R. Kelly's lawyer files request for presidential commutation of 30-year sentence
R. Kelly's attorney has formally asked President Donald Trump to commute the singer's 30-year prison term, a request that remains pending with the Office of the Pardon Attorney.
A court filing released by the Office of the Pardon Attorney shows that R. Kelly's legal team has formally petitioned President Donald Trump to commute the singer's 30-year sentence for child-sex-exploitation and Mann Act violations. The request, which seeks a reduction rather than a full pardon, is listed as pending.
The filing follows an earlier emergency motion by attorney Beau Brindley, who argued for Kelly's immediate release to home detention on the grounds that his safety was at risk and that government officials had allegedly breached attorney-client privilege. The motion included a sworn statement from a terminally ill inmate claiming officials offered him freedom in exchange for Kelly's murder, an allegation that Brindley said indicated misconduct by prosecutors.
Brindley told Variety that Kelly had been placed in solitary confinement after the motion and that he intended to seek clemency from Trump, noting that the former president had expressed empathy for individuals who feel victimized by prosecution teams. > "I think it’s a particular interest to President Trump because, unlike most people who come to this with an air of skepticism, [he] has a personal unique understanding of what it’s like to be victimized by prosecution teams and put through that experience through corrupt and criminal hacks," Brindley said.
Kelly was convicted in September 2021 on nine counts, including violations of the Mann Act and racketeering related to the sexual exploitation of children, and received a 30-year sentence in June 2022. A separate 20-year sentence for child-sex crimes was imposed in February 2023, with most of that term to run concurrently with the earlier sentence.