R. Kelly Owes Abuse Victims $300K For Herpes Treatment, Judge Says
Already facing a 30-year prison sentence, Kelly must now fork over hundreds of thousands in restitution to two victims.
A federal judge said Wednesday that R. Kelly will be required to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in restitution to two victims to cover treatment for their sexually-transmitted diseases and psychological trauma.
Kelly owes at least $300,000 to a victim known as Jane for herpes treatment and psychological therapy, U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly said at a hearing, and an undecided sum to another woman known as Stephanie for the same issues.
The ruling was not final, and a final figure will be determined once federal prosecutors recalculate the exact costs of care. The judge declined to order restitution to a third victim known as Sonja.
After decades of accusations of sexual misconduct, Kelly was convicted last year in New York on racketeering and sex trafficking charges stemming from accusations that he orchestrated a long-running scheme to recruit and abuse women and underage girls.
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In June, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison and ordered to pay $140,000 in fines, but restitution was left unresolved. Then last month, he was convicted on separate charges in Chicago, where he likely faces additional fines and restitution payments on top of a lengthy prison sentence.
With $440,000 in total payments due and likely more on the way, it’s unclear whether Kelly has the funds to pay his victims.
In April 2020, Kelly’s lawyers reportedly told a Chicago judge that he owed the IRS nearly $2 million in back taxes. And ahead of his New York trial last year, his attorneys told a judge the singer was too broke to even pay for court transcripts. Then last month, prosecutors seized $27,824 from his prison commissary funds to start paying off his debts.
Looking ahead, Kelly faces sentencing in Chicago in February. He will also soon begin the long process of appealing both convictions. Kelly’s attorney declined to comment on Wednesday’s restitution order, saying the upcoming appeal will “speak for itself.”
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