R. Kelly

R. Kelly
Born:	January 8, 1967 Chicago, Illinois
Charges:	Racketeering, Mann Act violations (EDNY); Production of child pornography, enticement of a minor (N.D. Ill.)
Sentence:	30 years (EDNY); 20 years (N.D. Ill.), 19 concurrent
Facility:	FCI Butner, North Carolina
Status:	Incarcerated

Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967), known professionally as R. Kelly, is an American singer and songwriter convicted in two federal cases of sex crimes spanning more than two decades. He sold tens of millions of records in the 1990s and 2000s. His best-known songs include "I Believe I Can Fly," "Bump N' Grind," and "Ignition (Remix)."

A jury in the Eastern District of New York convicted him on September 27, 2021, of one count of racketeering and eight counts of violating the Mann Act. The racketeering count rested on acts that included sexual exploitation of a child, kidnapping, forced labor, and bribery. U.S. District Judge Ann M. Donnelly sentenced him to 30 years in prison on June 29, 2022.

A second jury, this one in the Northern District of Illinois, convicted him on September 14, 2022. The Chicago verdict covered three counts of producing child pornography and three counts of enticing a minor into sexual activity. U.S. District Judge Harry D. Leinenweber imposed a 20-year term on February 23, 2023. He ordered 19 of those years to run at the same time as the New York sentence, so the Chicago case added one year.

Kelly is held at the Federal Correctional Institution in Butner, North Carolina. His appeals failed. The Second Circuit affirmed the New York conviction in February 2025, and the Supreme Court declined to hear his case in June 2025.

Early Life and Music Career

Kelly was born January 8, 1967, in Chicago. He grew up on the South Side, much of it in public housing, and was raised mostly by his mother. He has said in interviews that a family friend sexually abused him as a child.

He started out singing on Chicago streets and on the subway. In 1991 he won a $100,000 prize on the television talent show Big Break. That exposure led to a deal with Jive Records.

His commercial breakthrough came with the 1993 album 12 Play. It reached number two on the Billboard 200. The single "Bump N' Grind" spent four weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

Through the late 1990s and 2000s Kelly was among the best-selling musicians in the United States. "I Believe I Can Fly," released in 1996, won three Grammy Awards. "Ignition (Remix)" became a radio staple in 2003. He also wrote and produced for other artists, including the Michael Jackson single "You Are Not Alone." His multi-chapter "Trapped in the Closet" project ran to dozens of installments.

Allegations

Reports of sexual misconduct followed Kelly for years before any federal charge. In 1994 he married the singer Aaliyah. She was 15. He was 27. The marriage was annulled within months. Aaliyah died in a 2001 plane crash and never spoke publicly about it.

More accusations surfaced in the late 1990s. Several women sued, saying Kelly had sexual contact with them when they were underage. Many of those suits settled out of court.

In 2002 a Cook County grand jury charged Kelly with 21 counts of child pornography. The charges followed a videotape, sent to the Chicago Sun-Times, that prosecutors said showed Kelly with an underage girl. A jury acquitted him on all counts in 2008. The girl prosecutors identified as the person on the tape did not testify.

Lifetime aired the documentary series Surviving R. Kelly in January 2019. The six-part program collected interviews with women who said Kelly had abused or controlled them. It pushed the accusations back into national view and gave momentum to the #MuteRKelly campaign, which pressed venues and labels to cut ties.

Federal Cases

Eastern District of New York

Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn indicted Kelly in 2019. The case carried number 1:19-cr-00286 in the Eastern District of New York. The central charge was racketeering under the RICO statute.

The government's theory was that Kelly ran an enterprise. Managers, bodyguards, drivers, and other staff helped him meet women and girls, the indictment said, and then helped keep them under his control and hide what he did. Prosecutors described rules he set for victims: when they could eat, when they could use the bathroom, what they could wear, who they could talk to.

The trial ran about six weeks. Several accusers testified. On September 27, 2021, the jury convicted Kelly on all nine counts. That was one racketeering count and eight counts of violating the Mann Act, the federal law against transporting people across state lines for illegal sexual activity. Judge Ann M. Donnelly presided.

Northern District of Illinois

A separate federal case proceeded in Chicago, numbered 1:19-cr-00567 in the Northern District of Illinois. The charges centered on the production of child pornography and the enticement of minors during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

The trial lasted about four weeks. On September 14, 2022, the jury convicted Kelly on three counts of producing child pornography and three counts of enticing a minor into sexual activity. The verdict included findings tied to a victim prosecutors identified in court as Kelly's goddaughter, who was 14 at the time of the conduct. He was acquitted on some other counts in the same indictment.

Sentencing

Judge Donnelly sentenced Kelly in the New York case on June 29, 2022. The term was 30 years in federal prison. Victims read impact statements at the hearing.

The Chicago sentencing came on February 23, 2023. Prosecutors had asked Judge Harry D. Leinenweber for 25 years. He imposed 20. Then he set 19 of those years to run concurrently with the New York sentence. Only one year stacked on top. The structure meant the Chicago conviction extended Kelly's earliest possible release by a single year rather than two full decades.

Kelly appealed the New York case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. On February 12, 2025, the panel affirmed both the conviction and the 30-year sentence. The court rejected his arguments that the evidence was thin, that some state laws used to support the racketeering count were unconstitutional, that four jurors were biased, that the trial judge erred in several rulings, and that RICO did not fit the facts. Kelly petitioned the Supreme Court. On June 23, 2025, the justices declined to take the case. They gave no explanation, which is standard. That left the New York conviction and sentence in place. The Seventh Circuit upheld the Chicago conviction in 2024.

Incarceration

Kelly is held at the Federal Correctional Institution in Butner, North Carolina, a medium-security facility within the larger Butner complex. He was held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn during the New York trial and has been designated to other facilities at points in his custody. Bureau of Prisons records list a projected release date in the 2040s.

In 2025 Kelly's legal team filed motions seeking his release and made a set of claims about danger inside Butner. His lawyer Beau Brindley alleged that Bureau of Prisons officials had arranged for an inmate to kill Kelly. The filings named that inmate as Mikeal Glenn Stine and said he was moved into Kelly's unit in early 2025 and later warned Kelly of the plan. The motions also accused officials of stealing privileged attorney-client material.

On June 13, 2025, Kelly was taken from Butner to Duke University Hospital in Durham after what his lawyers described as an overdose. The filings said prison staff had given him a quantity of medication that could have been fatal. He stayed at the hospital about two days, then was returned to Butner.

Federal prosecutors disputed the account. One filing called the murder-plot theory "deeply unserious." Prosecutors wrote that Kelly had never taken responsibility for abusing children and was asking to be freed under the cover of a conspiracy claim. The court denied the request to move Kelly to home detention. His lawyers also said they were seeking a pardon and were in contact with people close to President Trump and the White House.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What was R. Kelly convicted of?

R. Kelly was convicted in two federal cases. In Brooklyn, a jury convicted him on September 27, 2021, of one racketeering count and eight Mann Act violations. In Chicago, a jury convicted him on September 14, 2022, of three counts of producing child pornography and three counts of enticing a minor into sexual activity.

Q: How long is R. Kelly's sentence?

He was sentenced to 30 years in the New York case on June 29, 2022, and to 20 years in the Chicago case on February 23, 2023. The Chicago judge ordered 19 of those 20 years to run at the same time as the New York term, so the second case added one year. His earliest projected release is in the 2040s.

Q: Which judges sentenced R. Kelly?

U.S. District Judge Ann M. Donnelly sentenced him in the Eastern District of New York. U.S. District Judge Harry D. Leinenweber sentenced him in the Northern District of Illinois.

Q: Where is R. Kelly incarcerated?

He is held at the Federal Correctional Institution in Butner, North Carolina, a medium-security facility in the Butner federal complex.

Q: Did R. Kelly's appeals succeed?

No. The Second Circuit affirmed the New York conviction and 30-year sentence on February 12, 2025. The Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal on June 23, 2025. The Seventh Circuit upheld the Chicago conviction in 2024.

Q: What happened with R. Kelly in 2025?

His lawyers filed motions claiming Bureau of Prisons officials had arranged to have him killed and asked for his release. On June 13, 2025, he was taken to Duke University Hospital after what his lawyers described as an overdose, then returned to Butner. Prosecutors called the murder-plot claim "deeply unserious," and the court denied his release request. His attorneys also said they were seeking a presidential pardon.

Q: Was R. Kelly charged before these federal cases?

Yes. Cook County prosecutors charged him with 21 counts of child pornography in 2002. A jury acquitted him on all counts in 2008.