Embattled American R&B singer R. Kelly‘s bid for release from jail on bail due to the coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19) has been denied.
Kelly, 53, is in jail at the Metropolitan Correctional Facility in Chicago. He is facing charges in Illinois, Minnesota, and New York stemming from alleged sexual abuse of underage girls.
Last month, the singer’s attorneys filed a motion calling for his release because of the dreaded virus. He asked a judge in Chicago to place the singer on home confinement; at the Roosevelt Collections Loft apartment complex in Chicago.
The attorney had also complained that the prison’s new restrictions to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 has made it impossible for them to meet with Kelly and prepare for trial.
Judge’s statement
In her ruling Tuesday morning, Eastern District of New York Judge Ann Donnelly ruled that R. Kelly‘s bid, “has not established compelling reasons warranting his release.” She added, “At present, there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 at the MCC in Chicago.”
The judge also points to measures taken by the Bureau of Prisons; in combating the spread of the virus in its facilities. It includes suspending all social visits and suspending inmate facility transfers.
The singer had also argued that he is part of the “at-risk group.” But the judge said that Kelly is fifty-three years old; twelve years younger than the cohort of “older adults” defined by the CDC as at “high risk.”
While Kelly noted that he’s had surgery while in jail, the judge added, “he does not explain how his surgical history places him at a higher risk of severe illness. Moreover, officials in Chicago have advised the government that doctors have completed all treatment for the defendant’s recent operation.”
The Judge also said that it is unlikely that his trial will proceed as scheduled explaining “as conditions return to normal. Kelly and his lawyers will have additional time to prepare for trial.”