R. Kelly remains locked up after a judge ruled he’s still a threat to the public, even as his legal team fights for a new trial and fresh representation.
R. Kelly will stay behind bars after a federal judge ruled he remains a threat to the public and a potential flight risk, even as his legal team pushes for a new trial.
On Tuesday (June 24), U.S. District Judge Martha M. Pacold rejected the 57-year-old singer’s request for bond while his motion for a new trial is still under review.
R. Kelly is currently serving a 20-year sentence for child pornography and enticement convictions in Illinois.
Eighteen of those years run concurrently with a 30-year sentence from a separate racketeering case in New York.
R. Kelly is demanding a new trial, alleging that prosecutors and prison officials stole his legal mail, threatened witnesses, and even plotted to have him killed in prison.
He claims a key witness was bribed to change her testimony and that an Aryan Brotherhood gang member was recruited to carry out an attack but refused.
Kelly’s team also says he was denied urgent medical care, which they argue adds urgency to both the bond request and the demand for a new trial.
In the ruling, Pacold stated that the court had the authority to consider a bond request during post-conviction proceedings but found no legal or factual basis to release him.
“Kelly has not produced any argument or evidence—much less clear and convincing evidence—challenging [the court’s previous] finding or indicating that circumstances have changed such that Kelly is no longer a flight risk or a danger to the community,” she wrote in the June 24 order.
R. Kelly’s attorneys argued that federal judges can grant bond in rare post-conviction situations, citing the court’s inherent authority.
But Pacold said even if Kelly met that high standard, he would still be imprisoned due to his New York conviction.
The judge also pointed to prior findings by Judge Harry Leinenweber, who oversaw Kelly’s Illinois trial and determined that his release would pose a danger to the community.
Despite the allegations in his other motions, Kelly did not present any convincing new evidence to counter that assessment. Kelly is serving concurrent sentences in North Carolina, where he remains in custody.
The court has not ruled on the motion for a new trial.
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