politics
R. Kelly Files Request to Reduce 30-Year Federal Sentence
R. Kelly submitted a request for commutation of his 30-year federal prison sentence this week. The filing to the Office of the Pardon Attorney remains pending.
Jul 15, 1:15 PM·1m read1 source
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R. Kelly submitted a request for commutation of his 30-year federal prison sentence to the Justice Department’s Office of the Pardon Attorney. The Independent reported that the filing was made public this week and remains pending.
The 59-year-old singer, born Robert Sylvester Kelly in Chicago, was convicted in September 2021 of federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges in New York. He received the sentence in June 2022 after a six-week trial in Brooklyn that resulted in nine counts including sexual exploitation of children, forced labor and Mann Act violations.
Attorney Beau Brindley held a press conference in June 2025 requesting a direct conversation with President Trump to free Kelly.
Brindley is also seeking a new trial in Chicago, alleging prosecutors conspired to steal Kelly’s mail in prison. Assistant U.S. ” The Chicago Tribune first reported the commutation request. During May 2025 coverage of the Sean “Diddy” Combs trial, President Trump said he would examine cases where he believed someone was mistreated.
Combs was convicted of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and sentenced to about four years in prison.
