R. Kelly found guilty on all charges

NEW YORK • R. Kelly was convicted by a federal jury on Monday in his sex trafficking trial, where prosecutors accused the R&B singer of exploiting his stardom over a quarter-century to lure women and underage girls into his orbit for sex.

Jurors in Brooklyn federal court deliberated for a little more than a day before voting to convict Kelly on all nine counts he faced, after a 51/2-week trial.

Kelly, 54, kept his head down as the verdict was read, his face shielded by a white mask.

Mr Deveraux Cannick, a lawyer for Kelly, told reporters that the defence was disappointed. "I'm sure we'll be appealing," he said.

Kelly faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years behind bars and could face up to life in prison at his sentencing on May 4 next year.

The singer, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, is one of the most prominent people tried on sex charges during the #MeToo movement, which amplified accusations that had dogged him since the early 2000s.

Like Kelly, many of his accusers were black, differentiating the case from the #MeToo convictions of comedian Bill Cosby and movie producer Harvey Weinstein. Cosby's conviction was overturned in June.

Kelly had been charged with one count of racketeering and eight counts of violating the Mann Act, which prohibits transporting people across state lines for prostitution. The racketeering charge gave prosecutors leeway to offer evidence that might otherwise have been too old to prosecute.

"We hope that today's verdict brings some measure of comfort and closure to the victims," Acting United States Attorney Jacquelyn Kasulis told reporters.

Prosecutors said Kelly had taken advantage of his fame and charisma to recruit victims, including some plucked from crowds at his concerts, with the aid of people in his entourage.

Witnesses said some victims had hoped Kelly could jump-start their careers, only to find he demanded their strict obedience and would punish them if they failed.

Testimony from 45 government witnesses portrayed - often in graphic detail - an unseemly side to Kelly's 30-year music career, the highlights of which include the 1996 Grammy-winning smash hit, I Believe I Can Fly.

Kelly has repeatedly denied sexual abuse accusations.

His alleged victims included the late singer Aaliyah, whom Kelly briefly and illegally married in 1994 when she was 15. She died in a 2001 plane crash.

Several witnesses testified that Kelly had instilled fear if his victims did not fulfil his every need.

Jurors heard how Kelly would compel victims to follow "Rob's rules", including calling him "daddy" and getting permission to eat or go to the bathroom.

Witnesses said Kelly pressed accusers to write "apology letters" to pre-emptively absolve him of wrongdoing, and concealed before intercourse that he had contracted herpes.

His lawyers had sought to portray Kelly's accusers as former fans who felt jilted when they fell from his favour, and that their sex had been consensual.

They also tried to show how some accusers stayed with Kelly long after the alleged abuse began and questioned why they had failed to go to the police or waited years to come forward.

Kelly still faces federal charges in Chicago on child pornography and obstruction, and state charges in Illinois and Minnesota.

REUTERS