Shivangini Rawat on June 30, 2022
R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in jail after being convicted of racketeering and sex trafficking. The disgraced musician was found guilty on all counts in his federal trial. A letter written by his attorneys to the judge recently disclosed that he is ‘Destitute’ after losing his $900 million fortune due to financial exploitation.
R. Kelly’s attorneys laid it on thick in a letter to the judge just days before the singer’s sex trafficking sentence. They said he was the true victim of the case. Radar Online obtained a copy of Kelly’s attorney’s bombshell note to the judge dated June 13. The disgraced singer’s lawyer outlined many reasons why she thinks her client should not have the book thrown at him. Prosecutors demanded at least 25 years in prison, but the court sentenced him to 30 years.
The letter, which was sent before the sentence was handed down, noted that the singer was a 55-year-old African American man with “diabetes and other health concerns. Kelly is unlikely to see a prison sentence through until his 80th birthday,” they wrote. The letter attempted to cast doubt on the four victims who testified at the trial.
“While it is undebatable that the jury found [Kelly] guilty of serious crimes, the government’s portrait of [Kelly] as a monster, preying on young teenagers is neither accurate nor fair.”
Later, in an attempt to depict Kelly as a successful musician, they included Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston as Kelly’s previous collaborations.
“[Kelly is widely accepted as a musical genius with a rags-to-riches story. He is considered the greatest living R & B singer and has earned multiple Grammy awards. He has written and produced music for celebrated artists like Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston. Notwithstanding his legendary status, Robert Kelly is a man with a rich and complicated story that is highly relevant to this Court’s goal of fashioning an appropriate sentence for him. [Kelly] has been portrayed by the government and the media as a one-dimensional villain, undeserving of any measure of humanity or dignity. He is not an evil monster but a complex (unquestionably flawed) human being who faced overwhelming challenges in childhood that shaped his adult life.”
Kelly had a difficult past that included “severe, prolonged childhood sexual abuse, poverty, and violence. His victimization continued into adulthood, where, because of his literacy deficiencies.” Kelly was regularly defrauded and financially abused, according to the letter, often by those he hired to protect him.
Kelly’s attorney stated that the singer is “functionally illiterate.” “[Kelly’s] inability to read and write as a child was a significant source of shame and embarrassment that persists to this day,” the letter read. Kelly’s doctor submitted a report stating that the convicted offender had an IG level of a first-grader. Then his lawyer revealed that Kelly once had a $900 million fortune.
“[Kelly’s] literacy deficiencies have led to chronic victimization in adulthood. [Kelly] has been financially exploited his entire adult life. At one point in his career, he was told he was worth $900 million; he is now destitute.”
During sentencing, the court seemed unmoved by the sob story. R. Kelly likely won’t get much sympathy. Hopefully, he has enough for commissary in prison. To get the latest updates, keep an eye on Thirsty.
What’s your opinion on this one? Let us know in the comments!
June 30, 2022 1:38 pm
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