R. Kelly got a massive obstacle in his fight for a new trial when prison officials at the North Carolina institution he's serving time at discovered the phone number of a retired warden in his jail cell. This led to solitary confinement. As it turns out, however, it seems like he won't have to worry about this anymore.
According to the Los Angeles Magazine, authorities released the singer from solitary confinement after two weeks at the federal correctional institution's Special Housing Unit. Officials were conducting an internal review of the situation in that time frame. Per the outlet, his lawyer Beau Brindley said the inquiry did not discover any issues.
"Mr. Kelly has been released from special housing. No impropriety whatsoever was found with respect to his possession of the telephone number of a former prison official," he reportedly stated. "He was kept in special housing for approximately two weeks without legitimate cause before the facility was compelled to release him."
This news comes amid a new prison photo of R. Kelly that surfaced this weekend, caught by XXL on Instagram. In it, you can see him standing back-to-back with another inmate with his arms crossed.
How Many Years Did R. Kelly Get In Prison?
Per Brindley, his client secured the phone number in question via a prison mentorship program and kept in contact with the retired warden after he took his leave. "Under BOP standards of employee conduct, [current or former] staff are prohibited from showing partiality toward or becoming personally involved with inmates or former inmates," former federal prison official Dr. DeWayne Hendrix told Los Angeles Magazine.
Of course, the new prison photo in question is likely from outside of this timeline. Now that he's out of solitary confinement, though, we could get more in the future.
Meanwhile, more R. Kelly allegations are floating around thanks to survivor Reshona Landfair, who appeared in the singer's infamous sex tape. She reflected on the notoriety she garnered and how folks laughed at her expense.
Amid all this, Kelly will continue to serve the remainder of 31 years in prison for sex trafficking, racketeering, forced labor, and other convictions. R. Kelly's scheduled prison release date is for January 31 of 2046, according to XXL.
