30-Year Jail Term: R. Kelly begs Trump for clemency

Disgraced American R&B singer and songwriter, Robert Sylvester Kelly, popularly known as R. Kelly, has formally appealed to U.S. President Donald Trump for clemency, seeking a reduction of his 30-year prison sentence.

Kelly, 59, was sentenced in June 2022 after being found guilty by U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly on multiple federal charges, including sex trafficking and racketeering, stemming from years of sexual abuse allegations.

According to court records released this week by the Office of the Pardon Attorney, an agency within the U.S. Department of Justice responsible for reviewing clemency petitions, Kelly has applied for a commutation of his sentence rather than a full presidential pardon.

A commutation, if granted, would reduce the length of his prison term without overturning his convictions.

The clemency request follows months of public advocacy by Kelly’s attorney, Beau Brindley, who has reportedly been urging President Trump for more than a year to consider reducing the singer’s sentence.

In a separate federal case in Chicago, Kelly was also convicted in 2022 on child pornography charges and for exploiting underage girls for sexual purposes.

The singer remains in federal custody, and there has been no indication from the White House on whether President Trump intends to act on the clemency request.