Detained singer R.Kelly requested to be released early from the Chicago Metropolitan Correctional Center as he awaits his trial at a federal court in Illinois. The reason is his fear of contracting the coronavirus. The singer is awaiting trial for his case on child pornography and other charges.
In a motion referenced by Billboard, Steven Greenberg, R.Kelly's lawyer, claims social distancing is impossible in prison.
"No matter what steps they take, the sanitation will be substandard, the risk of an internal pandemic at the MCC is great, and if one does get sick jail healthcare is notoriously substandard", Greenberg says in the motion. Kelly's lawyers are already prohibited from entering the premises due to the risk of getting the virus.
The motion also added that aside from social distancing being impossible, sanitation and even soap is hard to find in MCC, making prisoners more prone to the disease.
According to the motion on USA Today, "The health risk to Mr. Kelly, because of his age and existing health issues, especially considering the conditions at the MCC, necessitates his release on bail." The motion does not describe R.Kelly's health condition but him being in the category of people at high-risk by the CDC. The lawyers added that the court must know that the defendant must keep alive, no matter the charge. The lawyers also consider the age and health conditions of the singer.
If he was released, he will live with his girlfriend, Joycelyn Savage, in a loft apartment and will be in house arrest with monitoring systems. He will be tried on Oct.13 in Chicago.
Cases Against Kelly
Kelly, now aged 53, faced several cases in state and federal courts in Illinois, Minnesota and New York for sexual assault and racketeering, which the singer denied. One of the worst cases that filed against Kelly is when the prosecution in Chicago accused Kelly of filming himself having sex with minor girls and bribing potential witness in 2008.
In New York, he was charged with racketeering, a week after Kelly made a not guilty plea on child pornography charges in Chicago. This also comes with another sexual charges when he had unprotected sex with a girl in 2015 without disclosing that he had herpes.
In Minnesota, according to a report from NPR, Kelly was charged with cases of prostitution with a minor after a 2001 promotional appearance. According to prosecutors, he was approached by an 18-year-old female fan to have an autograph. He gave her an autograph with his number on it and when the girl called him, he told her to go to his hotel, offered the girl $200 to dance naked in front of him and had sexual contact afterwards. He was also charged with the same case involving a 16 year old girl and hiring others.
He denied all of the cases involved.
Same Request
Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine, who is currently detained in New York, also made a request earlier this week due to same reasons but the court denied the motion on Wednesday.
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