Two years ago, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison for human trafficking and violating the Mann Act. The Chicago R&B singers not giving up without a fight. Now, Kelly is seeking to overturn his conviction by appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Legal Grounds for Appeal
R. Kelly’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, has filed a petition arguing that his convictions for possession of child pornography and inducing minors to engage in sexual acts should be dismissed. Bonjean contends that the alleged acts took place in the mid to late-1990s and are therefore barred by the statute of limitations.
Statute of Limitations Debate
The crux of Kelly’s argument revolves around the statute of limitations. When Kelly was accused in 2020, he argued that the statute of limitations had expired. However, prosecutors cited the 2003 PROTECT Act, which made the statute of limitations for child sex crimes indefinite. Bonjean argues that this act should not apply retroactively to conduct that occurred before the law was enacted.
2003 PROTECT Act
The PROTECT Act was designed to extend the statute of limitations indefinitely for child sex crimes committed after 2003. According to Bonjean, Congress did not include a provision that would apply the law to crimes committed before its enactment, which forms the basis of Kelly’s appeal.
Previous Convictions and Sentences
In 2020, R. Kelly was convicted on six of 13 counts, including three for child pornography and three for inducement. He received a 20-year sentence and was ordered to pay substantial damages to his alleged victims.
Supreme Court Decision Pending
The Supreme Court is expected to decide in the coming months whether to hear Kelly’s appeal. If the court agrees to take the case, it could lead to a significant legal battle over the application of the statute of limitations in sex crime cases.The post R. Kelly Appeals to U.S. Supreme Court to Overturn Convictions first appeared on The Source.The post R. Kelly Appeals to U.S. Supreme Court to Overturn Convictions appeared first on The Source.
