R. Kelly‘s sex trafficking and racketeering convictions have been upheld as the disgraced singer’s efforts to overturn them have been unsuccessful.
Kelly, 58, was found guilty in New York in 2021 of multiple charges and subsequently sentenced to 30 years in prison, but took the case to the Circuit Court of Appeals in an attempt to throw out the convictions.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan rejected his appeal on Wednesday (February 12) after hearing arguments last March.
The three-judge panel overseeing the appeal concluded that the R&B star “exploited his fame to lure girls and young women into his grasp” for over 25 years.
“Evidence at trial showed that he would isolate them from friends and family, control nearly every aspect of their lives, and abuse them verbally, physically, and sexually,” they added.
Kelly’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, slammed the dismissal as “unprecedented” and intimated that they now plan to take the fight to the Supreme Court.
The singer’s appeal centered on the argument that evidence produced during the trial was inadequate, as well as numerous other technicalities such as biased jurors and laws being applied improperly.
The high court previously refused to hear a separate appeal from R. Kelly relating to his 2022 conviction in Chicago on child sex charges.