R. Kelly claims prison officials plotted to kill him. Judge denies his release

By JOHN O’CONNOR

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A judge has denied singer R. Kelly ‘s request to be freed from prison, saying she lacks jurisdiction to consider the convicted sex offender’s allegations that federal prison officials plotted to murder him.

U.S. District Judge Martha M. Pacold canceled Friday’s scheduled arguments in Chicago, and instead issued a five-page ruling denying his emergency request to serve his time on home detention during a temporary furlough.

Born Robert Sylvester Kelly, the 58-year-old Grammy-winning R&B singer is serving sentences at a prison in Butner, North Carolina, for child sex crimes and racketeering.

Pacold noted that federal courts have only limited power in such cases, and one by one she examined and rejected various ways Kelly’s request could be considered.

“Jurisdictional limitations must be respected even where, as here, a litigant claims that the circumstances are extraordinary,” Pacold wrote. “Kelly has not identified (nor is the court aware of) any statute or rule that authorizes the court to exercise jurisdiction. Thus, the court cannot award relief in this case.”

Kelly claimed in a series of filings this month that prison officials solicited white supremacist leaders to kill him, to halt the disclosure of information damaging to prison officials.

Kelly’s attorney says he was then moved to solitary confinement and purposely given an overdose of medication, which required hospitalization and surgery for blood clots.

Pacold noted that Kelly offers no evidence to back up his claims. Government lawyers suggested Kelly had spun a “fanciful conspiracy.”

Known for such hits as “I Believe I Can Fly,” Kelly was found guilty in Chicago in 2022 of three charges of producing child sexual abuse images and three charges of enticement of minors for sex. In New York in 2021, he was found guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking. He is serving most of his 20-year Chicago sentence and 30-year New York sentence simultaneously.

His appeals have been unsuccessful, including to the U.S. Supreme Court. Kelly has also sought President Donald Trump’s help.