Posted by Baton Rouge, LA – R. Kelly is continuing to suffer the consequences from his ongoing legal battles. Days after the fallen R&B star was convicted on all charges in his racketeering and sex trafficking case in New York, he’s reportedly being stripped of the “key to the city” honor in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
On Monday (September 27), federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York successfully proved he’d been the head of a criminal enterprise, whose “purpose was to lure girls, boys and women to the R&B singer for his sexual gratification.”
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Consequently, R. Kelly was convicted on one count of racketeering, with 14 underlying acts that included sexual exploitation of a child, bribery, kidnapping and sex trafficking charges. Kelly was also found guilty of eight additional counts of violations of the Mann Act, a sex trafficking law.
According to TMZ, that was more than enough for former Baton Rouge Metro Council member Denise Marcelle — who originally gave R. Kelly the honor in 2013 — to express her regret. While the process doesn’t actually include physically taking the $256 plaque and key back from Kelly, it will no longer be recognized.
R. Kelly Speaks Out Following Guilty Verdict As Lawyer Plots Appeal
Marcelle admits she was aware of his previous legal woes and knew he’d been acquitted in 2008 but didn’t do her due diligence in truly digging into his murky past. Now a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, Marcelle still holds the power to rescind the key.
R. Kelly will be sentenced on May 4, 2022 and faces 10 years to life in prison. He still faces two other cases in Minnesota and his hometown of Chicago.