NEW YORK, USA — A federal appeals court has upheld the conviction and 30-year prison sentence of former R&B star R. Kelly, rejecting his legal team’s arguments that his trial was unfair.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled Wednesday, February 12, 2025, that federal prosecutors had presented substantial evidence proving that Kelly led a criminal enterprise that recruited and exploited underage girls for sex.
The three-judge panel dismissed his claims that jurors were biased and that certain evidence was improperly admitted.
Circuit Judge Denny Chin, writing for the panel, said that prosecutors provided “extensive evidence showing how Kelly ensnared young girls and women into his orbit, endeavoured to control their lives, and secured their compliance with his personal and sexual demands through verbal and physical abuse, threats of blackmail, and humiliation.”
The decision affirms Kelly’s September 2021 conviction by a Brooklyn jury on nine charges, including racketeering and violations of the Mann Act, a federal law prohibiting the transportation of individuals across state lines for illegal sexual activity.
Defense Arguments Rejected
Kelly’s lawyers had argued that the government failed to prove that he led a racketeering scheme and that his conviction should be overturned.
They also contended that four jurors were biased against him, and that certain pieces of evidence should not have been allowed during the trial.
However, the appeals court ruled against each of these claims, upholding the original conviction and sentence.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Brooklyn did not immediately comment on the ruling, and Kelly’s legal team has yet to issue a response.
Conviction and Sentencing
Kelly, 58, was convicted after years of allegations and legal battles. Once one of the most successful figures in R&B music, he rose to fame with hits like I Believe I Can Fly, which won three Grammy Awards in 1996.
However, his career was overshadowed by longstanding accusations of sexual abuse and misconduct involving minors, which led to multiple criminal cases.
At his sentencing in June 2022, U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly said Kelly’s crimes demonstrated “calculated, methodical, and regular” abuse of his victims, adding that he showed “no remorse” for his actions.
Other Legal Challenges
Kelly remains entangled in additional legal troubles. In 2022, he was convicted in a separate Chicago federal trial on child pornography and obstruction charges and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
That sentence is being served concurrently with his Brooklyn conviction.
The ruling by the appeals court leaves Kelly with limited legal options, and it is unclear whether his defense team will attempt to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
For now, the singer remains behind bars, with his efforts to overturn his conviction dealt another significant blow.
