R&B singer R. Kelly, serving a 30-year sentence on racketeering and sex trafficking convictions, was recently hospitalized after a reported overdose at the Federal Correctional Institution in Butner, North Carolina. His attorney, Beau Brindley, claims that prison staff administered "an amount of medicine that could have killed him," prompting an emergency motion requesting Kelly's release to home detention, alleging his life is in danger due to the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) officers, accusing them of trying to cover up crimes committed during the investigation of his case.
According to court documents, Kelly was placed in solitary confinement earlier in June. Brindley states that Kelly had his usual anxiety and sleep medication with him, which he showed to prison staff. However, on the evening of June 12, personnel allegedly provided him with additional medication and instructed him to take it. After taking the medication, Kelly reportedly felt faint and dizzy the following morning, started seeing black spots, and lost consciousness while trying to get up. He was then rushed to a hospital where he was informed he had been given an overdose.
Adding to the severity of the situation, Brindley also claims that Kelly was forcibly removed from the hospital against medical advice. Doctors had recommended a seven-day stay and scheduled surgery to address blood clots in his lungs and legs. His legal team emphasizes that Kelly's life is in jeopardy because the BOP has allegedly denied him necessary surgery to remove the clots, a condition that could prove fatal.
In response to the allegations, a BOP spokesperson stated that they do not discuss the conditions of confinement for any incarcerated individual, citing privacy, safety, and security reasons. They also refrained from commenting on pending litigation.
This isn't the first time Kelly's legal team has sought to move him from federal custody, citing threats to his life. Earlier in June, Brindley claimed that prison officials had recruited a white supremacist to kill Kelly. These claims have been met with strong opposition from prosecutors. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Julien dismissed the claims as a "fanciful conspiracy" and accused Kelly of attempting to manipulate the court to avoid responsibility for his crimes.
Kelly, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, was sentenced to 30 years in prison in New York in June 2022 after being convicted of racketeering and sex trafficking. In February 2023, he received an additional 20-year sentence in Chicago on child pornography and enticement of minors charges, with all but one year to be served concurrently. He is currently incarcerated at FCI Butner Medium I in North Carolina and would be eligible for parole around the age of 80.
