Disgraced singer R. Kelly, who is currently serving 30 years behind bars for child sex crimes and sex trafficking, was moved last week from a Chicago correctional center to a medium-security prison known for housing high-profile inmates in North Carolina.
The 56-year-old R&B artist, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, was transferred from the Metropolitan Correctional Center Chicago to Butner Federal Correctional Complex on April 19.
FMC Butner has housed some of America’s most notorious criminals, including Bernie Madoff, the “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski, John Hinckley Jr. and Joe Exotic.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons does not disclose reasons for inmate transfers, but a statement from Kelly’s lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, indicated that Kelly was in need of medical treatment.
“He continues to suffer from health issues caused by medical negligence at the MCC Chicago. We are hopeful that Butner will ensure that his medical needs are met,” Bonjean said.
In February, Kelly was sentenced to 20 years in prison for child pornography and enticement of minors for sex. He will serve 19 of those years concurrently with his existing 30-year sentence for sexually abusing women and underage girls and boys.
The 56-year-old Grammy Award-winning singer, who was raised in poverty in Chicago and went on to become one of the world’s biggest R&B stars, has forcefully denied the allegations, which first began circulating in the 1990s.
After his transfer, Kelly’s attorney said they filed his brief in the Second Circuit to challenge his “unjust conviction” and 30-year sentence.
Last year, the disgraced recording artist was convicted on federal child pornography charges for making videos of himself abusing his 14-year-old goddaughter. It topped a 30-year sentence that the “I Believe I Can Fly” singer received after he was found guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering in a separate federal case in Brooklyn.
Kelly is expected to be eligible for release from prison when he is 80 years old.
FMC Butner is a medium-security facility located about 25 miles northwest of Raleigh. It houses 771 inmates in total, according to its website, and is known for its medical facilities.
With Post wires.