R. Kelly Formally Asks Trump to Commute 31-Year Sentence

R. Kelly Formally Asks Trump to Commute 31-Year Sentence

Robert Sylvester Kelly, the 59-year-old R&B singer known as R. Kelly, has formally petitioned U.S. President Donald Trump to commute his prison sentence. The request was submitted to the Department of Justice’s Office of the Pardon Attorney and is currently listed as pending.

The petition seeks a commutation of sentence rather than a full presidential pardon. While a commutation could reduce or end his time behind bars, it would not erase his federal convictions. The request was first reported by The Chicago Tribune on Tuesday, July 14, 2026.

Kelly is currently incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Butner, a medium-security prison in Butler, North Carolina. He was transferred there from a Chicago prison in April 2023. According to records seen by The Chicago Tribune, Kelly will not be eligible for release until January 2046, at which point he will be 79 years old. Other federal prison records list his projected release date as January 31, 2045, when he would be 78.

Legal History and Convictions

The singer's combined sentence stems from two separate federal cases. In September 2021, Kelly was convicted in New York on nine counts, including federal sex trafficking and racketeering, for leading a criminal enterprise that recruited women and underage girls for illegal sexual activity and pornography. He received a 30-year sentence for these crimes.

In a separate Chicago case in 2022, Kelly was found guilty on three counts of producing child sexual abuse images and three counts of child enticement. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison for those crimes. This sentence runs concurrently with the New York sentence, except for one additional year, bringing the total to 31 years. He was also ordered to pay a $100,000 fine and serve five years of supervised release.

In Chicago, the jury acquitted Kelly of a conspiracy to obstruct justice charge related to his 2008 state child pornography trial, a fourth pornography count, and two further enticement charges. Kelly has vehemently denied all allegations of racketeering, sex trafficking, and sexual abuse.

His legal attempts to overturn these rulings have been unsuccessful. A federal appeals court upheld the judge's ruling in February 2025, and in June 2025, the Supreme Court denied a request to hear his case.

Claims of Prison Corruption and Health Issues

Lawyer Beau Brindley, who joined Kelly's team last year, has lobbied President Trump for more than a year. Brindley told TMZ on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, that he and Kelly submitted the paperwork to the Office of the Pardon Attorney one day prior.

In the petition, Brindley argued that the New York racketeering charge was an abuse of power. He also alleged that Kelly is suffering from health issues due to his incarceration, including a potentially dangerous blood clot in his neck. Other claims made by the legal team include that Kelly had blood clots in his lungs and was purposefully overdosed by officials.

These claims follow an emergency motion filed in June 2025, which sought Kelly's release to home detention. Brindley alleged that three prison officials orchestrated a plot for a terminally ill inmate, specifically a member of the Aryan Brotherhood, to kill Kelly to prevent the exposure of corruption underlying his prosecutions. Brindley claimed Kelly was placed in solitary confinement after exposing this plan and was removed from a hospital during surgery.

"The only thing that can protect Mr. Kelly behind the prison walls now is the fact that now the world is watching. And we will call on the courts and President Trump to help put an end to the corruption that now threatens Mr. Kelly's life."

Beau Brindley, lawyer, via US Today

Government attorneys rejected these allegations as repugnant. Federal prison officials have not publicly substantiated the claims of a murder plot.

White House Response

A White House official told The Independent that the request appeared to be a random submission through a public portal available to anyone. The official stated that the team reviewing clemency requests is not tracking Kelly’s submission at this time, though they noted the process is thorough.

The official added that the final decision rests with Trump. Brindley previously told People in June 2025 that the legal team was in open discussions with people close to the president, noting that Kelly previously lived in Chicago’s Trump Tower. In a statement to Variety, Brindley suggested Trump has a unique understanding of being victimized by prosecution teams.

President Trump has not publicly commented on the request. He has previously granted clemency to others, including reality stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were pardoned for bank fraud and tax evasion in 2022.