R. Kelly, who remains jailed on federal charges in Illinois, is citing a slew of mental and physical ailments as the reason he should be released from jail before standing trial on multiple sex-related charges.
A lawyer representing Kelly, 52, said the singer has “numbness in his hand, anxiety, and an untreated hernia” in an 11-page document filed in the Eastern District of New York on Monday. While Kelly is incarcerated in Illinois, he has been charged in that state and New York. Defense attorney Steve Greenberg argued in the latest filing that the singer’s environment is “stifling” and that he isn’t receiving adequate medical care, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
“His visits are severely restricted; presently, he is only allowed one unrelated person to visit. In other words, although he lives and has lived with two lady friends, only one of them is allowed to be on his visiting list, and after 90 days he is required to switch,” Greenberg wrote. “No other friends or professional colleagues are allowed to visit. That is not right.”
The New York Daily News reported that the filing also claimed that Kelly’s too famous and ill to go on the lam, and he’s already surrendered his passport.
Kelly’s facing a total of 18 federal charges in the two states, including for sex racketeering, child pornography, and obstruction. In addition to the federal charges, he’s also facing 21 sex-related charges in Cook County and two criminal counts in Minnesota.
“(Kelly) could not hide or evade surveillance given his fame,” Kelly’s lawyer said, asking for the singer’s release as he fights federal charges in two states.
A judge has yet to rule on the motion. A status hearing in Kelly’s New York case is scheduled for Wednesday. His federal trial in Illinois is slated for April.
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[Featured image:Antonio Perez/ via AP Pool]
