R. Kelly has filed a request for clemency with the Office of Pardons at the United States Department of Justice.
His lawyer, Bo B. Brindley, confirmed to TMZ that he and the singer have prepared a motion seeking a commutation of the 30-year prison sentence.
The "I Believe I Can Fly" singer is seeking to have his sentence reduced after two separate convictions. He is currently in a medium-security prison in North Carolina, where he is serving time on federal charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and multiple other felonies.
Brindley also stated that Kelly has serious health problems due to his time in prison, including a potentially dangerous blood clot in his neck.
Kelly was found guilty in New York in September 2021 on nine counts, including racketeering and trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. A year later, in a separate trial in Chicago, he was also convicted of producing and possessing child pornography, as well as soliciting a minor for sexual intercourse.
Throughout the trial, he denied all charges of sexual assault, human trafficking, and racketeering. His appeals were denied, and last year the first-instance verdict was upheld. He then asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case, but that request was denied in June 2025.
Under the current sentence, Kelly could be released in January 2046.
US President Donald Trump has not yet commented publicly on the musician's request for clemency.
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