Federal prosecutors dismiss R. Kelly’s claim of a prison assassination plot as “repugnant,” arguing that the judge lacks jurisdiction to consider it.
Federal Prosecutors Reject R. Kelly’s Murder Plot Claims, Call Allegations “Repugnant” and Legally Baseless
Federal prosecutors in Chicago have strongly denied R. Kelly’s recent claims that prison officials orchestrated a plot to have him murdered, calling the allegations “fanciful” and “repugnant” in a scathing court filing submitted Monday. They described the imprisoned R&B singer as a “serial and unrepentant child molester” who continues to avoid accountability for his crimes.
In a 19-page response, the U.S. Attorney’s Office argued that the federal judge currently presiding over Kelly’s Chicago criminal case lacks jurisdiction to act on his request for immediate release from a medium-security prison in Butner, North Carolina. Kelly is currently serving a 31-year sentence for convictions related to his long history of sexual abuse and exploitation of minors.
“Kelly refuses to accept responsibility for years of sexually abusing children and is using this court’s docket merely to promote himself despite there being no legal basis to be before this court,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Julien wrote. “Unfortunately, no court has the ability to enter an order freeing Kelly’s victims from the prison that Kelly put them in.”
Julien noted that Kelly has not filed any grievance with prison officials or submitted a motion in the appropriate North Carolina federal court, which would be the proper venue for reviewing such claims. The motion also referenced lyrics from a song Kelly released from prison earlier this year, in which he proclaims his innocence: “Though I’m in this place, I know I don’t deserve this, no…”
Julien argued that Kelly’s legal filings are consistent with this belief and show a refusal to acknowledge the severity of his crimes. U.S. District Judge Martha Pacold is scheduled to hear arguments on the matter Friday.
The government’s response comes after Kelly’s new defense team, led by Chicago attorney Beau Brindley, filed an emergency motion last week asking for the singer’s release to home confinement. The filing claimed that prison staff and federal agents conspired to intercept Kelly’s communications with his lawyers, manipulate witnesses, and ultimately arrange for a member of the Aryan Brotherhood to assassinate him to prevent exposure of the plot.
Kelly’s attorneys further alleged that a Bureau of Prisons official had warned Kelly to avoid the mess hall due to possible poisoning and that his former cellmate—reportedly a convicted sex trafficker—was part of the conspiracy. Additional filings accused the prison of retaliating by placing Kelly in solitary confinement and restricting access to his legal team.
At a press conference, Brindley openly appealed for help from former President Donald Trump, referencing Trump’s recent commutation of Gangster Disciples founder Larry Hoover’s sentence. Brindley said he was seeking a direct line to the White House due to what he described as the urgency and danger of Kelly’s situation.
“R. Kelly does not have the time, with his life in danger, to go through the normal channels,” Brindley said. “I will ask President Trump to help us, because we need him.”
Prosecutors did not respond to the Trump comments in their filing but concluded that Kelly’s claims are “repugnant to the sentence that this court imposed for deeply disturbing offenses.”
Now 58, Kelly was convicted in Chicago in 2022 of multiple counts of child pornography and sexual abuse. The case centered around explicit videos he made with his then-teenage goddaughter, “Jane,” who testified under a pseudonym. He was also found guilty of engaging in illegal sexual acts with two other underage girls, referred to in court as “Pauline” and “Nia.”
While the jury acquitted Kelly and two co-defendants of conspiring to fix his 2008 trial by pressuring Jane to lie and refuse to testify, the verdict still delivered a significant blow to the former superstar.
Kelly was also convicted in a separate 2021 New York case of racketeering conspiracy, which prosecutors argued demonstrated a long-running criminal enterprise fueled by his fame and power. He is not eligible for release until 2045, according to federal records.
In addition, Kelly is pursuing a civil lawsuit against the Bureau of Prisons, accusing a former employee of leaking confidential jailhouse calls and information to a blogger.
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