Jury Finds R & B Singer R Kelly Not Guilty of Child Porn Charges
R & B Performer R Kelly has been found not guilty of all 14 child pornography charges. The verdict ends a six-year saga for the singer, who was accused of having sex with a minor and recording the incident on video. He could have faced 15 years in prison if he had been convicted of all the charges and would have had to register as a sex offender in Illinois.
The video had been mailed to the Chicago Sun-Times in 2002. Kelly was initially indicted on 21 counts of child pornography. Prosecutors claimed that Kelly was the man seen engaging in the graphic sex acts with an allegedly 13-year-old girl. The video was recorded sometime between November 1997 and February 1998. Copies of the tape were sold on streets across the United States.
Kelly, and the girl, who is now 23-years-old, have always denied that they are the people seen having sex in the 27-minute video. A defense expert has even suggested that Kelly’s likeness had been inserted in the video.
Some 22 witnesses testified during the criminal trial. Several of the witnesses, four of them relatives of the alleged victim, identified the now 23-year-old woman as the girl in the video. Three other relatives of the alleged victim, however, testified for the defense and said they did not recognize the girl in the video. Kelly and the woman did not testify during the trial.
One key witness, Lisa Van Allen, said she had engaged in threesomes with Kelly, who had videotaped the encounters, and that one of the incidents involved the alleged victim. Under cross-examination, however, she admitted to stealing a $20,000 diamond studded watch from Kelly. The defense said that Van Allen just wanted to extort money from Kelly.
R. Kelly found not guilty, Boston Herald, June 14, 2008
R. Kelly arrested in child porn case, CNN.com, June 5, 2008
Related Web Resources:
Child Pornography, USdoj.gov
What is Child Pornography, Missingkids.com
In Massachusetts, our criminal defense team works with top forensic, technology, and other expert witnesses to build a strategic and aggressive defense for our clients charged with sexual crimes. Contact Altman & Altman LLP today.
