Disgraced singer R Kelly has made yet another attempt to undo his 20-year prison sentence. The multiple Grammy Award winner has appealed his federal sex crime conviction to the Supreme Court.
R Kelly is asking the court to throw out his conviction. The reason? He claims that the charges his accusers brought against him weren’t filed within the time allowed by law.
R Kelly and the Statute of Limitations
The RnB singer is doing everything he can to overturn his 2023 Chicago conviction for child pornography. After a number of failed attempts, the musician is giving it another go, this time at the Supreme Court.
He is basing his appeal on the fact that his conviction violated the statute of limitations for his crime. Notably, the statute of limitations is a law that assigns a specific time after which a suspect can’t be charged.
What Did R Kelly Do?
Apparently, R Kelly buried most of his life in crime. Numerous victims, mostly underaged at the time, have testified against him for rape and recording of sexual acts. A number of his accusers said he starved them of food, treated them as sex slaves in his mansion, and isolated them from their families.
According to several testimonies, he performed sexual acts with them at will and even asked them to do the same with one another. Reports say many of his victims approached him for help with their music careers.
R Kelly Conviction in Chicago
The 56-year-old singer was sentenced last year in Chicago. US District Judge Harry D. Leinenweber delivered the ruling which condemned him to 20 years in prison.
The federal court found him guilty of the production of child pornography and enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity. However, the prison term was five years lower than what prosecutors demanded.
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R Kelly Crimes
Before his Chicago conviction, the multiple award-winning singer was already serving a 30-year prison sentence. In 2022, the musician received a sentence of 30 years in prison by US District Court Judge Ann Donnelly.
The New York court had earlier found him guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking. R Kelly allegedly used his fame to lure and sexually abuse his victims.
Will His Latest Appeal Set Him Free?
R Kelly’s recent appeal seeks to cancel his 20-year sentence. His defense attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, is working hard to convince the court that he was wrongly sentenced.
She argued that Judge Leinenweber wrongly entertained the case against the singer based on an amended statute of limitations law. The amendment in question is the PROTECT ACT of 2003, which made the statute of limitations indefinite for sex crimes involving minors.
R Kelly and the PROTECT ACT
According to Bonjean, the courts convicted her client for crimes he committed around the 1990s. During this period, the PROTECT ACT didn’t apply because it hadn’t been signed into law.
“Congress did not expressly state that the PROTECT ACT should apply retroactively and even rejected a version of the bill that included a retroactive provision,” she argued. “Defendant was convicted of time-barred offenses,” her petition declared.
This Isn’t R Kelly’s First Appeal Attempt
R Kelly has previously challenged his conviction for the same reason. However, his lawyer failed to convince the federal appeals court in April 2024.
The appeals court held that “it is not unconstitutional to apply a newer statute of limitations to old conduct when the defendant was subject to prosecution at the time of the change, as Kelly was in 2003.”
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R Kelly’s Lawyer Is Confident of Victory
Following the verdict of the appeals court, R Kelly’s lawyer, Bonjean, is heading straight to the Supreme Court with solid hopes. Recently, she spoke about the case to journalists, describing her reason for approaching the Supreme Court.
“Laws are generally applied prospectively. The 2003 amendment that expanded the statute of limitations was not intended to apply to Mr. Kelly’s alleged conduct from the 1990s,” she explained.
R Kelly’s Lawyer Believes the Law is Clear
Bonjean believes the 2003 statute of limitations law is pretty clear on the issue on the ground. She has also cited Congress’ intent in creating the law as proof that her client has faced an unjust sentence.
“Statutes should be strictly construed,” she argued. “Prosecutors should not be permitted to ignore the intent of Congress, even when the defendant is R Kelly,” she added.
Bonjean Has Participated in High-Level Cases
Representing R Kelly in such a high-stakes case isn’t an easy feat for anyone. But Bonjean isn’t a stranger to the game. She successfully represented Bill Cosby in his high-profile murder appeal in 2021 which was struck out based on technicality.
Also, Bonjean has been speaking for Harvey Weinstein in his Los Angeles appeal. Earlier this year, the courts also nullified Weinstein’s New York conviction based on technicalities.
R Kelly Release Date
The songwriter and record producer is currently at a medium-security prison in North Carolina. If he doesn’t win the appeal, his scheduled release date remains December 21, 2045. At that time, he would be 78 years old.
That’s because, in his sentence, the court decided that he would serve 19 years of his 20-year jail term at the same time as his 30-year jail term.
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