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American singer R. Kelly has been convicted of exploiting his superstar status to run a scheme to sexually abuse women and children over two decades.</p>
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Eleven victims, including nine women and two men, appeared in court over the six-week trial to testify about the abuse and violence.</p>
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After two days of deliberation, the jury found Kelly guilty on all nine charges he was facing, according to a<em> BBC </em>report.</p>
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Sentencing is due on 4 May and he could spend the rest of his life behind bars.</p>
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The jury found Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, was the ringleader of a violent and coercive scheme that lured women and children so that he could sexually abuse them.</p>
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The singer – most famous for the hit songs I Believe I Can Fly and Ignition (Remix) – was also found to have trafficked women between different US states.</p>
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Along with eight counts of sex trafficking, Kelly was found guilty of racketeering, a charge normally used against organised crime associations.</p>
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&quot;Today&#39;s guilty verdict forever brands R. Kelly as a predator, who used his fame and fortune to prey on the young, the vulnerable and the voiceless for his own sexual gratification,&quot; CNN cited Jacquelyn Kasulis, acting US attorney from the Eastern District of New York, as saying.</p>
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R. Kelly is &quot;a predator who used his inner circle to ensnare underage girls and young men and women for decades, in a sordid web of sex abuse, exploitation and humiliation,&quot; Kasulis added.</p>
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Attorney Gloria Allred, who represented three of the six victims who testified at trial, said Kelly is the worst predator she has ever pursued.</p>
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&quot;First, he used the power of his celebrity to recruit vulnerable underage girls for the purpose of sexually abusing them. These were not May-October relationships, which is what his defence attorney wanted the jury to believe — these were crimes against children and some adults,&quot; Allred said, according to CNN.</p>
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She said the verdict was also a message to other celebrities who indulged in such predatory&nbsp; activities.</p>
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