R. Kelly Files Request to Have Trump Commute Prison Sentence

R. Kelly has formally asked President Donald Trump to commute his 30-year federal prison sentence, according to a new report from the Chicago Tribune.

The publication reported Tuesday (July 14) that the imprisoned R&B singer submitted a clemency request through the Office of the Pardon Attorney, the Department of Justice agency responsible for reviewing applications for executive clemency before they are sent to the White House for consideration.

The filing marks the latest effort by Kelly and his legal team to secure his release from prison. The request comes more than a year after attorney Beau Brindley publicly urged Trump to intervene, arguing that the singer faced serious threats while incarcerated.

In June 2025, Brindley filed an emergency motion alleging that Kelly’s constitutional rights under the First, Sixth and Eighth Amendments had been violated. During a press conference following the filing, Brindley claimed prison officials had recruited a member of the Aryan Brotherhood to kill Kelly in an effort to prevent alleged misconduct surrounding his convictions from coming to light. Federal prison officials have not publicly substantiated those claims.

At the time, Brindley also appealed directly to Trump, asking that Kelly be released to home detention while the allegations were investigated.

Kelly, whose legal name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, is serving a 30-year sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Butner, North Carolina, after being convicted in separate federal cases involving sex trafficking and crimes against minors. His convictions stemmed from high-profile prosecutions that concluded in 2022.

According to federal prison records, Kelly’s projected release date is Jan. 31, 2045, when he would be 78 years old. It remains unclear whether the White House will consider or act on his clemency request.