Federal Appeals Court Upholds R. Kelly’s Convictions and 30-Year Prison Sentence

 Federal Appeals Court Upholds R. Kelly’s Convictions and 30-Year Prison Sentence

June 27, 2025 — By Noneillah

NEW YORK — A federal appeals court has upheld R&B singer R. Kelly’s 2021 convictions for racketeering and sex trafficking, along with his 30-year prison sentence, reaffirming that the disgraced performer used his fame and power to sexually exploit young girls and women for over two decades.

In a decisive ruling issued Wednesday, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan rejected Kelly’s efforts to overturn his conviction. The three-judge panel concluded that “enabled by a constellation of managers, assistants, and other staff for over twenty-five years, Kelly exploited his fame to lure girls and young women into his grasp.”

The court emphasized that trial evidence showed how Kelly would isolate his victims from friends and family, assert control over their daily lives, and subject them to verbal, physical, and sexual abuse.

This ruling comes nearly a year after the court heard oral arguments in Kelly’s appeal. His attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, criticized the decision, calling it “unprecedented” and vowing to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. She argued the racketeering charge was misapplied in a manner far removed from the statute’s original intent and claimed the case set a dangerous precedent for prosecutorial overreach.

However, the appeals panel rejected a host of Kelly’s legal arguments, including claims that trial evidence was insufficient, that the judge made improper rulings, and that several jurors were biased. The court also found no error in allowing accusers to testify that Kelly knowingly exposed them to herpes and admitted graphic videos that illustrated the extent of his control over victims.

“None of the testimony was more inflammatory than the charged acts,” the court stated, defending the inclusion of highly sensitive and disturbing evidence presented during the Brooklyn federal trial.

One partial dissent came from Circuit Judge Richard J. Sullivan, who agreed with the majority’s ruling but took issue with a restitution award. Sullivan objected to the financial judgment for one victim to receive a lifetime supply of name-brand herpes medication, arguing a generic alternative would have sufficed. Bonjean seized on this point, accusing prosecutors of trying “to unfairly enrich government witnesses for their testimony.”

Kelly, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, is best known for songs like “I Believe I Can Fly” and the “Trapped in the Closet” series. Despite decades of rumors and allegations, Kelly maintained commercial success and public support well into the 2000s. His 2008 acquittal on child pornography charges in Chicago only added to his image of invincibility.

That changed dramatically following the #MeToo movement and the release of the 2019 documentary Surviving R. Kelly, which featured powerful testimony from survivors and reignited public pressure for accountability.

In 2022, Kelly was separately convicted in a Chicago federal court on charges of producing child sexual abuse material and coercing minors into sex. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to review that case last year, leaving a 20-year sentence in place — 19 years of which will be served concurrently with his existing 30-year term.

With the 2nd Circuit’s ruling, Kelly’s legal avenues for relief continue to narrow. While his attorney hopes for a Supreme Court review, the appellate court’s strongly worded opinion leaves little doubt about the judiciary’s stance on Kelly’s crimes and the methods he used to conceal them for decades.

As of today, R. Kelly remains incarcerated, serving out what is effectively a life sentence for his prolonged abuse of power, and the survivors who testified against him have secured a hard-fought measure of justice.