R. Kelly ordered to pay $309,000 in restitution to sex trafficking victims

R. Kelly has been ordered to pay at least $309,000 (£287,000) in restitution to the victims of his sex trafficking, it has been reported.

The disgraced R&B singer is currently serving a 30-year prison sentence after being convicted on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering in September 2021.

Kelly – whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly –  has now been ordered to pay $309,068.18 to his victims, according to Courthouse News Service reporter Nina Pullano (via Pitchfork).

It is said that $300,668.18 of that sum will go to a survivor identified as Jane, while the remaining $8,400 is to be paid to a woman identified as Stephanie. The money will help cover the costs of therapy sessions and herpes treatment for the women, per Reuters.

Multiple women say they contracted herpes from the singer. Prosecutors said last year that Kelly knowingly transmitted the disease to his sexual partners.

The total restitution figure could potentially increase as prosecutors determine the cost of Stephanie’s medication.

Kelly stood trial last summer for racketeering, bribery and violating the Mann Act, which criminalises the transportation of any woman or girl across state lines for “immoral” purposes, such as illegal sexual activity. He was found guilty on nine counts.

Prosecutors initially sought a 25-year sentence for the singer, while lawyers for Kelly said he should not have received more than 10 years.

“In light of the seriousness of the offences, the need for specific deterrence and the need to protect the public from further crimes of the defendant, the government respectfully submits that a sentence in excess of 25 years is warranted,” the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York wrote to the judge in the case.

The US Attorney’s Office also said Kelly had relied “on his fame, money and popularity as an R&B recording star… to both carry and conceal his crimes”.

In a separate case, R. Kelly was this month found guilty of child pornography and obstruction charges.

The date of his sentencing for that case has not yet been announced. Each child pornography charge carries a sentence of up to 20 years, while each enticement charge carries a sentence of up to 10 years.

For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.