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An Illinois prosecutor dropped 10 charges of sex abuse against singer R. Kelly on Monday, saying at a news conference the cost was one of the factors weighed in her decision.
Kelly, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, is already serving a 30-year prison sentence on charges of federal racketeering and sex- trafficking after being convicted in New York last year. He is also due to be sentenced in a second federal case in Chicago later this month.
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx told reporters that her office believes “justice has been served” against Kelly with those two convictions. She noted her office’s “limited resources and court time” was the ultimate factor, noting that her office found the accusations to be credible.
“Mr. Kelly is looking at the possibility of never walking out of prison again,” Foxx said.
Kelly is set to appear Tuesday in Cook County Court, where the charges will be formally dropped. The state has accused Kelly of sexually abusing four people, three of whom were minors.
Foxx announced the state’s case against Kelly in 2019, saying the incidents occurred between May 1998 and January 2010. Kelly was facing three to seven years in prison for each charge if convicted.
The women in the case were only identified in the indictment by their initials, but multiple women have come forward with allegations against Kelly over the years.
Lifetime aired a six-part docuseries, “Surviving R. Kelly,” in January 2019 in which multiple women alleged Kelly subjected them to mental, physical and sexual abuse. Foxx urged potential victims to come forward to speak with her office about possible criminal activity in the aftermath of the series.
Foxx said Monday that she consulted with the women in the indictment before making the choice to drop the charges, acknowledging that some might be disappointed.
“I know firsthand how difficult it is for you to tell your stories,” Foxx said. “Four years ago, I stood at this podium and shared my story of having been a survivor and my full understanding of what it means to have to go before strangers to discuss what is arguably one of the most horrific experiences one could have. And these women, all of them Black, came forward, believing that they would be heard.”
Kelly is also facing state charges in Minnesota, where he’s been accused of soliciting a minor for sexual purposes and engaging in prostitution with a minor.
In the New York case, Kelly was convicted on nine counts of racketeering and sex trafficking. Jurors found that Kelly had set up a criminal enterprise that enabled him to recruit and transport underage girls for sex.
Months later in Chicago’s federal court, he was convicted on six counts of sexual exploitation and enticement of a minor. He is scheduled to be sentenced on those charges on Feb. 23.
Kelly’s attorneys have said he plans to appeal both of his federal convictions.
The Associated Press contributed.
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