Robert Sylvester Kelly was transferred from the Metropolitan Correctional Center Chicago to the federal correctional institution in Butner, North Carolina, on April 19, Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesperson Benjamin O’Cone said Monday via email.
The bureau doesn’t disclose the reasons for inmate transfers due to privacy, safety and security reasons, he wrote.
“He continues to suffer from health issues caused by medical negligence at the MCC Chicago. We are hopeful that Butner will ensure that his medical needs are met,”
Bonjean said.
In February, a federal judge in Chicago sentenced the 56-year-old Grammy Award-winning R&B singer to 20 years in prison for child pornography and enticement of minors for sex.
He will serve all but one of those simultaneously with a separate 30-year sentence on racketeering and sex trafficking convictions in New York.
Kelly, who has vehemently denied the allegations, rose from poverty in Chicago to become one of the world’s biggest R&B stars.
Known for his smash hit “I Believe I Can Fly” and for sex-infused songs such as “Bump n’ Grind,” he sold millions of albums even after allegations about his abuse of girls began circulating publicly in the 1990s.
After his transfer, Kelly’s attorney said they filed his brief in the Second Circuit to challenge his “unjust conviction” and 30-year sentence.
Kelly is expected to be eligible for release from prison when he is 80 years old.
