Singer R. Kelly was found guilty of all nine charges against him after a weeks-long trial detailing dozens of allegations of sexual abuse, The New York Times reports.
A jury on Monday found Kelly guilty of racketeering and eight violations of the Mann Act, a federal anti-sex trafficking law.
Kelly faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. He sat expressionless as his verdict was read.
“No one deserves what they experienced at his hands or the threats and harassment they faced in telling the truth about what happened to them. We hope that today’s verdict brings some measure of comfort and closure,” said prosecutor Jacquelyn Kasulis.
Kelly’s lawyers vowed to appeal the verdict.
“Of course we are disappointed in the verdict. I am even more disappointed in the prosecution for bringing this case,” said attorney Deveraux Cannick, adding that it was “replete with inconsistencies.”
Victims detailed allegations:
The trial featured numerous witnesses who accused Kelly of sexual abuse for the first time, including some that had never gone public.
“Today, my voice was heard,” Jerhonda Pace, the first accuser to ever testify against Kelly, said on Instagram.
“This is the culmination of the movement of so many women who have been trying so long to have their voices heard,” Oronike Odeleye, the co-founder of the #MuteRKelly campaign, said. “We have never had full ownership of our bodies. And we’re at a moment where Black women are no longer accepting that as the price of being Black and female in America.”
Evidence dates back to early 90s:
Prosecutors laid out years of evidence going back to the early 90s.
Prosecutors called 45 witnesses during the trial to discuss charges related to allegations by six women, including the late singer Aaliyah.
Four other women and two men also accused Kelly of sexual abuse at the trial though he was not charged in those cases.
Kelly still faces a federal trial in Chicago on child pornography and obstruction charges and sex crime trials in Illinois and Minneapolis.
