To convict the R&B singer, prosecutors focused on his network of enablers.
For the past six weeks in a Brooklyn courtroom, witnesses have shared stories of rape, violence, entrapment, humiliation, and manipulation by the R&B singer R. Kelly. These tales would be called shocking if many of them had not already circulated in the public eye—in rumors, reports, and documentaries —at least since Robert Kelly married an underage Aaliyah in 1994. The last time he faced prosecution, in 2008 on child-pornography charges, a jury found him not guilty. He’s signed settlements over the years to keep some accusers quiet, and alleged victims who have spoken out have not, until now, seen any justice from the legal system. Kelly, finally, has been found guilty—not of assault or rape, but of one count of racketeering and eight counts of violating the Mann Act, an anti-human-trafficking law. Federal prosecutors built a case against Kelly that emphasized the network of associates that helped him corral victims and move them across state lines for sex. Kelly’s team identified and approached young women in the crowds at his concerts and invited them backstage, according to prosecutors. They intimidated and paid off would-be whistleblowers. They acted as administrators in Kelly’s schemes, such as by monitoring and feeding one woman who testified that she was locked inside of the singer’s studio for days. Given Kelly’s history of avoiding conviction in the past, going after his enabling network was a canny legal decision that shows how tricky punishing sex crimes by powerful people can be. The federal racketeering law, which was originally aimed at Mafia-style organizations, allows lawyers to present evidence of crimes too old to prosecute because of the statute of limitations.
