Disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly has formally requested presidential clemency from Donald Trump in an effort to reduce his prison sentence for federal sex crime convictions.
According to records from the U.S. Department of Justice, attorneys representing Kelly, whose legal name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, submitted a petition seeking a commutation of his sentence through the Office of the Pardon Attorney. The application is currently listed as pending.
Kelly is serving a 30-year federal prison sentence following his 2021 conviction in New York on racketeering and sex trafficking charges. Federal prosecutors accused him of operating a criminal enterprise that exploited women and children over many years.
A jury found him guilty in September 2021 on multiple counts, including racketeering and violations of the Mann Act involving the sexual exploitation of minors.
In June 2022, a federal judge sentenced the singer to 30 years in prison.
Kelly later received a separate 20-year federal sentence in 2023 after being convicted in another child sex crimes case. The court ordered that all but one year of that sentence would run concurrently with his existing prison term, meaning it adds only one additional year to his overall incarceration.
As part of efforts to secure his release, Kelly’s legal team has made a series of allegations against federal authorities. In filings submitted last year, his attorney claimed prison officials interfered with his mail in an attempt to pressure witnesses involved in his criminal cases.
The attorney also alleged that authorities were connected to a plot involving a white supremacist inmate who was allegedly recruited to kill Kelly while he was in federal custody.
Those allegations have drawn significant attention but have not resulted in Kelly’s convictions being overturned.
A presidential commutation differs from a pardon. While a pardon forgives a federal offense, a commutation reduces or ends a prison sentence without overturning the underlying conviction.
The Office of the Pardon Attorney reviews requests before making recommendations to the president, who has the constitutional authority to grant or deny clemency in federal cases.
No decision has been announced regarding Kelly’s application, and his request remains under review.
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