R. Kelly’s attorney has called for his release from an Illinois detention center — hours after news circulated that the singer was attacked inside his cell.
Steve Greenberg tweeted that he learned yesterday of an incident involving Kelly, 53, and another inmate at the Metropolitan Correctional Center. Greenberg said officials haven’t informed them of Kelly’s condition, and Kelly hasn’t called them since the alleged altercation.
“Regardless, it is time to release Mr. Kelly. The government cannot ensure his safety, and they cannot give him his day in court,” Greenberg said in a subsequent tweet.
“We should not incarcerate people indefinitely because we cannot provide them with due process!”
Yesterday we were told that an inmate had attacked R Kelly at the MCC in Chicago. We received conflicting reports as to the extent of his injuries. We have not been provided any information from the jail, nor has Mr. Kelly called. We are hopeful that he was not seriously injured.
— Steve Greenberg (@SGcrimlaw) August 27, 2020
TMZ reported that Kelly was sitting on a bed in his cell when the inmate walked into the cell and pummelled the singer.
According to the tabloid, the inmate was angry because the detention facility was placed on lockdown a couple of times due to people outside protesting for Kelly’s release.
While Greenberg claimed to not know of Kelly’s condition, sources told TMZ that the fight was brief, and Kelly was not seriously injured.
A spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons declined the Chicago Sun-Times’ request for comment.
Kelly has been jailed in Illinois since July 2019 for 26 federal charges which include child pornography, obstruction of justice, and sexual abuse of a minor. Kelly is also facing 21 sex-related criminal charges in Cook County — 11 which were filed in May and 10 in February. The state charges reportedly stem from allegations dating back to 1998 and involve at least three underage girls.
In New York, Kelly is facing multiple federal charges for allegedly infecting a woman and minor girl with herpes, racketeering, and sex trafficking that reportedly crossed state lines. In August 2019, authorities in Minnesota charged Kelly with two counts of prostitution with a person under 18 in connection with an alleged 2001 incident.
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[Featured image: R. Kelly/Cook County Sheriff’s Office]