Hennepin County Attorney’s Office Update on Case Against Robert Sylvester Kelly

When the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office charged Robert Sylvester Kelly in 2019, he was charged with offenses related to engaging in prostitution with a minor. Those charges fit Mr. Kelly’s alleged conduct of providing inducements to lure the juvenile victim to the place where the crime was committed. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office believes the victim survivor, and in this case, there is no evidence that she was a sex worker. She was not and has never been a sex worker. We continue to believe she is a victim of Mr. Kelly’s predatory behavior. We believed then and continue to believe the victim survivor as to what Mr. Kelly did to her in this case. And we continue to hold the unwavering position that Mr. Kelly would likely be convicted of these charges if the case proceeded to trial.

However, despite our belief in the victim survivor, we have decided to dismiss this case in light of the federal convictions of Mr. Kelly for which he received lengthy federal prison sentences and will likely spend the rest of his life in prison. The overwhelming impact of proceeding to trial in this case on the survivor victim, the community, and the Hennepin County legal system would be enormous while a conviction would not add any additional time in prison.