R. Kelly is serving his federal sentence at FCI Butner Medium I, a medium-security prison inside the Butner Federal Correctional Complex in Butner, North Carolina. The Bureau of Prisons lists his projected release date as December 21, 2045. His register number is 09627-035.
Which Butner Facility
The Butner Federal Correctional Complex in Granville County, North Carolina operates several institutions on one campus: FCI Butner Medium I, FCI Butner Medium II, FCI Butner Low, and the Federal Medical Center. A Bureau of Prisons spokesperson confirmed Kelly was transferred to FCI Butner Medium I on April 19, 2023.1Federal Bureau of Prisons. About Our Facilities That assignment was meant to establish his long-term housing for the rest of the sentence.
Why He’s There Until 2045
The release date reflects two separate federal convictions stacked almost entirely concurrently.
In September 2021, a Brooklyn jury found Kelly guilty on all nine counts of a superseding indictment covering racketeering based on sexual exploitation of children, forced labor, and sex trafficking under the Mann Act. U.S. District Judge Ann M. Donnelly sentenced him to 30 years in June 2022.2U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. R. Kelly Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison
A Chicago jury then convicted him in September 2022 on child sex crime charges, including producing images of child sexual abuse and enticing minors into sexual activity. In February 2023 a federal judge imposed a 20-year sentence but ordered 19 of those years to run concurrently with the New York sentence. Only one year was added. The combined term is roughly 31 years, which is why the BOP projects release in late December 2045.
Appeals Are Exhausted
Both convictions have survived every level of federal review. The Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the New York conviction and 30-year sentence in February 2025, rejecting arguments about evidentiary sufficiency, trial rulings, juror bias, and the racketeering theory. Kelly petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court in May 2025, and the Court declined to hear the case in June 2025. The Court had already refused to review the Chicago conviction in 2024. No further federal appeals remain.
Looking Him Up on the BOP Locator
Anyone can confirm Kelly’s current facility and projected release date through the Bureau of Prisons’ free online inmate locator, found under “Find an Inmate” on the BOP website.3Federal Bureau of Prisons. Find an Inmate Searching by name works, but the register number 09627-035 is faster and pulls the correct record regardless of future transfers.
Sending Mail
Mail to Kelly must follow the BOP’s addressing format, with his committed name and register number on the envelope:4Federal Bureau of Prisons. FCI Butner Medium I
ROBERT SYLVESTER KELLY 09627-035
FCI Butner Medium I
Federal Correctional Institution
P.O. Box 1000
Butner, NC 27509
If the name or register number is missing or wrong, mail is likely to be returned and deposited funds will not post.5Federal Bureau of Prisons. Community Ties All incoming mail is opened, inspected, and scanned before delivery. Attorney legal mail is still inspected for contraband but has separate privacy protections for the contents. Electronic messages are available through TRULINCS, limited to approved contacts and monitored by staff.6Federal Bureau of Prisons. TRULINCS Topics
Sending Money
Friends and family can deposit commissary funds through Western Union’s Quick Collect Program, online at send2corrections.com, through the Western Union app, by phone at 1-800-634-3422, or in person at a Western Union agent.7Federal Bureau of Prisons. Sending Funds Using Western Union
The account number is the eight-digit register number followed by the last name with no spaces or dashes: 09627035KELLY. The code city is “FBOP, DC” and the receiver is “Federal Bureau of Prisons.” Deposits made between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Eastern typically post within two to four hours. Anything sent after 9:00 p.m. posts at 7:00 a.m. the next day. Inmates use commissary funds for phone calls, email access, food, clothing, toiletries, and over-the-counter medication. Federal inmates are allotted 300 phone minutes per calendar month.8Federal Bureau of Prisons. Inmate Telephone Regulations
Visiting Kelly
Visiting requires advance approval. Prospective visitors complete a visitor questionnaire and release form (BOP Form BP-A0629), which collects identification, criminal history, and relationship to the inmate. The BOP runs the information through law enforcement databases, and false statements on the form carry a penalty of up to $250,000 in fines or five years in prison.9Federal Bureau of Prisons. Visitor Information Visitors under 18 need written consent from a parent or guardian.
Approved visitors should confirm the schedule before traveling, since the warden can restrict or cancel visiting hours for security reasons. The BOP publishes visiting hours for each facility but describes them only as “the most typical,” and inmates in special housing follow a modified schedule.10Federal Bureau of Prisons. FMC Butner