American Singer, R. Kelly Contracts COVID-19, In Jail

R&B singer,Robert Kelly,popularly known as R. Kelly has contracted COVID-19 while awaiting sentencing in a Brooklyn federal jail for his racketeering conviction, his lawyer revealed in a court filing early Tuesday.

The 54- year-old singer’s lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, revealed this in a court filing on tuesday,claiming that he was recently diagnosed with the virus,while stating that for this reason, Kelly would not be able to speak on the phone about the appeal of his conviction due to hold on Thursday,while asking for a two-week extension on account of his health situation.

According to Bonjean in her motion,“It is vitally important that Mr. Kelly meaningfully participate in his post-trial defense.”
The New York-based attorney also noted that Kelly had decided to part ways with his original trial team, but that formal withdrawals were still pending.

U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly granted the extension on Tuesday morning, giving Bonjean until Feb. 17 to file.

The Brooklyn jail where Kelly has been held since last summer has seen a spike in COVID-19 cases amid the omicron surge with at least 39 detainees at the facility having tested positive for the virus, with more than 600 listed as recovered, according to U.S. Bureau of Prisons statistics. One inmate death there had been attributed to COVID-19.
R.Kelly was convicted on Sept. 27 on racketeering conspiracy charges, alleging he used his music career to further a criminal enterprise.

The jury found him guilty of 12 individual illegal acts, including sex with multiple underage girls, as well as a 1994 scheme to bribe an Illinois public aid official to get a phony ID for late singer ,Aaliyah,(who was just 15 at the time), so that the two of them could get married.

He faces a 10 years to life in prison when he’s sentenced in May.

Source:Chicago Tribune