R. Kelly’s latest legal effort has failed as the Supreme Court rejected his appeal regarding his federal sex crime convictions. Around two and a half months ago, Kelly and his attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, submitted the appeal, arguing that the statute of limitations should have prevented his prosecution. They referenced the PROTECT Act of 2003, claiming that it shouldn’t apply to Kelly because his alleged crimes took place in the 1990s. Bonjean argued that the Act lacks any specific language that would allow prosecutors to charge Kelly based on actions from that earlier period.
However, the court dismissed this argument, noting that the PROTECT Act extends the statute of limitations indefinitely for crimes committed after 2003. This rejection puts Kelly in a difficult legal position, as reported by CNN. The Supreme Court refused to provide any further explanation for its decision, and no comments were made from either side.
This appeal was related to Kelly’s Chicago case, where he was convicted of child sex crimes and sentenced to 20 years in prison. With the rejection of his appeal, Kelly’s legal options are dwindling, and it remains unclear what his next move will be.
In the same round of rulings, the Supreme Court also denied an appeal from Martin Shkreli, the notorious “Pharma Bro” known for inflating drug prices. Shkreli had been fighting a $64 million penalty for increasing the price of a life-saving medication by 4,000% while running Turing Pharmaceuticals. He argued that the profits in question went to his company, not directly to him, but the court also declined to review his case, offering no explanation for its decision.
Both appeals were denied without any further commentary or noted dissents.
Leave a Reply