Prison Workers ‘Illegally Leaked’ R Kelly’s Private Emails and Phone Logs — as Feds Ask Judge to Toss Lawsuit
R. Kelly may have been justified when he claimed prison employees were leaking his personal information.
Aug. 8 2024, Published 3:30 p.m. ET
R. Kelly has long claimed his personal information was leaked by prison employees – and now it appears the disgraced R&B star may been proven right.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the singer-turned-convicted sex offender, 57, was seemingly vindicated this week when the U.S. government demanded Kelly’s 2023 lawsuit be tossed from court.
The disgraced R&B singer sued the U.S. government last year after prison employees allegedly accessed and sold his emails and phone logs.
A lawyer for the government wrote: “The United States is not subject to institutional liability stemming from allegedly widespread negligent practices or policies.”
Kelly, initially known for hit songs like I Believe I Can Fly before he was convicted of sex trafficking in 2021, filed a lawsuit last year against the U.S. government, the Bureau of Prisons and a blogger named Tasha K.
He claimed employees at Chicago’s Metropolitan Correctional Center – where he was placed after his July 2019 arrest – used the facility’s internal prison system to access his emails and phone logs before handing the info over to the 42-year-old blogger.
The convicted R&B artist wrote in his lawsuit: “The Defendant United States of America breached its duty of care to Kelly when it allowed countless BOP officers to access his confidential information without any legal basis to do so.
Kelly, 57, sued the U.S. government, the Bureau of Prisons and a blogger named Tasha K in November 2023.
“The Defendant Unites States of America knew that one of the employees and the other prison workers routinely accessed his private information from its systems and divulged private information to third parties for monetary gain, clout, or simple harassment.
“Because of the United States of America’s breach, at least 60 officers made unauthorized access to his sensitive, confidential, and private information maintained by the BOP on its electronic system known as TruView.”
R. Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, then accused the prison officers of selling his personal information to Tasha K after learning she posted some of the private info to her blog.
His lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, charged: “Tasha K rallied her massive following to harass Kelly with the use of the stolen information and created chaos in his personal life, even using the information to influence witnesses in his EDNY criminal prosecution.”
A lawyer for the government responded: “The United States is not subject to institutional liability stemming from allegedly widespread negligent practices or policies.”
Kelly’s legal team also accused prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office of using the incarcerated singer’s stolen personal info to “influence” witnesses in another criminal sexual assault case he was facing at the time.
The R&B star’s lawyer wrote: “On information and belief, the stolen information was shared with and used by prosecutors from United States Attorney’s Office as a tool to influence witnesses against him.”
While the U.S. government denied the allegations it breached its duty of care to Kelly by allowing prison officers to access and share his emails and phone logs, it did admit there was an in-depth investigation into the unauthorized access of his sensitive info.
The prison officer named in Kelly’s initial complaint was ultimately cleared of all wrongdoing. That prison officer had also retired in 2019.
R. Kelly’s mugshot after being arrested in February 2019.
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As RadarOnline.com reported, Kelly was moved to North Carolina’s Butner Federal Prison in April 2023.
He was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison after being found guilty in September 2021 of racketeering, having sex with underage girls and sexual exploitation of children.
RadarOnline.com has reached out to R. Kelly’s legal team for comment.
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