R. Kelly is once again at the center of controversy—this time over his safety and health while in federal custody. The disgraced singer, currently serving a 30-year sentence for sex trafficking and abuse convictions, claims he suffered a medication overdose while in solitary confinement at the Federal Correctional Institution in Butner, North Carolina.
According to court filings submitted by his attorney Beau Brindley, prison staff allegedly administered dangerously high doses of medication that led to an overdose on June 13. Kelly, reportedly dizzy and unable to walk, lost consciousness after crawling to the cell door. He was treated at a nearby medical facility and later returned to solitary confinement.
Brindley argues the confinement is retaliation for filing an emergency motion seeking his client’s release, citing alleged threats from prison staff and a fellow inmate’s sworn declaration about a murder plot targeting Kelly.
Compounding the concern, Kelly claims he’s been denied surgery for life-threatening blood clots in his legs and lungs—treatment prison officials allegedly refused due to the required recovery time.
While the Bureau of Prisons remains silent, federal prosecutors counter that confinement was meant to protect Kelly. No hearing date has been set on the emergency motion.
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