A federal judge in Chicago has denied R. Kelly’s emergency request to be released from prison into home detention, dismissing allegations made by his legal team that federal authorities conspired to endanger his life while incarcerated.
Kelly’s attorneys claimed that staff at the Chicago Metropolitan Correctional Center, where the singer was previously held, colluded with a former cellmate to steal confidential legal correspondence and share it with prosecutors prior to his trial. They also alleged that at his current facility—FCI Butner in North Carolina—officials attempted to recruit an Aryan Brotherhood member to kill him.
Further claims included accusations that prison staff administered a potentially fatal overdose and forcibly removed Kelly from a hospital against medical advice.
As part of their motion, Kelly’s team appealed for emergency relief and made a public plea for intervention from former President Donald Trump.
However, U.S. District Judge Martha Pacold ruled on Thursday that the court lacks jurisdiction, stating:
“Kelly is currently housed at FCI Butner, which is located in Butner, North Carolina—outside this judicial district. Kelly has not demonstrated a legal basis for this court’s jurisdiction. Accordingly, his emergency motion … is denied.”
Federal prosecutors strongly rejected the accusations, calling them “baseless and offensive.” In a statement, they said:
“Kelly refuses to accept responsibility for years of sexually abusing children and is using this Court’s docket merely to promote himself despite there being no legal basis to be before this court.”
R. Kelly, 58, is currently serving a 30-year prison sentence stemming from his 2021 racketeering and sex trafficking conviction in New York. In 2022, he was also convicted in Chicago on child pornography charges. Most of his sentences are being served concurrently, and his projected release date is December 21, 2045.
