R Kelly fails in SECOND bid to be released from jail over coronavirus fears
R KELLY's second bid to be released from prison due to coronavirus fears has been rejected by a judge.
The suspected sexual predator must stay behind bars despite the worsening COVID-19 outbreak at the jail, according to .
“The risks associated with the defendant’s release have not changed,” she wrote in Tuesday's ruling, according to Variety.
“Even aside from the risk of flight, the risk that the defendant would try to obstruct justice or intimidate prospective witnesses has not dissipated, and poses a danger to the community."
Kelly is facing multiple charges in three states, including for sexual misconduct.
Lawyers for Kelly had initially asked for his release in late March, when there were not any confirmed cases of coronavirus at the jail.
His lawyers have asked that he be released with a GPS tracking device, according to Variety, and that he would live at an apartment complex nearby.
Kelly showed up to every court date on his 2002 Illinois case, his attorneys said.
He is being held at the Chicago Metropolitan Correctional Center, where at least six inmates have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to Variety.
Lawyers also told the judge that an inmate on the same floor as Kelly has been infected.
Kelly is 53, and his lawyers say his age and medical history leave him more exposed.
Judge Donnelly noted that "as the defendant recognizes, the entire BOP population cannot be released because of COVID-19," according to Variety.
Defense lawyers mentioned that Kelly owes $2 million to the US government, according to .
About 33,000 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in , and 1,500 have died.
Kelly was arrested last summer on a total of 18 federal counts, including child pornography, kidnapping and forced labor.
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