Attorney: R&B singer R Kelly attacked in federal detention

The lawyer for R. Kelly said Thursday the R&B singer, who is awaiting trial on child pornography and other charges, was assaulted by a fellow detainee at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre in Chicago.

Attorney Steve Greenberg revealed in a tweet that he learned of the attack on his client Wednesday. Greenberg says he has received conflicting information on the extent of Kelly’s injuries.

"We have not been provided any information from the jail, nor has Mr. Kelly called,” Greenberg wrote. “We are hopeful that he was not seriously injured.”

A spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, citing privacy and safety reason, wouldn’t confirm or deny Greenberg’s report of the attack on Kelly.

Kelly, 53, faces several dozen counts of state and federal sexual misconduct charges in Illinois, Minnesota and New York, from sexual assault to heading a racketeering scheme aimed at supplying him with girls. The Grammy Award winning singer has denied ever abusing anyone.