R Kelly sentencing date set for February; singer convicted of child pornography charges in Chicago
CHICAGO (WLS) -- R. Kelly's sentencing date in Chicago has been set.
The R&B singer was convicted on three counts of child pornography and three counts of enticing a minor Wednesday, but was acquitted of a conspiracy to obstruct justice charge accusing him fixing his state child pornography trial in 2008.
Kelly will be sentenced on February 23, 2023.
WATCH | Federal prosecutors on R. Kelly Chicago verdict
A federal judge in New York sentenced Kelly to 30 years in prison in June for racketeering and sex trafficking. Based on that sentence, he won't be eligible for release until he is around 80.
Federal prosecutors want the Chicago sentence to be consecutive to the 30 years he already faces in New York for similar crimes.
WATCH | R. Kelly's attorney reacts to verdict
The Chicago-born star, who grew up on the South Side, has always proclaimed his innocence, despite the charges and allegations against him.
ABC7 legal analyst Gil Soffer, who is a former federal prosecutor in Chicago, said it is highly unlikely Kelly will ever see the light of day. He faces up to 90 years in prison on the Chicago charges alone and he is a 55-year-old man, so he will likely die in prison.
The Chicago trial was, in many ways, a do-over of Kelly's 2008 child pornography trial, with a key video critical to both.
Federal prosecutors called four women to testify, telling the jury they were underage when engaging in sexually activity with Kelly.
WATCH | ABC7 legal analyst Gil Soffer breaks down verdict
Among them the woman calling herself "Jane," who testified she was 14 years old in a sexually explicit video with Kelly.
The verdict affirms that the jury believed three of those women.
