R. Kelly Is Still In Prison
The Claim
R. Kelly has been released from prison.
News posted on
Emerging story
On June 2nd, a Twitter post claimed that R. Kelly, who has been in custody for the past year on charges that include sexual abuse and obstruction of justice, has been released from prison. An image began to circulate with the R&B singer in front of prison gates along with the caption, “R Kelly is out.” Fans expressed their excitement for the prospect that Kelly would again be free to create new music.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s investigation showed that R. Kelly is still incarcerated. The circulating images are from March 2019 and are from when Kelly was released after being in custody for unpaid child support. The man next to him is his lawyer, Steve Greenberg.
In 2019, having unpaid child support of over $100,000, Kelly was arrested and released after paying it. However, later in 2019, he was arrested again with 18 federal charges — including kidnapping and child pornography. He is still in a Chicago prison awaiting trial. The COVID-19 pandemic slowed the court system in the United States and Kelly experienced the consequences of it.
The United States Bureau of Prisons keeps a database of all active and released federal prisoners and R. Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, is listed with the prison number 09627-035.
His release date is listed as “UNKNOWN,” as he has not been sentenced yet. Kelly 's charges are extremely serious and, if found guilty, faces a minimum of 15 years of prison time.
