Key takeaways:
- Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx has announced that she is dropping sex-abuse charges against singer R. Kelly.
- Kelly is already serving a 30-year prison sentence on charges of federal racketeering and sex-trafficking.
- Kelly still faces a civil lawsuit in Minnesota and a federal lawsuit in New York.
A Chicago prosecutor has announced that she is dropping sex-abuse charges against singer R. Kelly, following his federal convictions in two courts that ensure he will be locked up for decades.
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx made the announcement at a news conference on Monday, a day ahead of a court hearing related to state charges accusing Kelly of sexually abusing four people, three of whom were minors. Foxx noted that her office found the accusations to be credible, but cited limited resources and court time as the ultimate factor 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. Since Kelly was indicted in Cook County in 2019, federal juries in Chicago and New York have convicted him of a raft of crimes, including child pornography, enticement, racketeering and sex trafficking related to allegations that he victimized women and girls.
The singer has been in custody since July 2019 and is awaiting sentencing on February 23 in Chicago. He is expected to remain in prison for the remainder of his life.
The decision to drop the charges in Cook County comes after a long legal battle for Kelly, who has denied all allegations of sexual misconduct. Despite the charges being dropped, the singer’s legal troubles are far from over. He still faces a civil lawsuit in Minnesota and a federal lawsuit in New York.
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