American singer and songwriter R Kelly has just been found guilty of sexually abusing a number of women and children.
R Kelly, a 54-year-old Chicago singer, and songwriter was charged with sexually abusing eleven women over a six-week period.
After only two days, the charges against R Kelly were dropped.
Sentencing isn’t due until May 4th, 2022, but how long could he face in prison?
R Kelly was convicted of what?
R Kelly was found guilty of eight counts of sex trafficking, which included child sexual exploitation, production of child pornography, obstruction of justice, kidnapping, and forced labor.
He was also found guilty of one count of racketeering, a charge that is used when a group organizes an illegal and fraudulent scheme to collect money or other profit.
The singer has been found guilty of being the ringleader of a coercive scheme during his music career that lured women and children for him to sexually abuse.
What sentence could the singer face in prison
Whilst sentencing isn’t due to take place for another eight months, many are expecting that he will face multiple sentences of life in prison.
A life sentence refers to a term in which a person is kept prisoner for at most 15 years. After seven years, parole is usually possible.
Multiple life sentences under US law are possible. A judge can refuse parole if the crime is too serious.
Many believe R Kelly could face multiple life sentences or even a lengthy sentence in prison.
If you add up the sentences for all of his guilty charges, including one count of racketeering and eight counts of sex trafficking, social media users are estimating that he faces a maximum of 100 years in prison.
Watch surviving R Kelly
If you want to know more specific details about what R Kelly has been found guilty of, it’s best to watch the 2019 documentary Surviving R Kelly.
In the documentary, a range of victims tells their stories about the abuse they suffered from R Kelly.
The documentary features more than 50 interviews, as well as commentary from R Kelly’s family and other celebrities.
Surviving R Kelly is available to watch on Netflix.