R. Kelly hospitalized after alleged overdose in prison, attorneys say
Sources say disgraced singer taken to hospital for routine care
CHICAGO -- Lawyers for disgraced R&B superstar R. Kelly say the singer was taken to the hospital, alleging he suffered an "overdose" caused by officials at a North Carolina prison where he is currently housed.
Sources told ABC News however that R. Kelly was taken to the hospital for two days for routine medical care and was released and is currently at the prison.
Kelly is serving a 30-year prison sentence in North Carolina after he was convicted in federal court in 2021 of racketeering and violating the Mann Act, a sex trafficking law, including having sex with underage girls.
A court filing filed by Kelly's attorney, Beau P Brindley, and obtained by ABC News, alleges mismanagement by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
FULL COURT FILING
The filing also alleges Kelly was denied surgery by prison officers who accompanied the singer to the facility.
The Bureau of Prisons said in a statement to ABC News, "For privacy, safety, and security reasons, we do not discuss the conditions of confinement for any incarcerated individual, including medical and health-related issues. Additionally, the Bureau of Prisons does not comment on pending litigation or matters that are the subject of legal proceedings."
This all comes as federal prosecutors on Monday rejected Kelly's bid to be released from prison because of an alleged plot to assassinate him.
He says prison officials hired someone to murder him to cover up government misconduct.
Prosecutors say that claim is "deeply unserious" and "repugnant." They say the judge does not have jurisdiction to release him.
A hearing is set for Friday.
Kelly is also seeking a presidential pardon.
"We are engaged in conversations with multiple persons close to the White House and to President Trump," a statement from his lawyers read in part. "My client does not have the luxury to wait for vindication from the Courts that will follow the exposure of the corruption at the heart of his prosecutions."
The "I Believe I Can Fly" singer was also found guilty in 2022 on sex crime charges, including producing child pornography and enticing minors to engage in sexual activity, in his second federal trial.
A federal judge in Chicago sentenced R. Kelly, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, to 20 years in prison in 2023 for those convictions.
However, the sentencing only added one more year to his prison time as Kelly will serve 19 years concurrently with his New York prison sentence. He would then be required to serve one year in the Chicago case.
An attorney for Kelly did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC7 Chicago contributed to this report.
