Convicted singer R. Kelly asks Trump to cut decades-long prison term

R&B singer R. Kelly, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, has formally asked US President Donald Trump to reduce his 31-year prison sentence.

According to The Guardian, the request was submitted to the US Department of Justice and is currently under review.

Kelly was convicted in 2021 of operating a criminal scheme involving the sexual exploitation of women and underage girls, as well as sex trafficking offences. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison for those crimes.

In 2022, he was convicted on additional charges related to child sexual abuse material and the enticement of minors, receiving a further 20-year sentence. Most of that term is being served concurrently with his previous sentence, bringing his total prison term to 31 years.

The 59-year-old singer is currently being held at a federal prison in North Carolina. Under his current sentence, he will not be eligible for release before January 2046.

Court documents released by the Office of the Pardon Attorney indicate that Kelly’s application seeks a commutation of his sentence rather than a full presidential pardon.

Kelly’s attorney, Beau Brindley, has been pursuing sentence relief for more than a year. In 2025, he also requested that the singer be transferred to home confinement, claiming Kelly faced threats to his life in prison. Brindley alleged that there was a plot to kill his client, but the court rejected the request.

Kelly continues to deny all charges against him.

By Jeyhun Aghazada