R. Kelly, a well-known US artist, was jailed to 30 years in prison for exploiting his position to carry out a plan to sexually abusing women and children.
In September, a jury found Kelly, 55, guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking offenses.
A $100,000 (£82,525) fine was also imposed on R. Kelly.
According to reports, Kelly spent two decades luring women and children into sexual assault using his celebrity status and network.
US District Judge Ann Donnelly claimed on Wednesday that the famous person used sex as a weapon, compelling his victims to commit horrific acts and burdening them with terminal illnesses.
She claimed that the sentence will serve as a deterrent to future offenders of similar offenses.
The defense contended that a sentence of 10 years or less is all that is appropriate, while the prosecution sought a minimum penalty of 25 years in jail.
In court documents, Kelly’s attorneys said that part of the reason why he should be given leniency was because he “had a horrific background involving severe, continuous childhood sexual abuse, poverty, and violence.”
They also said:
Because of his literacy issues, the defendant has repeatedly been cheated and financially abused, frequently by the persons he trusted to protect him. His victimization has persisted into adulthood.
Kelly was charged federally with human trafficking, racketeering, child pornography, kidnapping, and forced labor in the New York trial that started on August 18.
The former musician entered a not guilty plea and refuted every accusation leveled against him. The prosecution’s goal during the trial was to show that Kelly is not only a predator, but that his group has been supporting him for a long time.
34 witnesses, including former Kelly employees, testified throughout the five-week trial. The prosecution also called nine women and two men to the witness stand to describe Kelly’s sexual, physical, and mental abuse.
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