
R. Kelly was attacked by a fellow prisoner at the Chicago Metropolitan Correctional Center, his lawyer said on Thursday, according to the New York Post.
Steve Greenberg says the inmate entered Kelly’s cell a day earlier and attacked the singer, leaving him with cuts and bruises.
“My understanding is, every time there is a pro-R. Kelly protest outside of the jail, they lock down the entire facility,” the lawyer said during a brief interview, according to the newspaper.
“When they do this, inmates don’t get their commissary, they don’t get their shower, stuff like that and since they’re fairly sporadic anyway, they get upset,” Greenberg explains. “So they’re penalizing everyone in the facility because people are protesting in support of Kelly.”
Greenberg characterized the attack as a mere “dust up” and said there were “minor injuries, nothing broken” but that’s only because guards were able to quickly snuff it out.
Greenberg is asking the court to release Kelly on bail because the prison system can’t ensure his safety.
A federal judge has previously denied a request from Kelly to be released due to the coronavirus pandemic
Kelly, 53, is awaiting trial after pleading not guilty to a number of state and federal charges for sex-trafficking, racketeering, coercion, and other charges related to the abuse and exploitation of six women over the course of 25 years. He also faces a separate indictment in Chicago, for allegations regarding child pornography.
He denies abusing anyone.
By George Costantino
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