GistReel
R&B singer R. Kelly has formally asked President Donald Trump to lessen his 31-year federal prison term.
According to records from the White House pardon attorney’s office, the award-winning musician, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, recently requested a sentence commute.
Kelly’s appeal does not seek a full pardon, but rather a reduction in his sentence for federal racketeering, sex trafficking, and child sexual abuse offenses.
A White House official revealed that Kelly’s appeal is one of many clemency requests submitted by the administration and is not receiving special attention.
The official stated that all such petitions go through a routine review process before the president makes a final decision on whether to accept or deny them.
“This appears to be a random submission via the public portal, where anyone can submit an application,” the official told Rolling Stone.
“The submission of a pardon request should not be viewed as anything other than an individual’s decision to submit a request. The White House’s clemency review staff is not currently tracking this request. The White House has a detailed vetting procedure for all clemency requests, with the President making the final decision.”
Kelly’s attorney, Beau Brindley, filed a move for a new trial in June 2025, along with a request for Kelly’s immediate release on bond owing to health issues and a claimed conspiracy against his life.
According to the lawyer, Kelly was denied treatment for serious blood clots in his lungs, and “an avowed white supremacist” said prison officials recruited him to hurt Kelly while in captivity.
Last month, Brindley stated that he intended to directly appeal to Trump for assistance.
Kelly, best known for hits such as ‘I Believe I Can Fly’ and ‘Ignition (Remix)’, was convicted of federal racketeering and sex trafficking in New York in 2021.
In February 2023, the R&B musician was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for child pornography and enticement offenses.
The three-time Grammy Award winner will serve the years concurrently with a previous 30-year prison term from a separate case in New York on July 29, 2022.
He is currently serving a combined 31-year term in a North Carolina federal prison and will not be eligible for parole until January 2046.