CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago prosecutors said Monday they will drop sexual abuse charges against singer R. Kelly Following federal convictions in two courts that should guarantee the disgraced R&B star will be locked up for decades.
Cook County State Attorney Kim Foxx announced the decision one day before a hearing related to state charges in which he was accused of molesting four people. Three of them were minors. She said she will ask a judge to dismiss her charges on Tuesday.
Fox, who pleaded with women and girls to come forward so he could pursue the charges against Kelly in 2019, admitted the decision “might be disappointing” for his accuser.
“Mr. Kelly may be considering the possibility of never getting out of prison again for the crimes he committed. I believe it has been done.”
Since being indicted in Cook County in 2019, Kelly has Federal juries in Chicago and New York convicted him of a series of crimes, including child pornography, seduction, racketeering and sex trafficking, related to allegations that he victimized women and girls.
Kelly, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, is serving a 30-year prison sentence in a New York case and wait for the verdict In Chicago Federal Court on Feb. 23. He appeals to those beliefs. Based on the New York ruling alone, the 56-year-old won’t be eligible for release until he’s around 80.
Fox said she contacted Kelly’s attorneys two weeks ago to tell them they might drop the charges.
Fox praised “the courage it took them to come forward”.
A message from Kelly’s attorney seeking comment was not immediately returned.
Prosecutors may choose to proceed with more trials out of concern that convictions elsewhere may be overturned during appeals. I see it as insurance.
“We haven’t done a financial cost-benefit analysis,” Fox said, but said the resources spent on the trial could instead be used “to advocate for other survivors of sexual abuse.” added.
Another sexual misconduct lawsuit is pending in Hennepin County, Minnesota. Where Grammy Winners Face Solicitation Charges. Minnesota prosecutors have not said if they plan to bring Kelly to trial.
Kelly, best known for her smash hit “I Believe I Can Fly” and sexually charged songs like “Bump n’ Grind,” has been sued for hundreds of years after allegations of girl abuse began to circulate publicly in the 1990s. It sold millions of albums. He lost his case on child pornography charges in Chicago in 2008, and a jury acquitted him.
Widespread outrage over Kelly’s sexual misconduct didn’t emerge until the #MeToo reckoning and early 2019 release of the Lifetime documentary series Surviving R. Kelly.
Foxx announced the Cook County indictment months ahead of federal lawsuits in New York and Chicago. Foxx’s office alleges that he had sought out women for sex on numerous occasions, including the woman he met at his 16th birthday party and the woman he met Keller during his trial in 2008. .
Federal prosecutors in New York told jurors at the 2021 trial that Kelly used a side manager and aide to meet the girls and keep them submissive. said it was equivalent.
Last year, prosecutors in Kelly’s federal trial in Chicago used Kelly’s fame and fortune to attract star-adored fans, including minors, and then dumped them after sexually abusing them. portrayed him as a master manipulator.4 accusers testified.
In that case, prosecutors won convictions on six of the 13 counts against him, but the government accused Kelly and his then-business manager of successfully rigging a 2008 child pornography trial. lost a strong cause of action.
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Associated Press reporter Ed White of Detroit contributed to this story.
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Follow Michael Tarm on Twitter. https://twitter.com/mtarm Learn more about AP’s coverage of R. Kelly’s trial at https://apnews.com/hub/r-kelly.