Latest news with #Ignition
NBC News
6 hours ago
- NBC News
Judge denies defense motion to move R. Kelly to home detention
A federal judge has denied a defense motion to release R. Kelly to home confinement after what lawyers called an assassination attempt against the disgraced musician. The denial comes days after defense lawyers said Kelly was hospitalized for an overdose of medication administered by prison officials. The bombshell allegation also came shortly after Kelly's attorneys alleged that prison officials directed another inmate to kill the R&B singer in exchange for the inmate's freedom. Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, is serving a 30-year prison sentence at the Federal Correctional Institute in Butner, North Carolina, after his 2021 New York conviction of racketeering and sex trafficking. U.S. District Court Judge Martha Pacold denied Kelly's motion on Thursday, ruling that she "lacks jurisdiction over this matter." Kelly's attorney, Beau Brindley, did not immediately return a request for comment. This month, Kelly's attorney has filed a flurry of motions seeking to get the "Ignition" singer released to home confinement. Prosecutors have responded to Kelly's request and allegations in court filings, calling them "deeply unserious and theatrical" and "repugnant to the sentence that this Court imposed for deeply disturbing offenses." In court filings last week, Kelly's lawyer accused prison officials of soliciting another inmate, Mikeal Glenn Stine, to kill the singer. At the same time, the pair was detained at a federal prison in Tucson, Arizona, this spring. The court filing alleged that prison officials offered to free Stine, who has a terminal illness, in exchange for killing Kelly. Shortly after the allegation was made, Kelly's attorney claimed in court that his client was moved to solitary confinement. Kelly's lawyer this week alleged the singer was hospitalized on Friday after prison officials allegedly administered him an overdose of medication, according to a court filing. The filing alleged that prison officials then moved Kelly back to solitary confinement, taking him out of the hospital against doctors' orders. "Mr. Kelly's life is in danger, and that danger is coming from Bureau of Prisons officials and their actions," the Monday court filing states. "Mr. Kelly needs this Court's intervention. His life actually depends on it." A spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons said in a statement that it does "not discuss the conditions of confinement for any incarcerated individual" and "does not comment on pending litigation." Amid the slew of jaw-dropping court filings, Kelly's attorney also told media outlets last week that he is trying to seek a presidential pardon for his client. "President Trump has been fighting against this kind of criminal weaponization of the DOJ against public figures since he took office,' Brindley told USA Today. "And we will ask him to now stand up with us as we advance his fight and as our client fears that he might be killed to cover up the corruption that we seek to expose." Gerald Griggs, a lawyer representing some of Kelly's victims, said in a statement that his clients are "firmly opposed to any efforts to secure his early release or the granting of a pardon." "No amount of extrajudicial activity changes the fact that he was found guilty and must serve the sentence imposed upon him," Griggs said.
USA Today
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Judge denies R. Kelly a release from prison, but lawyer want his conviction vacated
Judge denies R. Kelly a release from prison, but lawyer want his conviction vacated Show Caption Hide Caption R. Kelly seeks immediate prison release over alleged murder plot R. Kelly's attorneys have filed an emergency motion requesting his immediate release over claims that officials solicited a fellow inmate to murder him in prison. unbranded - Entertainment A Chicago judge ruled that her court can't release R. Kelly, to home confinement, denying his lawyers' efforts to have the convicted "Ignition" singer removed from prison. The motion for Kelly's release, filed June 17 in the Chicago court in which he was originally convicted, comes after his legal team alleged the singer overdosed on medication given to him by prison staff last week The 58-year-old singer has been serving a 30-year sentence for racketeering and sex trafficking since 2022. He is serving his sentence in the Federal Correctional Institute facility in Butner, North Carolina. The motion for release claimed Kelly's life is in imminent danger. However, Judge Martha Pacold denied the motion June 19, according to a ruling obtained by USA TODAY, saying her court doesn't have the jurisdiction it needs. Pacold's ruling specified that the denial did not take a side on Kelly's claims that his alleged overdose was a "murder plot" by the Bureau of Prisons. The singer's team team claimed three Bureau of Prisons officials allegedly devised a plot to have him killed by another inmate. The attorneys allege that after being placed in a solitary confinement setting earlier this month, prison staff provided him an "overdose quantity" of medication compared to his normal anxiety and sleep medication dosages, leading to his hospitalization. They also claimed that Kelly, born Robert Kelly, was sent to Duke University Hospital and then removed allegedly against medical advice by law enforcement officials as he was also seeking medical treatment for blood clots. The Bureau of Prisons has declined to comment on "pending litigation" to USA TODAY. Pacold's ruling also canceled a planned hearing scheduled for Friday, June 20. In the government's response to Kelly's emergency motions, federal prosecutors have called his claims "fanciful" and "theatrical." In addition to logistical issues − including being filed at the wrong court and location, using the wrong kind of case and not following proper procedure − federal prosecutors said Kelly's motion "makes a mockery of the harm suffered by Kelly's victims" and they accused him of being a "master manipulator." If Kelly were to be released from prison to home confinement, despite "separate 30-year and 20-year sentences" handed down by New York City and Chicago courts, "every convicted murderer, rapist, and terrorist will have a newfound shot at freedom," the response continued. More: R. Kelly hospitalized after prison overdose, alleged murder plot, lawyers say R. Kelly's lawyer will file to vacate his convictions in Chicago, he says After Pacold's June 19th ruling, Kelly's lawyer Beau Brindley said he would file a new effort to vacate Kelly's convictions in Chicago in their entirety, based on what he called "newly discovered evidence." Brindley also stated his request would call for an immediate release on bond, "pending its litigation." "We are not surprised by this ruling as we knew that technical jurisdiction would be a challenge under these circumstances. However, we had no choice but to act immediately given explicit evidence of a threat to Robert Kelly's life," Brindley alleged in a statement provided to USA TODAY. As of the issuance of this statement on June 19, Brindley and his team had not yet filed their new motion. R. Kelly asks for pardon from President Donald Trump The back-and-forth between the singer's lawyer and the Chicago-area judge is the latest in a week-long series of events and public statements from Kelly's legal team and federal prosecutors regarding his condition and conviction. In addition to the motion for home confinement, Brindley also made a public plea to President Donald Trump for a pardon for the singer. "It is this immediate and imminent threat that compels us again to seek the intervention of President Trump," Brindely said in a June 17 statement. "The courts do not move as quickly as the efforts to kill this man. President Trump may be the only person who can save the life of R. Kelly." Contributing: Taijuan Moorman
Fox News
3 days ago
- Fox News
R. Kelly hospitalized after near-fatal overdose in prison, attorney claims it was plot to kill him
Disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly, currently serving a 30-year sentence for federal racketeering and sex trafficking convictions, was hospitalized after he overdosed in prison. "In the early morning hours of June 13, 2025, Mr. Kelly awoke. He felt faint. He was dizzy. He started to see black spots in his vision. Mr. Kelly tried to get up, but fell to the ground. He crawled to the door of the cell and lost consciousness. He was placed on a gurney," according to a filing from his attorney and obtained by Fox News Digital. "At the hospital, Mr. Kelly learned that he had been administered an overdose quantity of his medications that threatened his life. He required hospitalization for two days to treat it." The "Ignition" singer's attorney alleged that prison staff administered a dangerously high dose of his medication, leading to the overdose. Kelly, 58, normally takes medication for anxiety and sleep medication, the document read. Kelly's attorney had recently filed for temporary furlough, which would allow him to leave prison for a limited time under specific conditions. In the filing, his attorney alleges that "within two days of the filing of his motion, Bureau of Prisons officials administered an amount of medication that significantly exceeded a safe dose and caused Mr. Kelly to overdose, putting his life in jeopardy. They gave him an amount of medicine that could have killed him." According to his lawyers, "administering an overdose quantity of medication to Mr. Kelly just days after his exposure of a Bureau of Prisons plot to kill him is not the end of the B.O.P. actions that put his life in jeopardy." The filing claimed, "it actually gets much worse." His legal team said Kelly had complained for months about a swollen leg — an issue that was especially concerning due to his prior history with blood clots. He reportedly sought medical attention repeatedly but was provided with limited or delayed care. Earlier this year, Kelly was allegedly supposed to undergo a scan to detect blood clots, but, "He was then told by prison medical staff that they were only authorized to advise him that he would no longer be receiving blood thinners," the document stated. "He was taken off of blood thinners at that time." The attorneys claimed that decision happened within the past three months and put their client at serious risk of medical complications. The filing also claimed, "Mr. Kelly was on the phone with the undersigned today in tears, afraid that they will kill him or let him die…It is useful to juxtapose the declaration of Mikeal Stine with the conduct of the Bureau of Prisons officials since that declaration became public. He exposed what he indicated was a Bureau of Prisons plot to kill Mr. Kelly in order to cover up crimes committed by D.O.J. and Bureau of Prisons officials during the investigation of his cases." After his recent hospitalization, Kelly was forcibly removed from Duke University Hospital in Durham, North Carolina, despite doctors advising against it, according to the filing. When Fox News Digital reached out to the Bureau of Prisons, their team declined to comment, stating, "For privacy, safety, and security reasons, we do not discuss the conditions of confinement for any incarcerated individual, including medical and health-related issues." Reps for Kelly did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment. Born Robert Sylvester Kelly, the singer has been incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution in Butner, North Carolina, since 2022. In June 2022, Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison in New York after being convicted of racketeering and sex trafficking. In February 2023, the rapper was sentenced in Chicago to an additional 20 years in prison on charges of child pornography and enticement of minors for sex. Kelly will serve all but one of those years concurrently and will likely be eligible for parole at age 80. Kelly, who has vehemently denied the allegations, rose from poverty in Chicago to become one of the world's biggest R&B stars. Known for his smash hit "I Believe I Can Fly" and for sex-infused songs such as "Bump n' Grind," he sold millions of albums even after allegations about his abuse of girls began circulating publicly in the 1990s.
West Australian
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- West Australian
R. Kelly's lawyer claims prison staff tried to ‘kill him' after rapper was rushed to hospital for overdose
Disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly was rushed to hospital after overdosing on medication in prison, with his lawyer claiming staff were trying to 'kill him'. The disgraced rapper suffered an overdose and passed out after being administered medication by staff at Butner Federal Correctional Complex in North Carolina, according to his attorney in a court filing. The 58-year-old - whose real name is Robert Kelly - is currently serving a 30-year prison sentence after being convicted on multiple federal charges, including racketeering and sex trafficking. The rapper's attorney said in the filing that Kelly had been put into solitary confinement on June 10 with his anxiety medication, and then was directed to take more on the same day - federal prosecutors have denied this. According to the filing, the former superstar reported that he was feeling 'faint' and 'dizzy', before he 'started to see black spots in his vision' before he passed out and was taken to hospital. The singer of hit song 'Ignition' spent the next two days in hospital, as his attorney alleged that the prison staff 'gave him an amount of medicine that could of killed him'. This episode comes following a recent appeal from Kelly to Donald Trump asking to be pardoned from his sentence - due to fears that officials from the Bureau of Prisons were plotting to murder him. Kelly's lawyer claimed that the once rapper has been treated poorly by the prison staff and was not given the required treatment for blood clots. While in hospital, the doctors reportedly found blood clots in his leg that will need surgery - although he was denied surgery and released from the hospital after several days.
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
R Kelly hospitalised after overdose in alleged murder plot
Disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly was rushed to hospital after overdosing on medication in prison, with his lawyer claiming staff were trying to 'kill him'. The disgraced rapper suffered an overdose and passed out after being administered medication by staff at Butner Federal Correctional Complex in North Carolina, according to his attorney in a court filing. The 58-year-old - whose real name is Robert Kelly - is currently serving a 30-year prison sentence after being convicted on multiple federal charges, including racketeering and sex trafficking. The rapper's attorney said in the filing that Kelly had been put into solitary confinement on June 10 with his anxiety medication, and then was directed to take more on the same day - federal prosecutors have denied this. According to the filing, the former superstar reported that he was feeling 'faint' and 'dizzy', before he 'started to see black spots in his vision' before he passed out and was taken to hospital. The singer of hit song 'Ignition' spent the next two days in hospital, as his attorney alleged that the prison staff 'gave him an amount of medicine that could of killed him'. This episode comes following a recent appeal from Kelly to Donald Trump asking to be pardoned from his sentence - due to fears that officials from the Bureau of Prisons were plotting to murder him. Kelly's lawyer claimed that the once rapper has been treated poorly by the prison staff and was not given the required treatment for blood clots. While in hospital, the doctors reportedly found blood clots in his leg that will need surgery - although he was denied surgery and released from the hospital after several days.
