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The Chicago Court of Appeals rejects R. Kelly’s appeal to 20 years in prison

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CHICAGO (AP) – Singer R. Kelly was rightfully sentenced in Chicago to 20 years in prison for sex crimes against children, a federal appeals court ruled Friday.

In 2022, jurors convicted the Grammy-winning R&B singer, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, of three counts of creating child sexual abuse images and three counts of soliciting sex from a minor.

In his appeal, Kelly argued that Illinois’ previous and shorter statute of limitations for child sex crimes must have applied in his Chicago case, relatively than the present law that permits charges to be filed while an accuser continues to be alive.

He also argued that charges against one accuser must have been handled individually from charges against three other accusers because of the video evidence that became the centerpiece of the Chicago trial.

Federal prosecutors say the video shows Kelly molesting the girl. The accuser, identified only as Jane, testified for the primary time that she was 14 years old when the video was recorded.

A 3-judge panel from the Chicago-based seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Friday’s ruling he noted that jurors acquitted Kelly on seven of the 13 charges against him “even after seeing these disgusting tapes.”

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R. Kelly leaves the Daley Center after a toddler support hearing in May 2019 in Chicago. Kelly’s lawyer told an appeals court Monday that prosecutors improperly used the racketeering statute, written to stamp out organized crime, to pursue the singer. (Photo: Matt Marton/AP, file)

The appeals court also rejected Kelly’s argument that he shouldn’t have been prosecuted since the allegations arose when Illinois law requires prosecution of child sex crime charges inside ten years. The panel described it as Kelly’s attempt to avoid charges altogether after “employing an elaborate scheme to silence victims.”

In a written statement, Kelly’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, said they plan to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review the choice and “pursue all available remedies until R. Kelly is released.”

“We are disappointed with the ruling, but our fight is not over,” she said.

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Prosecutors in Kelly’s hometown of Chicago sought a fair tougher sentence, asking for 25 years in prison. They also wanted the judge not to allow that period to begin until after Kelly had served a 30-year sentence imposed in 2022 in New York for federal racketeering and sex trafficking convictions.

Judge Harry Leinenweber denied that request, ordering Kelly to serve the 20-year sentence in the Chicago case concurrently together with his New York sentence.

Kelly filed a separate appeal against the decision in New York.

Last month, during arguments before the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, attorney Jennifer Bonjean asked the panel to find that prosecutors improperly used the racketeering statute, written to stamp out organized crime, to pursue the singer.


This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Crime

Luigi Mangione, 26, in police custody in connection with the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO

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UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting, UnitedHealthcare CEO murder, UnitedHealthcare CEO death, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Luigi Mangione, Luigi Mangione UnitedHealthcare CEO murder, Luigi Mangione UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting, theGrio.com

New York authorities have identified 26-year-old Luigi Mangione as an individual of interest in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

According to police, a McDonald’s worker recognized Mangione in a photograph taken by NYPD Crime Stoppers and called authorities to report that he was eating at the restaurant, which led to his arrest.

Police say Mangione was carrying an anti-corporate manifesto, false identification and a ghost gun.

Black Girl Disney co-founder Dominique Brown dies from an allergic reaction during the brand's holiday event

“It fits the description we were looking for,” Mayor Eric Adams said. An early NYPD report drew criticism online for calling the suspect a “light-skinned male” fairly than simply saying he was white.

The New York Post reports that Mangione previously attended the University of Pennsylvania, was valedictorian of the highschool in 2016 and had ties to Towson, Maryland. His social media posts indicate motivation related to dissatisfaction with the health care industry.

The shooting gained national attention because of the lukewarm response to Thompson’s death from many voters, who criticized the high insurance denial rate and greed that contributed to the American loss of life.

NYPD officers will now travel to Pennsylvania to query Mangione. Watch the entire press conference below:

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Crime

OJ Simpson’s audio testimony claims have been proven false

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OJ Simpson, O.J. Simpson

OJ Simpson, OJ Simpson

Iroc Avelli, OJ Simpson’s former bodyguard, claimed to have a recording of the late NFL player admitting to killing Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. According to .evaluation of the audio recording showed the claim to be false.

In June 2024, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) contacted the Bloomington, Minnesota police department to realize access to thumb drives confiscated during Avelli’s 2022 arrest.

Bloomington Police Department arrested Avelli for alleged assault in 2022; upon arrest, the police seized Avelli’s backpack and obtained an order to gather relevant evidence on the scene. The backpack contained multiple flash drives that the previous security guard said contained Simpson’s confessions.

According to Peasant! News“search warrant filed in Hennepin County requested by Officer George Harms seek for image pendrives in order that “a full forensic examination could possibly be carried out on all of the pendrives to acquire the recording.”

The Bloomington Police Department didn’t return the drives, opting as an alternative to conduct an internal forensic examination. After a digital forensics specialist examined the drives, Bloomington police didn’t disclose any information of “probative value” to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The further investigation into the Simpson and Goldman murders is strange because on October 3, 1995, OJ Simpson was acquitted of all charges. The former San Francisco 49er maintained his innocence until his death from cancer on April 11, 2024.

After his acquittal, OJ Simpson continued to benefit from his fame. In 1996, the Buffalo Bills player published a book titled If I Did It: Confessions of a Killer. Many found the book’s title and content distasteful and criticized it Naked weapon the actor’s constant presence in celebrity culture.

However, many individuals imagine that Simpson’s acquittal ought to be enough to just accept his presence in all spaces. BLACK ENTERPRISES reports on rapper Cam’Ron’s response to criticism after Simpson was invited on his sports show before his death.

The It is what it’s the host and businessman believes that the accusations – proven in court – shouldn’t result in ostracization. Cam’Ron believes that Simpson’s race may have played a job in continuously questioning his innocence throughout his life.

“Look, if he was guilty, we wouldn’t have him on the show,” he said. “You wish to proceed convicting an innocent man. He is innocent. If it was another person, whiter, you’d all say, “Oh, he’s innocent.” TO BE reported.

It appears that the hearings and investigation into Orenthol James Simpson’s role, or lack thereof, in his ex-wife’s murder will proceed even after his death.


This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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Crime

Suspect charged with fatally shooting 3-year-old on Thanksgiving Day

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Suspect Charged In Fatal Shooting Of 3-Year-Old On Thanksgiving

Suspect charged with fatally shooting 3-year-old on Thanksgiving Day

Tatisha Refuge, a 47-year-old New Orleans resident, turned herself in to authorities after the death of 3-year-old Rudy Ratliff. Refuge is charged with “manslaughter by negligence.”

Rudy’s mother, Leshawn Ratliff, lives in Texas but visited Refuge, her foster mother, in the previous few days of Thanksgiving. Nov 8 News.

“I came here on Saturday to pick up my older son. He was here over Thanksgiving break, and I came down on Saturday to pick him up so we could go home on Sunday and they could go back to school on Monday.” Ratliff he said.

While playing UNO, Refuge’s unsecured gun fell from her belt and fired, striking Rudy. Ratliff she recounted how the scene unfolded when she discovered Rudy had been shot.

“I began seeing blood coming out of his chest. That’s once I knew he had been shot. So I called 911.

The mother didn’t wish to wait for 911. Instead, she decided to take Rudy to University Medical Center for treatment. She said that after they arrived at the ability, Rudy seemed to be alive. Unfortunately, 20 minutes later she was informed of his death.

Ratliff she nurtured her relationship with Refuge and is torn now that the accusations involve her foster mother.

“It was a random shooting. His grandfather’s gun fell. It wasn’t within the secure. It wasn’t within the gun position. I believe it went into the pocket and fell out and shot my son,” Ratliff said. “I understand it was a mistake. I imagine in my heart that it was a mistake. I just don’t understand. I just don’t understand.

The grieving mother began a GoFundMe and is asking the general public for help with Rudy’s burial. To support the Ratliff family of their time of need, click here.


This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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