years old.
The Chicago trial was largely a reenactment of Kelly’s 2008 child pornography trial, with a key video critical to both.
The legal troubles are far from over for Kelly, who rose from poverty on the South Side of Chicago to become a Grammy-winning superstar. Two more trials are pending; one in Minnesota and the other in state court in Chicago.
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Kelly, who is known for his hit “I Believe I Can Fly” and sexier songs like “Bump n’ Grind,” sold millions of albums even after abuse allegations began to surface in the 1990s. Widespread outrage followed the #MeToo backlash and the 2019 documentary series Surviving R. Kelly.
This is an update. An earlier AP story follows:
