R Kelly released from prison isolation after two weeks
R Kelly has been released from solitary confinement in prison.
The disgraced singer was freed from isolation in North Carolina this week after spending two weeks in the Special Housing Unit.
The reason for his confinement was due to officers finding Kelly in possession of a retired prison official’s phone number.
According to Los Angeles Magazine, his lawyer claims he was unfairly held without cause after finding nothing improper.
In a statement, his attorney, Beau Brindley, said, “Mr Kelly has been released from special housing. No impropriety whatsoever was found with respect to his possession of the telephone number of a former prison official.”
He added, “He was kept in special housing for approximately two weeks without legitimate cause before the facility was compelled to release him.”
Kelly reportedly entered isolation in February following an undisclosed infraction. It was later revealed that the disciplinary action was the result of an incident involving a former prison warden.
Brindley claimed that after Kelly got involved in a mentor program to support inmates, the officer who oversaw the sessions retired and gave him his phone number. He went on to allege that Kelly’s cellmate was caught with a phone, causing officers to search his cell. From there, they discovered Kelly’s notebook containing the warden’s number.
Kelly’s lawyer found out about the isolation 30 minutes before he arrived at the prison to review evidence surrounding his motion for a new trial.
The singer is serving a 31-year sentence at FCI Butner Medium I after being found guilty of crimes in 2021 and 2022. He was convicted guilty of racketeering, sexual exploitation of a child, bribery, coercion, sex trafficking, and violating the Mann Act.