Convicted sexual predator and former R&B superstar R. Kelly was placed on suicide watch in the Brooklyn Prison where he is being held after being sentenced to 30 years in prison earlier this week, his attorney said.
Attorney Jennifer Bonjean claimed Kelly was put on hold as punishment by guards at the lock-up – which she said was run like a “gulag.”
“Mr. Kelly was placed on suicide watch for purely punitive reasons in violation of his Eighth Amendment rights. MDC has a policy of placing high-ranking individuals under the harsh conditions of suicide, whether they are suicidal or not (this has been done recently with Ghislaine Maxwell),” Bonjean said in a statement, referring to Jeffrey Epstein’s co-conspirator who is also incarcerated at Sunset Park Prison.
“MDC Brooklyn is run like a gulag. My partner and I spoke to Mr Kelly after his conviction, he said he was mentally fine and ONLY expressed his concern that although he was NOT suicidal, MDC would put him on suicide watch,” she added.
Bonjean didn’t elaborate on what was so hard about suicide surveillance, but a former director of the MDC previously told The Post that it has 24-hour surveillance by a guard or other inmate.
A spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons declined to comment on Kelly, but said they are “committed to ensuring the safety and security of all inmates in our population, our staff and the public.”
Kelly, 55, was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in prison on racketeering and other charges related to a criminal enterprise he ran for decades that allowed him to hunt down and sexually assault some of his fans and others he drew in his inner circle. to abuse.
“With every addition of a new victim, you grew in wickedness,” victim Jovante Cunningham told Kelly in court before a federal judge handed down the decades-long sentence.
“You used your fame and power to groom and coach underage boys and girls for your own sexual satisfaction,” she added. Kelly will be transferred to Illinois in the coming weeks, where he will face trial in Chicago next month on child pornography, sexual abuse and other charges.