R. Kelly is back in the general prison population after spending roughly two weeks in isolation while federal officials reviewed a phone number found in his possession.
The singer had been placed in the Special Housing Unit at the Federal Correctional Complex in Butner, North Carolina, during the review. Prison staff were reportedly investigating why Kelly had contact information belonging to a retired prison official.
His attorney, Beau Brindley, says the investigation turned up nothing improper.
“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,” Brindley told Los Angeles Magazine. “He was kept in special housing for approximately two weeks without legitimate cause before the facility was compelled to release him.”
Brindley previously explained that the phone number belonged to a former prison employee who once served in a warden role. According to the attorney, Kelly received the contact through a mentorship program while incarcerated and stayed in contact after the official retired.
However, former federal prison official Dr. DeWayne Hendrix said reviews like this are standard procedure when inmates have contact information for current or former prison staff.
“Under BOP standards of employee conduct, staff are prohibited from showing partiality toward or becoming personally involved with inmates or former inmates,” Hendrix said. He also noted that inmates are often placed in special housing during these investigations to protect the process and maintain security.
Kelly, 59, is currently serving a 30-year federal sentence following convictions in New York and Illinois tied to racketeering, sex trafficking, and child pornography. He was transferred to the Butner federal complex in April 2023, and federal records show his projected release date is December 2046.
