Is R Kelly in jail? Allegations against the singer explained
NINETIES pop legend R Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in jail on June 29, 2022.
Singer was sentenced to for his , after he was found guilty of recruiting women and young girls for sex.
Why is R Kelly in jail?
On July 11, 2019, Kelly was arrested on federal charges alleging sex crimes, people trafficking and obstruction of justice.
The R'n'B artist, who experienced a soaring career in the 90s and early 2000s, faces a total of 18 federal counts, including obstruction of justice and sexual abuse.
He was held in Chicago's Metropolitan Correctional Facility. Kelly had been denied bail three times.
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What are the allegations against R Kelly?
The charges against R Kelly were filed by the Northern District of Illinois. He also faced charges in New York including racketeering and violations of the Mann Act, which prohibits sex trafficking across state lines.
He is accused of sexually abusing four women, three of whom were allegedly minors at the time.
The I Believe I Can Fly singer, now faces 30 years in prison.
Why was he attacked in prison?
Lawyers for the singer say he was attacked in his Illinois jail cell by a fellow inmate, and they are calling for his release.
, Doug Anton, an attorney for the singer, said his legal team had been advised by the US Attorney's Office that the singer was on his bed in his cell on Tuesday, August 25, 2020, when an inmate came into his cell and started to punch him.
According to Anton, guards at the federal facility stopped the assault almost immediately.
Kelly has attempted several times to be granted pre-trial release, once in September 2019 citing hardships of incarceration - including only being allowed to see one of his two live-in girlfriends at a time.
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But his request was thrown out in October 2019, with a judge saying he could present a flight risk and could potentially tamper with witnesses.
He then cited a spike in Covid-19 infections and illnesses at the correctional institution where he is being held.
In a third request, Kelly said he was "likely diabetic", but the request was thrown out by a judge on 15 May this year.
Where is the Metropolitan Correctional Center and who else has been held there?
The Metropolitan Correctional Center, Chicago (MCC Chicago) is a United States federal prison in Chicago, Illinois.
It holds male and female prisoners of all security levels prior to and during court proceedings in the Northern District of Illinois, as well as prisoners serving shorter sentences.
There are a number of high-profile inmates in the MCC Chicago.
Inmates include Alfredo Vasquez-Hernandez and Tomas Arevalo-Renteria, two members of the Mexico-based Sinaloa cartel, who are awaiting trial for charges in relation to the supply of cocaine in Chicago.
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Piper Kerman, author of Orange Is The New Black: My Year In A Women's Prison, served part of her sentence at the notorious facility.
Thomas Zajac is serving a 35-year sentence for detonating a homemade pipe bomb at the Salt Lake City Public Library in Utah on September 15, 2006.