Kelly’s request for clemency was detailed in a filing Tuesday in federal court in Brooklyn, a day before the 55-year-old known for the 1996 hit “I Believe I Can Fly” was sentenced.
“Most of the conduct alleges [contre] Defendant is decades old, demonstrating that Defendant is not currently a risk to the public,” wrote Kelly’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean. “As confirmed by Doctors Dietz and Sorrentino, Defendant is not is neither a pedophile nor a sexual sadist.”
Prosecutors said Kelly is expected to spend more than 25 years behind bars, reflecting his continued danger to the public and his lack of remorse for exploiting his fame to lure victims into his orbit, where he could satisfy his predatory desires. and sexual.
Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, was convicted last September of racketeering and eight counts of violating the Mann Act, which prohibits the transportation of people across US state lines. purposes of prostitution.
Forty-five witnesses testified for the government. A 10-year sentence is the minimum possible sentence.
Ms Bonjean, who began representing Kelly after his conviction, said the singer’s impoverished and “chaotic” family life as a child included multiple instances of sexual abuse, including by a sister and a male landlord whose names have t hidden.
She said Kelly has an IQ of 79 and is “functionally illiterate”, having felt shame and fear at not being able to read the teleprompter while accepting the Grammy Awards.
Kelly has been imprisoned since July 2019.
He will likely be transferred after being sentenced in Chicago, where he faces trial in August on charges of child pornography and obstruction.
Kelly also faces various charges in state courts in Illinois and Minnesota.
Bonjean also represented Bill Cosby in successfully persuading the Pennsylvania Supreme Court last June to overturn the comedian’s sexual assault conviction.