A federal judge has denied R.Kelly‘s third request to be released from jail due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier this month, Kelly’s lawyers filed their third motion requesting he be released on bail; arguing he’d recently been diagnosed as prediabetic. The singer’s lawyers added that he was at greater risk of being infected with the virus while he is in federal lockup in Chicago; awaiting multiple trials on sex crime charges.
Defense attorney Steve Greenberg wrote in his filing, that Kelly underwent medical tests in March; and jail officials withheld them for nearly a month before providing him with a report on Thursday. He stated that the test revealed Kelly “is 1/10 of one point below diabetic;” adding that Kelly also has high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
R. Kelly‘s two previous attempts to leave jail had been previously dismissed as the court felt his ‘Health’ reasons were not strong enogh to grant him bail.
Judege’s ruling
While dismissing Kelly‘s third application, Judge Donnelly said Kelly’s crimes involve the sexual abuse of minors; that stretched for almost 25 years; and allegations like those do not merit bail.
The judge said that although Kelly has insisted that if set free, he’d return to Illinois to stand trial like he did in his 2008 child porn trial.
The grand jury found probable cause that he bribed witnesses in that case, and she doesn’t want a repeat of that alleged behavior.
”The defendant is charged in Illinois and New York, with extraordinarily serious crimes; for which he faces a long prison term if convicted,” Judge Donnelly wrote in her decision
“That prospect makes him a flight risk. The nature of the charges—which include crimes against minor victims, threats against potential witnesses and paying bribes to keep witnesses from cooperating—make him a danger to the community. Including that he could attempt to tamper with prospective witnesses.”
It’s unclear if any of Kelly’s trials will be held in September as currently scheduled, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
If convicted of all the charges, Kelly could face the rest of his life in prison.