Judge Rejects R. Kelly’s Emergency Bid for Release Amid Claims of Prison Conspiracy

A federal judge in Chicago has denied R. Kelly’s emergency motion for release from prison and transfer to home confinement, rejecting claims from his legal team that there is a conspiracy to endanger his life behind bars.

In the court filing, Kelly’s attorneys alleged that a former cellmate at Chicago’s Metropolitan Correctional Center collaborated with prison staff to intercept and leak his legal mail to prosecutors prior to his trial. They also claimed that authorities at FCI Butner in North Carolina—where Kelly is currently incarcerated—tried to enlist a member of the Aryan Brotherhood to kill him.

Additionally, the motion accused prison officials of administering a life-threatening overdose to Kelly and discharging him from a hospital prematurely, ignoring medical advice. The motion even included a public appeal for intervention from former President Donald Trump.

Despite these dramatic allegations, U.S. District Judge Martha Pacold dismissed the request on Thursday, citing lack of jurisdiction. “Kelly is currently housed at FCI Butner, which is located in Butner, North Carolina—outside this judicial district,” she wrote. “Kelly has not demonstrated a legal basis for this court’s jurisdiction. Accordingly, his emergency motion … is denied.”

Prosecutors called the allegations “baseless and offensive,” accusing the disgraced singer of using the court system for self-promotion rather than legitimate legal claims. “Kelly refuses to accept responsibility for years of sexually abusing children,” they said in response.

R. Kelly, now 58, is currently serving a 30-year sentence stemming from his 2021 conviction in New York for racketeering and sex trafficking.