CHICAGO — The legal team for R&B singer R. Kelly is calling on President Donald Trump to intervene in the singer’s incarceration, alleging a wide-ranging conspiracy that includes stolen legal mail, witness manipulation and a plot to have Kelly murdered behind bars.
In an emergency court filing Tuesday, Kelly’s attorney, Beau Brindley, claimed the 57-year-old singer faces “imminent danger” at FCI Butner Medium I, the North Carolina federal prison where Kelly is serving a 30-year sentence for sexual misconduct and racketeering convictions, the Chicago Tribune reports. Brindley held a press conference the same day, urging Trump to act swiftly and bypass traditional clemency channels.
“R. Kelly’s life is now threatened, because of his willingness to fight and to expose the very kind of corruption that President Trump has been fighting and standing up to since the day he took that office,” Brindley said at a press conference. “I will ask President Trump to help us, because we need him.”
The plea follows Trump’s recent decision to commute the sentence of Gangster Disciples founder Larry Hoover, signaling to Kelly’s team that clemency remains possible — even in high-profile, controversial cases.
Allegations of internal interference
According to the 20-page motion, the alleged conspiracy began while Kelly was housed at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in Chicago, following his conviction. Kelly’s attorneys say that during this time, staff at MCC, federal prosecutors and Kelly’s former cellmate — a convicted sex trafficker from India — stole his legal mail, violating attorney-client privilege.
The motion claims these stolen communications were used to manipulate Kelly’s then-girlfriend, Azriel Clary, into cooperating with prosecutors. The attorneys argue the motive was driven by jealousy and pressure from law enforcement, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Since his transfer to FCI Butner in North Carolina, the motion alleges the threats have escalated. Kelly reportedly received a phone call from a Bureau of Prisons (BOP) official warning him to avoid the mess hall and commissary due to concerns about potentially poisoned food.
The motion also claims a high-ranking member of the Aryan Brotherhood allegedly approached Kelly and said he had been offered a deal by prison officials: kill Kelly, and they’d help him escape.
Brindley acknowledged the allegations may seem far-fetched, but maintained they’re consistent with the pattern of mistreatment his client has described.
“If prison officials are willing to solicit a man to commit murder, does anybody think then that it’s outrageous for them to be willing to help him?” he said.
Federal prosecutors later asked the court to strike or seal the motion, citing the inclusion of minor victims’ names.
A lengthy legal history
Kelly was convicted in Chicago in 2022 on charges of child pornography and sexual exploitation of minors, based largely on testimony from his former goddaughter, referred to as “Jane,” and two other victims, “Pauline” and “Nia.” The jury acquitted Kelly on related conspiracy charges stemming from his 2008 trial.
The singer was also convicted in 2021 in federal court in New York for racketeering, where prosecutors argued his music career enabled a criminal enterprise focused on sexually abusing underage victims.
He is not eligible for release until 2045. Meanwhile, a separate civil case remains active, with Kelly alleging a BOP employee leaked his calls and personal information to a blogger.
