In February of 2023, highly maligned R&B singer R Kelly was handed down a 20-year prison sentence for possessing child pornography and inducing minors. That was tacked onto his 30-year bout on racketeering and sex trafficking charges in a New York federal court in 2022. None of this is obviously breaking news, but this short amount of background information is important. The reason being is because there is a new update in regard to the former of the two.
According to TMZ, the artist and his attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, are looking to whittle down his overall time behind bars by using the statute of limitations argument. Since these crimes took place in the 1990s, they feel that the PROTECT Act (2003) does not apply here. Bonjean pointed a specific detail of this law which is that there is no clause that says you can essentially charge someone for an alleged conduct that before the year the act was passed. However, it isn't necessarily black and white for this reason.
R Kelly & His Attorney Feel The PROTECT Act Shouldn't Be Applied
If you remember, R Kelly was convicted for these crimes in 2020. Because of this, prosecutors believe the PROTECT Act is in fact fair play. Also helping their side is the fact that this law extends the statute of limitations indefinitely for alleged crimes committed post 2003. The Supreme Court will come to a conclusion in the next few months whether to hear Kelly's appeal or not.
What are your thoughts on R Kelly and his attorney making the statute of limitations argument? Do you think they have a point in regard to the PROTECT Act not applying here? Or does the court have more of a solid argument? We would like to hear what you have to say, so leave your thoughts in the comments. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding R Kelly. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the music world.