Prosecutors in Illinois have dropped outstanding criminal proceedings against R. Kelly, who is still imprisoned on federal charges.
A Chicago prosecutor said Monday that she’s dropping
sex-abuse charges against singer R. Kelly following federal convictions in two
courts that should guarantee the disgraced R&B star will be locked up for
decades.
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx announced the decision
a day ahead of a hearing related to state charges accusing him of sexually
abusing four people, three of whom were minors. She said she would ask a judge
to dismiss the indictments Tuesday.
Foxx, who in 2019 had pleaded with women and girls to come
forward so she could pursue charges against Kelly, acknowledged that the
decision “may be disappointing” to his accusers.
“Mr. Kelly is potentially looking at the possibility of
never walking out of prison again for the crimes that he’s committed,” the
prosecutor said, referring to his federal convictions. “While today’s cases are
no longer being pursued, we believe justice has been served.”
Since Kelly was indicted in Cook County in 2019, federal
juries in Chicago and New York have convicted him of a raft of crimes,
including child pornography, enticement, racketeering and sex trafficking
related to allegations that he victimized women and girls.
Kelly, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, is serving a 30-year
prison sentence in the New York case and awaits sentencing on Feb. 23 in
Chicago federal court. He is appealing those convictions. Based on the New York
sentence alone, the 56-year-old won’t be eligible for release until he is
around 80.