R. Kelly’s attorneys have filed an emergency motion demanding the embattled R&B singer’s immediate release from federal custody, alleging a chilling murder-for-hire plot involving prison officials and members of the Aryan Brotherhood.
The motion, filed Tuesday and obtained by Variety, claims that Bureau of Prisons (BOP) officials actively solicited inmates to kill Kelly, who is currently serving a 30-year sentence at a federal penitentiary in North Carolina for sex trafficking and racketeering.
Kelly’s legal team says they have “explicit evidence” of the alleged conspiracy, including a sworn declaration from Mikeal Glenn Stine, a terminally ill inmate and high-ranking Aryan Brotherhood member. Stine alleges that officials offered him early release in exchange for assassinating Kelly—allegedly to prevent the singer and his attorneys from exposing internal misconduct.
According to the filing, Stine was reportedly told by prison staff that although he would be charged with the murder, the investigation would be deliberately mishandled, ensuring no conviction. Instead of carrying out the killing, Stine claims he had a change of heart and informed Kelly of the plot. He now alleges that both he and Kelly have been targeted for death, with officials allegedly enlisting a second Aryan Brotherhood member to finish the job.
“The threat to Mr. Kelly’s life continues each day that no action is taken,” the motion states. “More A.B. members are accumulating at his facility. One of them will surely do what Mr. Stine has not, thereby burying the truth about what happened in this case along with Robert Kelly.”
Kelly’s attorney, Beau B. Brindley, is urging the court to grant a temporary release to home detention to protect his client’s life. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago declined to comment on the allegations.
Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, was convicted in September 2021 on nine counts, including sex trafficking and violating the Mann Act. He received a 30-year sentence, followed by a separate 20-year sentence in February 2023 for child sexual abuse, most of which is being served concurrently. An appeals court upheld both convictions and the full sentence earlier this year.
