The federal government denies Rs. Kelly’s allegations that he was prepared to kill himself as punishment last week came after a judge sentenced him to 30 years in prison for using his name to sexually assault young people.
Brooklyn federal prosecutors filed court documents Saturday night saying the R&B star remains under suicide control “for his own safety” after undergoing a psychological evaluation.
The “current circumstances of Kelly’s life are undoubtedly causing emotional distress,” Assistant US Attorney Melanie Speight wrote in the lawsuit.
“He is a convicted sex offender who was sentenced to spend the next three decades in prison,” he added. “He faces another federal criminal court in Chicago in the near future on child pornography-related charges.”
Kelly’s attorney filed a lawsuit on Friday alleging that prison officials at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center placed him on suicide watch “only for punitive purposes and because of his high-profile inmate status,” adding that Kelly didn’t mean to get hurt.
“Nothing occurred in the sentencing that came as a surprise to Mr Kelly,” attorney Jennifer Bongen wrote in the lawsuit. “While suicide surveillance conditions may be appropriate for people who are actually at risk of harming themselves, they are cruel and unconstitutional under the Eighth Amendment for people who are not suicidal.”
Kelly, 55, did not comment or show any reaction after hearing the sentence, which also included a $100,000 fine.
The multi-platinum, Grammy-winning songwriter was convicted of racketeering and sex trafficking last year. He has pleaded not guilty and plans to appeal the conviction.
The US Bureau of Prisons has been under intense scrutiny since financier Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide behind bars in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sexually assaulting girls as young as 14 and young women in New York and Florida in the 2000s.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
