The Cook County State’s Attorney’s office dropped 10 charges of sex abuse against the singer R kelly on Monday, 30th January.
R Kelly, who was convicted in New York last year, is already serving a 30-year jail sentence on charges of federal racketeering and sex trafficking.
With the two charges filed, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx believes that “justice has been served.”
She said her office’s “limited resources and court time” were the ultimate factors, noting that it found the accusations credible.
R Kelly was accused of sexually abusing four people, three of whom were minors. For these reasons, he will appear in Cook County Court on Tuesday, where the charges will be dropped formally.
If convicted, R Kelly will face three to seven years in prison for each charge.
The women in the case were identified in the allegation only by their initials. Several women have come forward with accusations over the years.
January 2019, several women professed R Kelly subjected them to mental, physical, and sexual abuse. Foxx urged victims to come forward to speak with her office about possible criminal activity after the series.
Foxx said she consulted with the women in the allegation before she clear-cut to drop the charges.
“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 being a survivor and my full understanding of what it means to go before strangers to discuss what is arguably one of the most horrific experiences one could have. And these women, all of them Black, came forward, believing that they would be heard.”
R Kelly also faces state charges in Minnesota, where he has been accused of soliciting a minor for sexual purposes and engaging in prostitution with a minor.
In the New York case, R Kelly was convicted on nine counts of racketeering and sex trafficking. Jurors found that he set up a criminal enterprise that enabled him to recruit and transport underage girls for sex.
Months later, in Chicago federal court, he was convicted on six counts of sexual exploitation and enticement of a minor. He is scheduled to be sentenced on those charges on 23rd February.
R Kelly’s attorneys have said he plans to appeal both federal convictions.
