Racketeering meaning explained as R. Kelly sues prison for being placed on suicide watch after receiving 30-year sentence

On Wednesday, June 29, R&B singer R. Kelly (aka Robert Sylvester Kelly) was sentenced to 30 years in prison after being convicted last year on s*x trafficking and racketeering charges. The prosecutors had asked for a minimum of a 25-year sentence for R. Kelly.

During the announcement of the sentence, US District Court Judge Ann Donnelly told the I Believe I Can Fly singer that she had considered the childhood s*xual assaults he had faced. She told him:

"It may explain, at least in part, what led to your behavior. It most surely is not an excuse."

However, it appears that following his sentencing, the former singer has been placed on "suicide watch" at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), Brooklyn. This caused his lawyer to disclose that they had allegedly sued the MDC for "illegally" placing Kelly under supervision.

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What did R. Kelly's lawyer say about suing the prison the singer is being held at?

On July 1, the convicted singer's attorney Jennifer Bonjean took to Twitter to disclose that they had sued the MDC, Brooklyn. She shared a screenshot of the electronic legal notice of the lawsuit with the caption:

"This evening, we sued the MDC Brooklyn for illegally confining R. Kelly to suicide watch."

Later, she even told NBC that the prison was being run like a gulag (Soviet-era labor camp). The attorney further replied to a Twitter account that claimed that the procedure was standard for recently sentenced convicts. In her response, she said:

"Actually it isn't standard protocol. And I act at the direction of my client who is living in misery right right now, not people who are clueless about the inner workings of MDC and the Eighth Amendment."

Recently, Jeffrey Epstein's aide Ghislaine Maxwell was also put on suicide watch prior to her sentencing on June 28. "Suicide watch" refers to the increased monitoring process for convicts who might kill themselves in prison. They are often kept in a cell without many amenities and are given tear-resistant uniforms.

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R. Kelly's racketeering and s*x trafficking charges explained

S*xual trafficking charges refer to the criminal activity of having someone perform s*xual acts under coercion, forcibly, or under intimidation or fraud. Meanwhile, racketeering refers to the usage of fraudulent ways to extort money from a victim. However, the use of force, i.e., extortion, can also be a part of it.

In September 2021, a jury in New York City found R. Kelly guilty on all nine charges of s*x trafficking and racketeering. Kelly has also been accused of s*xual assaults, including that of minors. In the recent sentencing, Judge Donnelly told him:

"These crimes were calculated and carefully planned and regularly executed for almost 25 years. You (R. Kelly) taught them that love is enslavement and violence."

In the trial, a few of his victims disclosed that they were s*xually abused when they were minors. According to The Guardian, an unnamed victim addressed Kelly in the courtroom and said:

"You made me do things that broke my spirit. I literally wished I would die because of how low you made me feel. Do you remember that?"

Kelly and his legal team are also expected to appeal the sentence. However, additional details are unknown at this time.