R. Kelly Being Held in 'Isolation’ While Being Investigated for Possessing Retired Prison Official’s Phone Number (Exclusive)

Kelly is being held in isolation for 'possession of a phone number of a retired prison official,' according to his attorney, Beau Brindley

NEED TO KNOW

• R. Kelly was convicted on federal charges in separate trials in 2021 and 2022
• He has been serving out his 30-year prison sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Butner, N.C.
• The disgraced rapper is being held in isolation for “possession of a phone number of a retired prison official,” according to his attorney, Beau Brindley

R. Kelly is under investigation for possessing the phone number of a retired prison official at his federal lockup in Butner, N.C., and has been placed in isolation for the duration of the probe.

"He's in isolation. Now that's a fact," Kelly's attorney, Beau Brindley, tells PEOPLE exclusively. "He's being held there simply because of his possession of a phone number for a retired prison official. That's also a fact."

"His only reason for having the phone number or contact with that prison official is because he was involved in a mentor program at the jail," Brindley says. "And so he's involved in a mentor program, and because of that, he has a relationship with the prison official. That official retired and left the phone number for Mr. Kelly, and then, as a result of that, now Mr. Kelly's locked up in special housing, for what they call an investigation."

When asked whether the former official was a retired warden, Brindley says the individual held that role.

"You have multiple positions at the jail at different times, so I don't want to commit to which one at what time," he says. "There are warden positions, associate warden positions, other positions. But yes, in reality, it's a prison official that had been a warden at one time for sure."

Brindley says he does not know how long the investigation, or Kelly's time in isolation, will last. "They will not give us that timeframe, so we don't know. We're trying as hard as we can to make it as short as possible, but we don't know how long he's going to be held in there on this unfortunately," he says.

The experience in isolation has been "devastating" for the disgraced R&B singer, 59, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, Brindley says.

"It's devastating. I mean, you lose all your contact with the outside world. You lose your ability to get commissary. I mean, they're inhumane conditions. It's freezing cold down there. I've been able to talk to him, and I know he's suffering right now, and it's devastating for him, but he's, you know, doing the best he can," he says.

A representative from the Office of Public Affairs at the Federal Bureau of Prisons tells PEOPLE in a statement, “For privacy, safety, and security reasons, we do not discuss the conditions of confinement or internal security procedures for any inmate or group of inmates."

Further specifying their rule set, the office noted in their statement, “The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, impartiality, and professionalism in the operation of its facilities. In accordance with the law, BOP Program Statement 3420.12 CN-1, 'Standards of Employee Conduct,' explicitly prohibits all staff from providing preferential treatment to any inmate. Any deviation from this standard undermines public trust and the fair administration of justice. Violators may be subject to disciplinary actions, including removal from federal service and criminal prosecution.”

Kelly has been serving his 30-year sentence in prison since he was convicted on federal charges, including racketeering and sex trafficking, in 2021 and 2022.

In 2021, he was convicted on counts of racketeering, sex trafficking, child pornography and enticement in a New York court. The following year, a Chicago jury convicted him of producing child pornography and enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity.

He is currently residing at the Federal Correctional Institution in Butner, N.C, where he was transferred to in April 2023. He previously began serving his sentence at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago in February 2023.

Kelly's scheduled release date is Dec. 21, 2045.

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