R. Kelly asks President Trump to commute 31-year prison sentence
USA Today • • entertainment
Key Points:
- R. Kelly, serving a combined 31-year prison sentence for racketeering, sex trafficking, and child pornography convictions, has filed a petition for clemency with the Department of Justice seeking commutation from former President Donald Trump.
- Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in New York and 20 years in Chicago, with the sentences structured to result in a total of 31 years behind bars.
- His convictions stem from a 2021 trial where he was found guilty of leading a criminal enterprise involving recruitment of women and underage girls for illegal sexual activities, as well as a 2022 case with guilty verdicts on child pornography and enticement charges.
- Previous legal efforts to overturn his convictions have failed, including a denied appeal in 2024 and a rejected emergency motion in 2025 alleging threats to his life and mistreatment in prison.
- Kelly’s legal team claims corruption in his prosecution and views Trump as the only figure capable of addressing this, hence seeking a presidential pardon.
