Fallen American R&B star R. Kelly was convicted on September 27 by a New York court of having run for years a "system" of sexual exploitation of young people, including minors.
The trial is emblematic of the #Metoo era in the African American community.
During the six-week trial in Brooklyn, nine women and two men testified that R. Kelly had sexually abused them, describing rape, forced drug use, imprisonment or even crime. child pornography.
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The 54-year-old artist, known for his world hit “I Believe I Can Fly”, was also found guilty by the Brooklyn Federal Court jury of a host of sex crimes, including “sex trafficking”.
Robert Sylvester Kelly was tried for more than a month, including extortion, sexual exploitation of a minor, kidnapping, corruption and forced labor, over a period from 1994 to 2018.
As is very often the case in criminal proceedings in the United States, the prison sentence will be handed down much later, in this case on May 4, 2022 for R. Kelly already in pre-trial detention.
He faces life imprisonment.
R. Kelly is accused of having committed these crimes with impunity, taking advantage of his notoriety.
He has always denied the facts.
This lawsuit is considered a major milestone in the #MeToo movement: it is the first time that the majority of the plaintiffs are black women and that they accuse a black artist.
