A federal judge on thursday sentenced Kelly to 20 years in prison for his sex crimes to end his Chicago trial.
According to the New York Times, a jury convicted the singer on six of the 13 charges “in connection with sexual abuse during the 1990s, including three counts of coercing minors into sexual activity and three of producing sex tapes involving a minor.” As a result, Kelly will now serve a 20 year sentence—but not in the way you might think.
In an unusual decision, the judge determined that those 20 years could be served congruently, which means that they can begin at the same time as his 30-year sentence, which he received after being convicted on racketeering and sex trafficking crimes at his New York trial in 2021. So, in essence, Kelly will only be imprisoned for one additional year in connection with the Chicago trial.
Initially, federal prosecutors were requesting that Kelly get 25 years citing the fact that he’s a danger to society.
“The only way to ensure Kelly does not re-offend is to impose a sentence that will keep him in prison for the rest of his life,” government filing from prosecutors read.