Disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly, currently serving a 30-year federal prison sentence for racketeering, sex trafficking, and child pornography offenses, is now seeking a presidential pardon from President Donald J. Trump, according to a June 12 statement from his attorney Beau B. Brindley, Esq.
Brindley revealed that Kelly’s legal team is in contact with unnamed individuals associated with Trump’s circle, asserting that the president is “the only person with the courage and power” to intervene in what the attorney calls a “corrupt Obama and Biden-era prosecution” of public figures.
“President Trump has been fighting against this kind of criminal weaponization of the DOJ against public figures since he took office,” said Brindley. “We will ask him to now stand up with us as we advance his fight, and as our client fears that he might be killed to cover up the corruption that we seek to expose.”
Allegations of Retaliation and Imminent Harm
The plea for a pardon follows explosive allegations that Kelly—whose legal name is Robert Sylvester Kelly—has faced retaliation in custody after filing a recent motion for immediate release. The motion alleges that a dying inmate confessed to Kelly that prison officials were targeting him and possibly plotting his death.
Brindley claims that after the motion became public, Kelly was placed in solitary confinement, denied access to family calls and commissary, and is now sleeping in a cell infested with spiders. He has reportedly gone two days without food due to fears his meals might be poisoned.
“They have told him that, as long as we keep up our investigation and our motions, it is only going to get worse for Robert,” Brindley said. “This is why we need President Trump to step in now.”
The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) declined to comment on the matter, citing ongoing litigation.
Parallels to Other Trump Pardons
The pardon request comes on the heels of Trump’s highly publicized commutations and pardons of other controversial figures. In May, Trump pardoned reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were serving sentences for bank fraud, and rapper NBA YoungBoy, who faced federal firearms charges.
Kelly’s team appears to be leaning on Trump’s track record of issuing pardons to celebrities and public figures, positioning the former president as a sympathetic ally against what they characterize as systemic abuses of federal prosecutorial power.
Legal Road Ahead
Kelly is currently incarcerated in North Carolina following two federal convictions—one in Brooklyn in 2022 resulting in a 30-year sentence, and another in Chicago in 2023 resulting in a 20-year sentence, to be served mostly concurrently. Only one year of the Chicago sentence is set to be served consecutively.
Brindley insists that Kelly’s safety is at risk behind bars and that immediate intervention is required.
“The only thing that can protect Mr. Kelly behind the prison walls now is the fact that now the world is watching,” Brindley said, adding that both the courts and President Trump should take swift action to prevent further harm.
Whether or not Trump will entertain or act upon the request remains to be seen.
Legal experts note that presidential pardons do not require Congressional approval, but the scope of relief—particularly in high-profile, multi-jurisdictional cases like Kelly’s—could present legal and political complexities.
While the likelihood of a presidential pardon for R. Kelly remains uncertain, the request underscores the increasingly complex intersection of celebrity, criminal justice, and politics.
