The disgraced 'I Believe I Can Fly' hitmaker receives the prison sentence after he was was found guilty of sexually abusing women, boys and girls for decades in September 2021.

• Jun 30, 2022

AceShowbiz - R. Kelly is likely to spend most of the rest of his life in prison if he makes it to his 80s. The "I Believe I Can Fly" hitmaker has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges.

U.S. District Court Judge Ann Donnelly handed down the sentence in Brooklyn, New York on Wednesday, June 29. Survivors of Kelly's abuse reportedly held hands as the judge read the sentence.

"You were a person who had great advantages - worldwide fame and celebrity and untold money," she said. "You took advantage of their hopes and dreams, holding teenagers in your house trapped. You were at the top of your organization, and you raped and beat them, separated them from their families and forced them to do unspeakable things."

Several of Kelly's accusers, meanwhile, told the court and the disgraced singer that he had ruined their lives. "You degraded me, humiliated me and broke my spirit," a woman who went by Jane Doe No. 2 said. "I wished I would die because of how you degraded me."

Recalling an incident when she was formed to perform oral sex on Kelly "in a car full of [his] friends," the victim scolded the crooner, "Do you remember that?!" She added, "You couldn't care less. I avoided your name and your songs and suffocated with fear. What you did left a permanent stain on my life."

Kelly was found guilty of sexually abusing women, boys and girls for decades in September 2021. The 55-year-old musician was convicted of all nine counts against him in the sex trafficking trial.

Following the guilty verdict, federal prosecutors wrote to the judge on the case, "In light of the seriousness of the offenses, the need for specific deterrence and the need to protect the public from further crimes of the defendant … the government respectfully submits that a sentence in excess of 25 years is warranted."

The U.S. Attorney's Office continued to blast the convicted sex offender for "relying on his fame, money and popularity as an R&B recording star… to both carry and conceal his crimes" as he got immense help from his large network of associates. The statement further read, "He continued his crimes and avoided punishment for them for almost 30 years and must now be held to account."