Convicted R&B singer R. Kelly has turned to U.S. President Donald Trump in a bid to secure an early release from prison, formally requesting that his 30-year sentence be commuted.
Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, was convicted in September 2021 on federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges involving the sexual exploitation of children. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison in June 2022.
According to records from the U.S. Department of Justice, Kelly's attorneys submitted a clemency request to the Office of the Pardon Attorney earlier this year. The application is currently listed as "pending."
The move comes after Kelly's legal team made a similar appeal in 2025, urging Trump to intervene and release the singer. His attorney alleged that federal authorities interfered with Kelly's mail to pressure witnesses and later conspired with a white supremacist inmate to have him killed in prison.
In February 2023, Kelly received a separate 20-year sentence in a federal child sex crimes case. However, the court ruled that all but one year of that sentence would run concurrently with his existing 30-year prison term.
Kelly remains in federal custody while awaiting a decision on his request for presidential clemency.
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