R. Kelly Will No Longer Face Charges In One Minnesota County, Here’s Why
Minnesota prosecutors have dropped state sex abuse charges against R. Kelly, CBS News reports.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office said that the charges were dismissed because he’s already “received lengthy federal prison sentences and will likely spend the rest of his life in prison."
In 2019, former Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman levied charges against Kelly accusing the singer of prostitution involving a minor. During an autograph session, Kelly allegedly gave a 17-year-old girl his phone number and invited her to his hotel in Minneapolis where he paid her $200 to dance for him, court documents state.
“We continue to believe she is a victim of Mr. Kelly's predatory behavior. We believed then and continue to believe the victim survivor as to what Mr. Kelly did to her in this case," the HCAO statement read. "And we continue to hold the unwavering position that Mr. Kelly would likely be convicted of these charges if the case proceeded to trial."
Hennepin County prosecutors later concluded that there was no evidence that the victim was ever a sex worker.
Following the announcement of the charges being dismissed, the alleged victim, who’s identified as “Jane Doe” in court records, released a statement saying that she is "sad" that the office "decided not to hold him accountable for what he did to me when I was a minor."
"If there had been a criminal trial, I would have been willing to testify against R. Kelly. Even though it wouldn't have brought any extra prison time for him, it would have given me closure,” her statement read. “I didn't come forward for money or fame. I came forward because I was one of his surviving victims and needed justice as this has been weighing heavily on me for over 20 years. What R. Kelly did to me impacted my life in many ways and will continue to hurt me for the rest of my life.”
In 2022, Kelly was convicted in New York and Illinois of numerous crimes including child pornography, racketeering, enticement, and sex trafficking.
He’s currently serving a total of 31 years for both federal convictions.
