An Illinois prosecutor dropped 10 charges of sex abuse against the singer R. Kelly on Monday, saying the cost was one of the factors she weighed in her decision.
Kelly, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, is already serving a 30-year prison sentence on charges of federal racketeering and sex trafficking after he was convicted in New York last year.
Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx told reporters that her office believes "justice has been served" with the two convictions. She said her office's "limited resources and court time" were the ultimate factors, noting that it found the accusations to be credible.
"Mr. Kelly is looking at the possibility of never walking out of prison again," Foxx said.
Kelly is set to appear Tuesday in Cook County Court, where the charges will be formally dropped. The state has accused Kelly of sexually abusing four people, three of whom were minors.
Foxx announced the state's case in 2019, saying the incidents occurred from May 1998 to January 2010. Kelly had faced three to seven years in prison for each charge if he were convicted.
The women in the case were identified in the indictment only by their initials. Multiple women have come forward with allegations over the years.
Lifetime aired a six-part docuseries, "Surviving R. Kelly," in January 2019 in which multiple women alleged Kelly subjected them to mental, physical and sexual abuse. Foxx urged potential victims to come forward to speak with her office about possible criminal activity after the series.
Foxx said Monday that she consulted with the women in the indictment before she decided to drop the charges, acknowledging that some might be disappointed.
"I know firsthand how difficult it is for you to tell your stories,” Foxx said. "Four years ago, I stood at this podium and shared my story of having been a survivor and my full understanding of what it means to have to go before strangers to discuss what is arguably one of the most horrific experiences one could have. And these women, all of them Black, came forward, believing that they would be heard.”
Kelly also faces state charges in Minnesota, where he has been accused of soliciting a minor for sexual purposes and engaging in prostitution with a minor.
In the New York case, Kelly was convicted on nine counts of racketeering and sex trafficking. Jurors found that he set up a criminal enterprise that enabled him to recruit and transport underage girls for sex.
Months later in Chicago federal court, he was convicted on six counts of sexual exploitation and enticement of a minor. He is scheduled to be sentenced on those charges Feb. 23.
Kelly's attorneys have said he plans to appeal both federal convictions.