An appeals court has rejected R. Kelly’s attempt to challenge his 20-year sentence for child sex convictions. A Chicago court affirmed the singer’s 20-year prison sentence, ruling that it was appropriate.
He was convicted in 2022 on three charges of producing child sexual abuse images and three charges of enticing minors for sex. Kelly, 57, argued in his appeal that Illinois’ old statute of limitations – which required prosecution within 10 years – should have applied, rather than the current law allowing charges while an accuser is alive.

The appeals court rejected this, labeling it an attempt by Kelly to elude the charges entirely after “employing a complex scheme to keep victims quiet.” He also contended that charges involving one accuser should have been tried separately from the charges tied to three other accusers due to video evidence.

Prosecutors claimed the video showed Kelly abusing a girl. The accuser, identified as Jane, testified for the first time that she was 14 when the video was taken. The three-judge panel from the appeals court noted jurors acquitted Kelly on seven of the 13 counts against him “even after viewing those abhorrent tapes.”