R. Kelly sues Brooklyn jail for putting him on suicide watch

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NEW YORK – R. Kelly on Friday sued the Brooklyn jail that has housed him since his conviction for racketeering and sex crimes, saying it wrongfully put him on suicide watch after he was sentenced to 30 years in prison when he knew he was not suicidal.

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In a lawsuit filed in federal court in Brooklyn, the 55-year-old multi-platinum R&B singer said Metropolitan Detention Center officials ordered the watch after his June 29 sentencing « solely for punitive purposes » and because he was a « high profile » inmate. .

Kelly’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, quoted a prosecutor as saying the prison legal counsel told her that « according to the psychology department, is on psychological alert for various reasons, such as age, crime, publicity and condemnation ». No timetable was provided.

Bonjean was not satisfied with the explanation. “Put simply, MDC Brooklyn is run like a gulag,” she wrote.

Kelly said the « harsh conditions » he faced resulted in « severe mental distress » and amounted to cruel and unusual punishment that violated the Eighth Amendment to the US Constitution.

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He is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, though the filing suggests Kelly is seeking $100 million.

The prison did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Known for the 1996 Grammy-winning hit ‘I Believe I Can Fly’, Kelly was convicted last September of one count of racketeering and eight counts of Mann’s Act violations, which prohibits transportation of people across state lines for the purposes of prostitution.

Prosecutors said Kelly exploited his fame and wealth for two decades to lure women and underage girls into his orbit for sex, with help from those around him.

Kelly said he was also put on suicide watch after his conviction.

Ghislaine Maxwell, another Brooklyn prison inmate, was placed on suicide watch on June 24, four days before she was sentenced to 20 years in prison for helping financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls .

Maxwell’s lawyer said the British socialite had been given a « suicidal gown » and deprived of clothes, toothpaste and soap, although she was not suicidal either.

Documents filed Friday do not specify the specific conditions Kelly faces.

Kelly still faces a trial in August in federal court in Chicago for child pornography and obstruction, and various state charges in Illinois and Minnesota.