R&B singer R. Kelly has officially asked President Donald Trump to commute his 31-year federal prison sentence.

Records from the White House pardon attorney’s office show the award-winning musician, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, recently requested a sentence commutation.

Kelly is not seeking a full pardon through his appeal, but rather a reduction in his sentence for federal racketeering, sex trafficking and child sexual abuse convictions.

Kelly’s plea is one of several clemency requests the government has received and is not being given special attention, one White House official said.

“All these petitions go through a routine review process before the president makes a final decision on whether to accept or deny them,” the person said.

“It looks like a random submission through the public portal where anyone can apply,” the official told Rolling Stone.

The filing of a request for pardon shall not be construed to be other than the decision of an individual to file a request. The White House’s review staff for clemency is not currently monitoring this request. “The White House has a thorough vetting process for all clemency requests and the President makes the final decision.”

In June 2025, Kelly’s attorney, Beau Brindley, submitted a motion for a fresh trial and asked that Kelly be released on bond immediately because of health difficulties and a conspiracy against his life.

The lawyer said Kelly was denied care for significant blood clots in his lungs. And “an avowed white supremacist” stated prison officials recruited him to hurt Kelly while in confinement.

Last month, Brindley said he planned to appeal directly to Trump for help.

Kelly, best known for hits such as “I Believe I Can Fly” and “Ignition (Remix),” was convicted of federal racketeering and sex trafficking in New York in 2021.

In February 2023, the R&B singer was sentenced to 20 years in jail on charges of enticement and child pornography.

The three-time Grammy winner will spend the years consecutively to a previous 30-year prison sentence from a separate case in New York on July 29, 2022.

He is serving a 31-year combined sentence in a federal prison in North Carolina and won’t be eligible for release until January 2046.