Latest news with #murderPlot
News24
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- News24
Neo-Nazi plot to kill R. Kelly in jail? Singer seeks house arrest amid shocking claims
Disgraced singer R. Kelly wants to be released from prison and is instead seeking house arrest. This is after an attorney for the singer said prison officials tried to hatch a plot to have him murdered through a fellow inmate. An inmate, who says he is part of the neo-Nazi prison gang the Aryan Brotherhood, was allegedly approached by prison officials to carry out the murder plot. R. Kelly, who was convicted of federal racketeering and sex trafficking, has requested to be released from prison and is seeking house arrest. This is after an attorney for the disgraced singer said his life is in danger and that three officials from the Bureau of Prisons plotted to have a fellow inmate kill him, according to People. The disgraced singer is serving a 30-year sentence in a Carolina prison. Details of the alleged murder plot were included in a 10 June federal court filing. Inmate Mikeal Glenn Stine alleged he was asked by the prison officials to carry out the plot, according to the filing. 'At least two avowed white supremacists and members of the Aryan Brotherhood have been approached by BOP officers and directed to take Mr Kelly's life,' read the filing, according to E!. Stine said he is a member of the neo-Nazi prison gang the Aryan Brotherhood and that he once held the title of commissioner. This role involved ordering 'beatings, stabbings, and executions that were carried out by other members of the A.B.' Stine said that the prison official who asked him to carry out the murder plot previously directed him 'to order assaults, beatings, and killings of inmates.' The inmate said he was transferred from Arizona's United States Penitentiary Tucson to North Carolina's Federal Correctional Institute Butner, in the unit where R. Kelly is imprisoned. Stine, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer, claimed that after completing the plot, officials said he would be allowed to live his final months as a 'free man,' according to People, who obtained the filing. However, Stine decided to inform the singer about the alleged assignment instead of carrying it out. According to the filing, per E!, a prison authority also warned Kelly that he was possibly in danger. 'The official then advised Mr Kelly that he was in danger and that Mr Kelly needed to be careful. The BOP official intimated that Mr Kelly was not safe in Bureau of Prisons custody,' the attorney wrote.
News24
2 days ago
- News24
Manhunt intensifies for ex-Transnet employee allegedly behind whistleblower hit
A whistleblower report about a 4 500% Transnet Freight Rail tender markup is believed to have triggered a murder plot that claimed the life of an innocent father of two. Vereeniging engineer Armand Swart was shot 23 times in a case of mistaken identity after his company exposed procurement fraud. Former Transnet employee Lucky Molefe remains a fugitive for his alleged role in the hit, while police uncovered a sophisticated crime network, allegedly involving a police detective turned hitman. For secure, anonymous communication with News24's investigations team, click here. Police are hunting for Lucky Molefe – a former Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) employee wanted for the brazen whistleblower hit in April last year – who has been on the lam for more than six months. He is sought for the murder of Vereeniging engineer Armand Swart, who was gunned down outside his workplace when alleged hitmen mistook him for another employee. Swart was shot 23 times. His slaying came two weeks after the Vaal-based engineering company discovered a simple spring - no larger than a finger – which they produced and sold for R3.20 had then been sold on to Transnet with a price tag of R152. With the state-owned freight and logistics company buying a consignment of 8 000 of these springs, what should have been a R25 000 purchase morphed into one of more than R1.2 million. After reporting the 4 650% price surge, one of the company's managers was marked for death. Swart – a father of two – was collateral damage. Cold-blooded In a statement released on Wednesday, police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Vincent Mukhati said a warrant for Molefe's arrest had been issued. 'An intensive investigation led by the SAPS Head Office Organised Crime team and Crime Intelligence led to the arrest of four suspects, including the one who was suspected to be behind the plot to murder Swart,' he added. Supplied 'Molefe has been in hiding since December 2024, and police have been searching for him. He is warned to hand himself over at the nearest police station.' Molefe is one part of a greater network of businesspeople and alleged contract killers. It is alleged that he was the inside man in Swart's murder. Sources with knowledge of the investigation, who spoke to News24 on condition of anonymity, alleged that Molefe had manipulated the procurement system to inflate the price of the bid. When Swart's employer reported the price surge, and he was questioned, Molefe had a hand in setting the murder plot in motion. Murder value chain On the day of Swart's murder, police traced and arrested alleged hitmen Michael Pule Tau, Musa Kekana, and Tlego Floyd Mabusela. Tau was a career policeman and a detective stationed at the Johannesburg Central police station, while Kekana and Mabusela have previously been described as 'career criminals with a demonstrated history of violent behaviour'. Molefe's uncle, Katiso 'KT' Molefe, was then arrested in December. When his home was raided, police found critical documentation, including invoices from the SK Group, an entity police allege was used as a front. Examining money flows, the investigating team was able to plot movement of funds to members of the Molefe family. Rosetta Msimango/News24 Beyond this murder, the probe and raid on his home 'uncovered and collected masses of evidence' relating to Swart's murder and to 'other similar murders which have been linked to the same accused', according to the investigating officer's affidavit filed with court in opposition of bail. 'The group defines the very nature of an organised crime structure, with the individuals ranked according to power and ruthlessness, money obtained through a multitude of criminal activities laundered via businesses and assets, the utilisation of law enforcement members for criminal activities, intelligence gathering and protection against prosecution, and an abundance of illegal weapons, used to execute anyone who attempts to stand in the way of their racketeering activity,' she added. Fired Molefe absconded from work on the same day that police arrested his uncle, and his last contact with Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) was on 9 December last year. 'Transnet conducted in-depth investigations into the matter whilst also working closely with the SAPS in support of the criminal investigation. The outcome of the internal investigation recommended that a range of charges be brought against the employee. Charges were compiled by Transnet, with the employee going absent without leave before the charges could be served. As indicated, Transnet has terminated his services. All payments associated with his employment are being withheld,' TFR said in response to questions. Molefe has been employed in the supply chain management section at TFR since 2017. He was disciplined for a similar offence in 2021 and given a verbal warning. Other killings Kekana and Mabusela have also been charged with the attempted murder of actress and socialite Tebogo Thobejane, who survived an attempted hit in October 2023. They are charged alongside controversial tender don Vusimusi Cat Matlala, who is alleged to have initiated the hit on Thobejane, his former lover.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
R. Kelly Accuses Prison Officials of Murder Plot, Says He's In Danger
Originally appeared on E! Online R. Kelly is requesting what he believes to be a life-saving measure. The 'Ignition' singer—who is currently serving a 30-year sentence in a federal North Carolina prison for convictions associated with allegations of racketeering, bribery, coercion, enticement and sex trafficking—has asked to be released to home detention due to an alleged murder plot against him, according to court docs obtained by NBC News. 'His life depends on the oversight of literal 'guards' and jailers who are entrusted with his safety,' R. Kelly's attorney Beau B. Brindley wrote in the filing. 'Yet, explicit evidence has now emerged to show that the very officials charged with protecting incarcerated inmates have solicited Mr. Kelly's murder.' While Kelly (full name Robert Kelly) has denied all the charges against him—including in the 2022 Chicago sex crimes case in which he was convicted of six counts of sex crimes including child pornography—his legal team said that the alleged murder plot against him is a result of alleged crimes committed by Bureau of Prisons (BOP) officials against Kelly. More from E! Online 1000-Lb Sisters: Tammy Slaton Unveils Transformation After Skin Removal Surgery Aaron Rodgers Reveals He's Married Justin Bieber Slams "Transactional Relationships' After Hailey Bieber Split Rumors 'When that information began to be exposed by Mr. Kelly's attorneys, officials in the Bureau of Prisons solicited another inmate to kill him,' the filing continued. 'At least two avowed white supremacists and members of the Aryan Brotherhood have been approached by BOP officers and directed to take Mr. Kelly's life.' The attorney alleged that another prison authority gave the musician a warning, as well. 'The official then advised Mr. Kelly that he was in danger and that Mr. Kelly needed to be careful,' the lawyer wrote in the filing. 'The BOP official intimated that Mr. Kelly was not safe in Bureau of Prisons custody.' Brindley also said that the prison official told Kelly that he 'should avoid the mess hall' due to the 'possibility of poison being mixed into the food at the chow hall and in the commissary as a means of achieving these executions.' As a result of the alleged murder plot against Kelly, his legal team has asked that he be temporarily released to serve his ongoing sentence in home detention. E! News has reached out to Brindley, Bureau of Prisons officials and the U.S. attorney's office for comment and has not yet heard back. (E! and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family.) For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
