The Chicago Tribune has confirmed that R. Kelly was placed on suicide watch after being found guilty of federal sex crimes last month.
According to the outlet, the was confirmed by his attorney, Steve Greenberg, who told U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber that, “after he was found guilty [Kelly] was placed under suicide watch,” but that has since been lifted.
Recall that the disgraced singer was found guilty of one count of racketeering rooted in alleged sexual exploitation of children, kidnapping, and forced labor, and eight counts of of violating the Mann Act, which essentially criminalizes prostitution across state lines. And this comes after more than 20 people accused him of sexually abusing them, some of the assault dating back to the 1990s.
“Today’s guilty verdict forever brands R. Kelly as a predator, who used his fame and fortune to prey on the young, the vulnerable, and the voiceless for his own sexual gratification,” Acting U.S. Attorney Jacquelyn M. Kasulis said in a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice. “A predator who used his inner circle to ensnare underage teenage girls, and young women and men, for decades, in a sordid web of sex abuse, exploitation and degradation.”
