A prosecutor urged jurors in the sex-trafficking trial of musician R. Kelly to hold him accountable for his actions toward his victims, The Associated Press reported.
“It is now time to hold the defendant responsible for the pain he inflicted on each of his victims,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Geddes told the court in her closing argument on Thursday. “It is now time for the defendant, Robert Kelly, to pay for his crimes. Convict him.”
Geddes’s remarks come a day after prosecutors showed evidence of Kelly and his associates luring underage victims of his to obey rules from their “the predator playbook,” according to the AP.
The “predator playbook” tactics included isolating victims in hotel rooms, subjecting them to degrading rules and recording pornographic videos of them having sex with him and others in order to control them.
R. Kelly, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, has pleaded not guilty to racketeering charges, the AP reported.
The “I Believe I Can Fly” singer has denied all the allegations against him, arguing that his accusers are groupies who wanted to take advantage of his fame and fortune.
The R&B artist is also facing charges stemming from violations of the Mann Act, which makes it illegal to transport anyone across state lines for “immoral purposes,” the AP noted.
Kelly, 54, could face decades in prison if convicted.