x
Breaking News
More () »

R. Kelly attacked by fellow inmate at federal prison in Chicago, attorney says

R. Kelly was attacked Wednesday when a fellow inmate entered his cell and started punching him, according to the singer's attorney.
Credit: AP
FILE - In this Sept. 17, 2019, file photo, R. Kelly appears during a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse in Chicago.

R&B singer R. Kelly was attacked this week by a fellow inmate inside the federal lock-up in Chicago where he's awaiting trial on child pornography and other charges, according to his attorney. 

Kelly's attorney said an inmate entered the singer's cell on Wednesday and started punching him, but he wasn't seriously injured. 

Kelly, 53, faces several dozen counts of state and federal sexual misconduct charges in Illinois, Minnesota and New York, from sexual assault to heading a racketeering scheme aimed at supplying him with girls. The Grammy Award-winning singer has denied ever abusing anyone.

Attorney Steve Greenberg later tweeted they had received "conflicting reports as to the extent of his injuries" and he hasn't yet talked to his client but were "hopeful" that he wasn't seriously injured.  

A federal judge recently denied a request from Kelly to be released from prison due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

The federal charges in Chicago accuse Kelly of filming himself having sex with underage girls and of paying off potential witnesses in his 2008 trial — at which he was acquitted — to get them to change their stories.

Kelly's attorney also tweeted a call for Kelly to be released from custody as he awaits trial. 

"The government cannot ensure his safety, and they cannot give him his day in court," Greenberg said. "We should not incarcerate people indefinitely because we cannot provide them with due process!" 

RELATED: R Kelly seeks release from jail, cites coronavirus risk

RELATED: R. Kelly pleads not guilty to sexually abusing women, girls

Before You Leave, Check This Out