R&B singer R. Kelly has been sentenced to twenty years in prison after being found guilty of crimes against children. The singer has been involved in numerous court proceedings over the years, but this most recent judgment simply piles on the years behind bars. Kelly, 56, is already going to serve 30 years for sentences in previous court hearings.
Meanwhile, former film producer Harvey Weinstein is also facing down serious jailtime for his own crimes against women and girls. Weinstein, 70, was found guilty of assault in 2020 and sentenced to another 16 years in prison yesterday for another assault case. Given Weinstein’s advanced age and poor health, this likely makes his prison stay effectively a life sentence.
R. Kelly’s Sentence Lengthened
R. Kelly, who is well-known for his R&B hits in the 1990s, has been the subject of controversy for decades. His alleged conduct with women and young girls has been a troubling aspect of his legacy ever since rumors of his behavior began to spread. Being a fan of his music often means having tough conversations about the ethics of enjoying something created by a person who is allegedly a serial criminal.
Kelly’s sentence will have him behind bars for what is likely to be the remainder of his life. Prosecutors in Kelly’s case allege that the singer’s team “”traveled throughout the United States and abroad to perform at concert venues […] and to recruit women and girls to engage in illegal […] activity with Kelly” starting as early as 1999.
Harvey Weinstein Faces Justice
Harvey Weinstein, coincidentally, was also sentenced to more time behind bars on Thursday. “I maintain that I’m innocent,” Weinstein said ahead of his court proceedings. “I never knew this woman, and the fact is she doesn’t know me,” he said of one of the anonymous women who has accused him of assault. He went on to plead for the court to not sentence him to even more time. “Please don’t sentence me to life in prison. I don’t deserve it.”
Weinstein’s prosecutors and alleged vicitms feel differently, though. “I want to thank the survivors in this case, who exhibited extraordinary bravery in a case that put them in the national spotlight,” says Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón. “Subjecting oneself to at times brutal cross-examination can be retraumatizing and extraordinarily painful. I stand in awe of their fearlessness. They deserve better than what the system has given them.”
