#MeToo: R. Kelly found guilty of ALL counts in racketeering & sex trafficking & faces life in prison

A mixture of relief and disbelief greeted the guilty verdict on Monday in the sex trafficking trial of singer R. Kelly, the most high-profile musician brought down in the #MeToo era but whose music remains popular on streaming services.

Kelly, once one of the biggest selling R&B singers, was convicted on all nine counts after some 25 years of using his fame and wealth to lure underage girls and women for sex. 

R. Kelly has long been trailed by troubling accusations of sexual misconduct and abuse, even as he climbed the Billboard charts and earned Grammys for his R&B music. 

The scrutiny on the singer intensified in the #MeToo era — particularly after the premiere of “Surviving R. Kelly,” a 2019 documentary series that featured interviews with several of his accusers. Kelly, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, has repeatedly and vehemently denied any wrongdoing. 

The decades of rumors and allegations culminated this year with a high-profile federal sex-trafficking trial in New York, where Kelly was found guilty on Monday on all counts. 

He pleaded not guilty in the case.

He had this to say online: