Star R Kelly is sentenced for 30 years for the sex crime on Wednesday.

He was sentenced in New York by federal Judge Ann Donnelly, who spoke at length before issuing the sentence.

Burst

In September, the fallen superstar was found guilty on all nine charges he faced, including the most serious of racketeering.

Kelly's lawyers called for a lighter sentence with a maximum of approximately 17 years.

The sentence comes just over a month before jury selection is due to start in Kelly's separate, long-delayed federal trial in Chicago on August 15.

The musician who once dominated R&B also faces prosecution in two other state jurisdictions.

His former manager admitted in court to bribing a worker to obtain fake identification allowing the union, which was later annulled.

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