Renowned singer R. Kelly has taken legal action against the federal Bureau of Prisons, alleging that prison officials leaked his confidential emails and call logs to blogger Tasha K. The lawsuit, filed in a Chicago federal court on Monday, accuses a Bureau of Prisons agent of unlawfully accessing Kelly’s digital prison records and subsequently selling them to Tasha K in 2019.
In the legal documents, Tasha K is named as a defendant, with Kelly’s legal team asserting that she utilized the stolen information to incite her massive following, causing harassment and chaos in the singer’s personal life. The leaked information reportedly left Kelly feeling isolated and apprehensive about communicating with his attorneys or other parties, fearing potential public exploitation.
The lawsuit further claims that an internal Bureau of Prisons investigation uncovered the unauthorized access to Kelly’s records, indicating that an unnamed officer had retrieved the information, scanned it, and subsequently emailed it to external parties, including Tasha K. Despite the discovery, no charges were brought against the officer, leading Kelly’s legal team to allege a cover-up of ongoing misconduct within the Bureau of Prisons.
Kelly’s lawyers argue that the leaks constitute negligence, invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, civil theft, and civil conspiracy. They emphasize that the unauthorized disclosures have persisted, citing an incident over the summer where $28,000 from Kelly’s prison canteen was discovered and seized to continue restitution payments to his victims.
The Bureau of Prisons declined to comment on the matter, citing agency policy on pending litigation.
This legal development comes months after R. Kelly’s sentencing to two decades behind bars in February for his federal sexual assault case. The judge ruled that all but one year would be served concurrently with the 30-year sentence he is currently serving in New York for racketeering and sex trafficking convictions. The singer was found guilty on six of the 13 federal charges, including child pornography charges and the production of sex tapes with a minor.
The lawsuit against the Bureau of Prisons adds a new layer of complexity to R. Kelly’s legal battles, shedding light on alleged misconduct within the prison system and its impact on the disgraced singer’s privacy and well-being.
Written by:
Dana Sterling-Editor
