Lifestyle
U.S. prosecutors ask for 25 more years in prison for R. Kelly
Matt Marton/AP
CHICAGO — Federal prosecutors Thursday requested a decide to present singer R. Kelly 25 extra years in jail for his baby pornography and enticement convictions final yr in Chicago, which might add to 30 years he not too long ago started serving in a New York case.
The 56-year-old would not be eligible for launch till he was round 100 if the decide agrees each to the 25-year sentence and one other authorities request that Kelly start serving his Chicago sentence solely after the 30-year New York sentence is totally served.
Of their sentencing advice filed late Thursday in U.S. District Court docket in Chicago, prosecutors described Kelly’s habits as “sadistic,” calling him “a serial sexual predator” with no regret and who “poses a critical hazard to society.”
“The one approach to make sure Kelly doesn’t reoffend is to impose a sentence that can preserve him in jail for the remainder of his life,” the 37-page authorities submitting says.
Kelly’s sentencing in Chicago is about for Thursday subsequent week.
Kelly’s lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, wrote in a submitting final week that even together with his current 30-year New York sentence, “Kelly must defy all statistical odds to make it out of jail alive.” She cited information that the common life expectancy of inmates is 64.
She beneficial a sentence of round 10 years, on the low finish of the sentencing pointers vary, which she mentioned may very well be served concurrently with the New York sentence.
In arguing for the lesser sentence, Bonjean alleged Kelly, who’s Black, was singled out for habits that she mentioned white rock stars have gotten away with for many years.
“None have been prosecuted and none will die in jail,” she wrote.
Prosecutors acknowledged {that a} 25-year sentence within the Chicago case can be extra time than even sentencing pointers suggest. However they argued imposing an extended sentence and instructing or not it’s served solely after the New York sentence was applicable.
“A consecutive sentence is eminently cheap given the egregiousness of Kelly’s conduct,” the submitting argued. “Kelly’s sexual abuse of minors was intentional and prolific.”
On the trial in Chicago final yr, jurors convicted the Grammy Award successful singer on six of 13 counts. However the authorities misplaced the marquee depend that Kelly and his then-business supervisor efficiently rigged his state baby pornography trial in 2008.
Each of Kelly’s co-defendants, together with longtime enterprise supervisor Derrel McDavid, have been acquitted of all costs.
Kelly, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, rose from poverty in Chicago to superstardom, changing into recognized for smash hit “I Imagine I Can Fly” and sex-infused songs akin to “Bump n’ Grind.”
Whereas the Grammy Award-winner went to trial in 2008, it wasn’t till after the airing of Lifetime’s 2019 docu-series, “Surviving R. Kelly” — that includes testimonials by his accusers — that legal investigations have been kicked into high-gear, ending with federal and new state costs.
In January, an Illinois decide dismissed state sex-abuse costs previous to a trial on the advice of Prepare dinner County State’s Lawyer Kim Foxx. Foxx mentioned she was snug dropping the case as a result of Kelly would spend many years in jail for his federal convictions.
Prosecutors at Kelly’s federal trial in Chicago portrayed him as a grasp manipulator who used his fame and wealth to reel in star-struck followers to sexually abuse, in some instances to video file them, after which discard them.
After deliberating over two days, jurors convicted Kelly of three counts every of manufacturing baby pornography and enticement of minors for intercourse, whereas acquitting him of obstruction of justice, one depend of manufacturing of kid porn and three counts of receiving baby porn.
The Chicago verdict got here months after a federal decide in New York sentenced Kelly to 30 years in jail for racketeering and intercourse trafficking. Based mostly on that sentence alone, he would not eligible for launch till he’s round 80.
Even when granted day off for good habits, Kelly can be solely be eligible for launch if he serves 25 years after the New York sentence within the yr 2066, the federal government’s Thursday submitting mentioned.
Will probably be as much as Decide Harry Leinenweber in Chicago to determine the essential query of whether or not Kelly serves no matter sentence he imposes concurrently, concurrently, with the New York sentence or consecutively.
Kelly’s authorized crew is interesting his New York and Chicago convictions. Prosecutors typically press for lengthy sentences for defendants sentenced at earlier trials in a bid to make sure that, if some convictions are later tossed, they may nonetheless do a while behind bars.
Bonjean argued that traumas all through Kelly’s life, together with abuse as a baby and illiteracy all through maturity, justified leniency in sentencing the singer.
Kelly “will not be an evil monster however a posh (unquestionably troubled) human-being who confronted overwhelming challenges in childhood that formed his grownup life,” she mentioned.
That the conduct for which he was convicted occurred many years in the past also needs to be factored in, she mentioned.
“Whereas Kelly was not a baby within the late Nineteen Nineties, he additionally was not the middle-aged man he was on the time of his 2019 indictment,” she argued. “Kelly was a broken man in his late 20s.”
She added that Kelly has already paid a heavy value from his authorized troubles, together with a monetary one. She mentioned his value as soon as approached $1 billion however that he “is now destitute.”
Lifestyle
From Pop-Tarts to Happy Meals, a food writer recreates American classics with an Asian flavor
Toasted sesame flavored Cheerios. A Pop-Tart topped with strawberry lychee frosting. And a Lunchable that includes a fried pork gua bao, cucumber salad and a Yakult.
Frankie Gaw’s social media page is filled with videos of creations like these — items you won’t usually find at your local American grocery store.
That’s the whole point, says Gaw, a Taiwanese American food creator and author of the cookbook First Generation.
“I asked myself, in an alternate universe, where the world is much more inclusive and embraced all of these diverse flavors, what are the things that Asian Americans would want to see?” he said.
Gaw talked with NPR about how his hit social media cooking series “Turning American classics Asian” came to be, and its origin as a tribute to his family and his Midwest upbringing.
The grocery store seemed stuck in time
The idea sprouted after a trip to his local supermarket. Traversing through the aisles, Gaw noticed that much of the food stocked on the shelves resembled what he saw as a kid 20 years ago. Meanwhile, ingredients like soy sauce and miso were still strictly grouped in “Asian” or “International” aisles.
“Restaurants have been embracing more Asian ingredients, and it feels like grocery stores have remained the same,” Gaw said.
For many immigrants and children of immigrants, food is an intimate part of identity. For Gaw, straddling between the “Asian” aisle and the rest of the grocery store was also symbolic of his upbringing in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Growing up, Gaw felt like he was living a double life. In public, Gaw enjoyed McDonald’s chicken nuggets and fries. At home, he feasted on his grandmother’s beef noodle soup. It took time for him to embrace his dual-taste palette.
Years later in his Seattle apartment, Gaw began experimenting with his childhood favorites. He tinkered with Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup and turned it into congee. He infused mac and cheese with miso. He went as far as designing the packaging for each meal as if he owned a food company.
Gaw shared his concoctions on social media. It took off. His food and his experiences at the grocery store resonated with people, especially other Asian Americans.
“It was a surprise. I didn’t realize how many people had similar experiences as me,” he said.
A love letter to his kid self
“Turning American classics Asian” is not just about Gaw’s appreciation for Asian flavors and ingredients, or a diss to American staples. Instead, it’s Gaw’s way of paying homage to both — and on a larger scale, to the experiences of Asian Americans.
“I have always straddled this sort of in-between space,” he said. “Growing up in the Midwest, I never felt Asian enough. But then, being with my Asian family, I didn’t feel American enough.”
Had matcha flavored Twinkies or strawberry lychee Pop-Tarts been around when Gaw was younger, he thinks it would’ve helped him embrace that in-between experience.
“If I was in a generic American grocery store and then I saw rice cakes, I think that would’ve allowed me to break down the walls of, ‘Oh this only exists within my home,’ ” he said. “And I could’ve existed as my whole self out in the world.”
The project also relates back to his family and growing up in the Midwest
Gaw’s journey into cooking and his first cookbook were motivated by his father, who died in 2014 from lung cancer. Revisiting his father and his paternal grandmother’s old dishes was a way to grieve and keep his father’s memory alive, Gaw said.
In this cooking series, he also reminisces about the time spent with his mother. It’s because of her that Gaw was able to indulge on Lunchables, Twinkies and Pop-Tarts as a kid. She wanted to make sure he would fit in and make friends.
“My mom would stock the entire pantry so that when I go into lunch period, I was like the number one kid in the cafeteria with the best lunch,” he said.
The project also stems from Gaw’s Midwestern roots. In his neighborhood, restaurants were synonymous with fast food and Olive Garden was the place to go on special occasions.
Late nights with his parents at the McDonald’s drive-through were common as a kid, Gaw said, because his parents were often exhausted after long hours at work. “It was a reminder of how much they had to hustle,” he said.
In Gaw’s version of a Happy Meal, he steams buns and marries ground pork with scallions and ginger, topping it off with a chili crunch ketchup.
As he cooks, he thinks about his father, his mother, his grandparents — and the comfort that these dishes would’ve brought them as they were adjusting to life in America.
“I think they always felt like they were on the outside breaking in,” he said. “To see their food at a fast food institution, I think it would’ve made them feel like they have a seat at the table.”
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