An Illinois prosecutor dropped 10 charges of sex abuse against singer R. Kelly on Monday, saying at a news conference the cost was one of the factors weighed in her decision.
Kelly, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, is already serving a 30-year prison sentence on charges of federal racketeering and sex- trafficking after being convicted in New York last year. He is also due to be sentenced in a second federal case in Chicago later this month.
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx told reporters that her office believes “justice has been served” against Kelly with those two convictions. She noted her office’s “limited resources and court time” was the ultimate factor, noting that her office found the accusations to be credible.
“Mr. Kelly is looking at the possibility of never walking out of prison again,” Foxx said.
Kelly is set to appear Tuesday in Cook County Court, where the charges will be formally dropped. The state has accused Kelly of sexually abusing four people, three of whom were minors.
Foxx announced the state’s case against Kelly in 2019, saying the incidents occurred between May 1998 and January 2010. Kelly was facing three to seven years in prison for each charge if convicted.
The women in the case were only identified in the indictment by their initials, but multiple women have come forward with allegations against Kelly over the years.
Lifetime aired a six-part docuseries, “Surviving R. Kelly,” in January 2019 in which multiple women alleged Kelly subjected them to mental, physical and sexual abuse. Foxx urged potential victims to come forward to speak with her office about possible criminal activity in the aftermath of the series.
Foxx said Monday that she consulted with the women in the indictment before making the choice to drop the charges, acknowledging that some might be disappointed.
“I know firsthand how difficult it is for you to tell your stories,” Foxx said. “Four years ago, I stood at this podium and shared my story of…
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