Singer R. Kelly found guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking

After a jury found singer R. Kelly guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking, acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Jacquelyn Kasulis called the singer a “predator” and praised the singer’s accusers by saying “this conviction would not have been possible without the bravery and resilience of R. Kelly’s victims.”

Video Transcript

JACQUELYN KASULIS: Today's guilty verdict forever brands R. Kelly as a predator who used his fame and fortune to prey on the young, the vulnerable, and the voiceless for his own sexual gratification, a predator who used his inner circle to ensnare underage girls and young men and women for decades in a sordid web of sex abuse, exploitation, and humiliation. To the victims in this case, your voices were heard, and justice was finally served.

This conviction would not have been possible without the bravery and resilience of R. Kelly's victims. I applaud their courage in revealing in open court the painful, intimate, and horrific details of their lives with him. No one deserves what they experienced at his hands, or the threats and harassment they faced in telling the truth about what happened to them. We hope that today's verdict brings some measure of comfort and closure to the victims.