R. Kelly Appeals Sex Crimes Convictions to Supreme Court

Disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly, currently serving over 30 years in prison for sex trafficking, is seeking to appeal his federal sex crimes convictions to the U.S. Supreme Court. His defense attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, has filed a petition challenging his Chicago conviction for possession of child pornography and enticing minors, arguing that these charges should be dismissed due to the statute of limitations. Kelly was sentenced to 20 years in 2023 for the Chicago charges while already serving time for a 2021 New York conviction. Bonjean contends that the prosecution violated the statute of limitations, as the alleged offenses occurred in the 1990s, prior to the enactment of the PROTECT Act in 2003, which extended the statute indefinitely for sex crimes involving minors. She asserts that Congress did not intend for the law to apply retroactively, as evidenced by the rejection of a retroactive provision during the legislative process. Previously, a federal appeals court upheld Kelly's conviction, stating it was constitutional to apply the newer statute of limitations to past conduct, given that he was subject to prosecution when the law changed. Following this setback, Bonjean has escalated the appeal to the Supreme Court, drawing on her experience with high-profile cases, including her successful appeal for Bill Cosby in 2021. In response to inquiries about the petition, Bonjean emphasized that laws are typically applied prospectively and that the 2003 amendment was not meant to cover Kelly's alleged actions from the 1990s.