R. Kelly, Tekashi69 Denied Prison Release Amid Coronavirus Fears
High-profile celebrities are attempting to get themselves released from prison early amid coronavirus fears.
R. Kelly, who has been at Chicago’s Metropolitan Correctional Center since July without bond after being arrested on federal charges, was denied release in a motion filed on Monday, per The Chicago Tribune. Prosecutors argued in their denial that Kelly was not old enough to be at elevated risk and that he has no underlying health issues.
“While the government recognizes the seriousness of COVID-19 and the increased risk to certain federal prisoners, a generalized risk alone does not justify releasing the entire Bureau of Prisons population, much less a prisoner being held for racketeering charges involving crimes against specified victims with a history of obstructing justice,” prosecutors wrote.
His lawyers argued that R. Kelly’s fellow inmates were experiencing “flu-like symptoms” and being quietly quarantined; the Bureau Of Prisons has not reported that any inmates have been infected in R. Kelly’s jail. “No matter what steps they take, the sanitation will be substandard, the risk of an internal pandemic at the MCC is great, and if one does get sick jail health care is notoriously substandard,” Kelly’s lawyer Steven Greenberg wrote.
Tekashi69, who recently had his release date set for August, also had his request to leave prison early denied last week, at least for now. As TMZ reports, a judge denied his lawyer’s request to serve out the last four months of his sentence at home because he did not have the authority to release him, but to file a request with the Bureau Of Prisons instead. Tekashi69 has asthma, an underlying condition that would exacerbate COVID-19 if he were to catch it.
An associate of Tekashi69, Kintea “Kooda B” McKenzie, was granted a temporary release due to the coronavirus pandemic, as Complex reports.
UPDATE (4/2): Tekashi69 ended up being released from prison on Thursday (4/2) because of his asthma preexisting condition.
UPDATE (4/7): R. Kelly is still being denied his temporary release, as USA Today reports. A judge said that there were “no compelling reasons” for a release and that R. Kelly remained a “flight risk.”