R. Kelly’s attorney says the singer is being “punished” with solitary confinement after filing an emergency motion earlier this week requesting home confinement over safety concerns.
Lawyer Beau Brindley filed the motion on Tuesday. He claims prison officials tried to get an inmate to kill Kelly. Since then, Kelly has been held in solitary confinement, cut off from his family, and left without proper food or shelter.
“Where he’s sleeping now, he has spiders crawling all over him,” Brindley told Variety. “This isn’t protection — it’s punishment for pursuing this. He hasn’t eaten for three days because he’s been offered food prepared by inmates, which an official warned him not to eat.”
Kelly is serving a 30-year sentence at a North Carolina facility for crimes including violating the Mann Act and racketeering linked to the sexual exploitation of children. In his filing, Brindley also alleged government misconduct. He claims officials violated attorney-client privilege and then tried to have Kelly killed in retaliation.
Brindley said he spoke with Kelly on Thursday morning. He plans to file a supplement to the motion, alleging further cruel and unusual punishment. “He’s very emotional and upset about his treatment,” Brindley said. “He’s begging me to help him, and I will do everything I can.”
One step Kelly’s team is taking is seeking a pardon from former President Donald Trump. Brindley said this option, discussed for the past year, became a priority after the alleged threats. He said he recently contacted Trump associates, hoping to gain the former president’s attention.
“I think President Trump understands what it’s like to face prosecution by corrupt teams,” Brindley said. “He may be the only one with the courage to stop this, especially with the threats on Mr. Kelly’s life.”
The emergency motion also included a sworn statement from Mikeal Glenn Stine, a terminally ill inmate and Aryan Brotherhood leader. Stine claims officials offered him freedom in exchange for killing Kelly. He said he was sent to North Carolina for that purpose but changed his mind and warned Kelly. Brindley said he had planned to meet with Stine, but that meeting was canceled, and Stine’s whereabouts are now unknown.
A hearing is scheduled for June 20 to address whether the motion was filed in the correct jurisdiction. Brindley hopes the case moves forward quickly to address both Kelly’s safety and the effort to overturn his conviction.
“People are watching closely to see what happens next,” Brindley said. “It’s been a rollercoaster of events that brought us here.”
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