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Cousins! Federal prosecutors are moving forward in seizing disgraced musician R.Kelly’s royalties currently being upheld within Sony Music and Universal Music Publishing Group ( UMPG ) ; in efforts of paying outstanding fines due to his reported victims!
Brooklyn Federal prosecutors are requesting a federal judge to issue a garnishment order against the label and their publisher for the two companies to issued the funds on behalf of Kelly. This comes two years after a jury found him guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering.
As per Billboard, Sony Music and UMPG are reportedly in possession of property that belongs to Kelly. It has been stated that his royalties could be used to pay down the $504,289 he owes to the list of victims in restitution and criminal fines.
As of right now here has been no confirmation of how much money each company holds of Kelly’s funds. Back in 2020 a court ruling declared that his royalty account with Sony Music was $1,544,333.
Upon his first sentencing last summer in 2022 once Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison he was ordered to lay $480,000 in fines and restitution. Once he was sentenced again back in February an additional $42,000 was added on.
Court documents show that the government confiscated $30,000 from Kelly’s prison commissary account in 2022.
As per The Root, the degraded singer hasn’t made good on the $520,000 debt he owes deriving from his federal New York trial. Two garnishment orders have been issued against Kelly, Sony Music Entertainment, and Universal Music Publishing seeking his music royalties in efforts of attempting to pay at least two of his victims.