R. Kelly Takes Another L In Bid To Be Released

BYAron A.19.3K Views
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Singer R. Kelly turns to leave after appearing at a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse on September 17, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. Kelly is facing multiple sexual assault charges and is being held without bail.
R. Kelly's request to be released over coronavirus concerns have been shut down.

Despite the overwhelming amount of evidence prosecutors say that have against him, R. Kelly has been fighting long and hard to be released from prison, even before the coronavirus pandemic struck. The singer has been pleading with the judge for an early release out of fear that he'll contract COVID-19 behind bars but the judge didn't budge the first time, nor the second time.

Antonio Perez - Pool via Getty Images

TMZ reports that Kelly's second bid to be released from prison has, once again, been shut down by a judge. The judge did recognize the potential risk of waiting behind bars as Kelly awaits trial. However, Kelly apparently didn't make a compelling enough motion to convince the judge that he was particularly at risk.

Kelly's claimed he's not a flight risk and doubled down on that claim when he revealed that he owes nearly $2M to the IRS. Any money that he'd receive through royalties or otherwise would be redirected to the IRS, anyways. But, even then, the judge thought it was safer to keep him inside of prison instead of on home confinement. Pointing to his witness tampering charge, as well as his general past, the judge said that the pandemic already has resources being stretched and they simply can't take the chance with him.

"They cannot ensure that a defendant with a history, incentive and opportunity to interfere with potential witnesses will not do so," she said. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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