R. Kelly convicted on child pornography charges at federal trial in Chicago; acquitted of conspiring to obstruct justice
CHICAGO — In a split verdict after a hotly contested trial, a federal jury in Chicago on Wednesday convicted disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly on child pornography charges for videotaping himself sexually abusing his then-14-year-old goddaughter decades ago.
Kelly was also found guilty on three out of five counts related to enticement of a minor. But in a rare blow for federal prosecutors, the jury acquitted Kelly and two co-defendants on charges they conspired to retrieve incriminating tapes and hide Kelly’s sexual misdeeds.
After about 11 hours of deliberation, the jury found Kelly, 55, guilty of three of the first four counts of the indictment, which charged the singer with the sexual exploitation of “Jane” for the purpose of producing child pornography.
Those charges carry a minimum of 10 years in prison. U.S. Attorney John Lausch told reporters Wednesday that Kelly could face 10 to 90 years in prison for the convictions he received, and prosecutors will request that his sentence be served consecutive to the 30 years he received for racketeering conspiracy in a
