After a month-long trial in his hometown, a federal jury in Chicago found R. Kelly guilty on Wednesday of creating child pornography and seducing minors for sex, dealing the Grammy Award winner and former top R&B star another legal setback.
Six of the 13 counts brought against him resulted in convictions for the prosecution, and many of those convictions came with lengthy mandatory terms. However, the government was unable to prove that Kelly and his then-business manager corrupted the 2008 state child pornography trial.
Both of his co-defendants were exonerated of all counts, including longtime business manager Derrel McDavid, who admitted to jurors that hearing from four Kelly accusers had caused him to reconsider whether Kelly could be believed.
With a crucial film at the center of both cases, the trial resembled Kelly’s child pornography prosecution in 2008 in certain aspects. After the verdict on Wednesday, Kelly, who sobbed with relief when the jury found him not guilty in 2008, gave the crowd a thumbs-up but otherwise showed little emotion.
McDavid gave Kelly a hug as Kelly, who had overcome adversity on Chicago’s South Side to become a superstar, was being sent back to federal custody.
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