Already serving 30 years, R. Kelly gets 20 years for child sex crimes

R. Kelly, the R&B singer, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison on child pornography and enticement charges.

A federal court in Chicago handed the sentence to the singer on Thursday.

The three-time Grammy award winner is expected to serve 19 of those years concurrently with a prior 30-year prison sentence from a separate case in New York on July 29, 2022.

It means the sentencing only adds one more year to his prison time.

He will now serve 31 years in prison as a result of the two cases.

In September, Kelly was convicted on three counts of production of child pornography and three counts of enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity.

Prosecutors had asked for a 25-year sentence to be served once his other 30-year prison sentence is complete.

The defense, however, prayed that Kelly should serve the 25 years at the same time as his 30-year sentence in the New York case.

In their filing, they said Kelly is already serving a “de facto life sentence”.

The jury in Chicago convicted the singer of six of the 13 charges brought against him in connection with sexual abuse during the 1990s.

It includes three counts of coercing minors into sexual activity and three counts of producing sex tapes involving a minor.

He was acquitted of a charge that he had attempted to obstruct an earlier investigation into his abuse of the goddaughter, and two other counts of enticing minors to have sex.

Since the 1990s, Kelly has been repeatedly accused of sexual abuse of young adults and minors.

The assault allegations against Kelly received wide exposure after the 2019 Lifetime documentary ‘Surviving R Kelly’, which explored claims that an entourage of supporters protected Kelly and silenced his victims for decades.

The singer, best known for the 1996 smash hit ‘I Believe I Can Fly’, has consistently denied any wrongdoing.