R&B singer R. Kelly has formally appealed to U.S. President Donald Trump to reduce his 31-year federal prison sentence.
According to records from the White House pardon attorney’s office, the award-winning singer, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, recently submitted a request for a sentence commutation.
Rather than seeking a full pardon, Kelly is asking for his prison term to be reduced following his convictions for federal racketeering, $3x trafficking and child $3xual abuse-related offences.
A White House official said Kelly’s request is one of many clemency applications received by the administration and is not being given special treatment.
“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, had previously filed a motion for a new trial in June 2025, alongside a request for his immediate release on bond, citing health concerns and alleging a conspiracy against his life.
According to the lawyer, Kelly was denied treatment for serious blood clots in his lungs and claimed that “an avowed white supremacist” was recruited by prison officials to harm him while in custody.
The attorney also disclosed last month that he intended to seek President Trump’s intervention.
Kelly, best known for hits including I Believe I Can Fly and Ignition (Remix), was convicted in New York in 2021 on federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges.
In February 2023, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for ch!ld p0rn0graphy and enticement offences. The sentence runs concurrently with a previous 30-year prison term imposed in July 2022.
He is currently serving a combined 31-year sentence in a federal prison in North Carolina and is not expected to become eligible for parole until January 2046.