R. Kelly is making a bold legal move, asking the United States Supreme Court to nullify his convictions for possessing child pornography and inducing minors to have sex. The embattled singer contends that the alleged offenses took place decades ago, and thus fall outside the statute of limitations.
Back in 2020, R. Kelly was charged with possessing child pornography and engaging in sexual acts with underage girls, actions alleged to have occurred in the mid to late-1990s. Kelly’s defense argued that the statute of limitations had already expired by the time these charges were brought.
However, prosecutors countered with the PROTECT Act of 2003, which effectively removes the statute of limitations for child sex crimes. This legislation extends the time frame indefinitely for prosecuting such offenses committed after the law’s enactment.
Kelly’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, argues that because the PROTECT Act was passed in 2003, it cannot be retroactively applied to conduct from the 1990s. The law’s indefinite extension of the statute of limitations, she asserts, should not apply to Kelly’s case since the alleged crimes occurred before the law was in place.
In 2020, Kelly was convicted on six out of thirteen counts, including three counts of child pornography and three counts of inducement. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison and ordered to pay substantial damages to his alleged victims.
As R. Kelly’s plea reaches the highest court in the land, the legal community and the public watch closely to see if his argument will lead to a historic decision.
