Michael Williams, a man believed to be related to a former R. Kelly publicist, pleaded guilty to arson in federal court in Brooklyn, according to the Daily News. His alleged affiliation with Kelly, who pleaded not guilty of sexual abuse in the same federal court, was reportedly not discussed during the court appearance.
Williams had been accused of “having sat[ting] Fire on an SUV parked outside a Florida residence owned by an alleged victim in the Kelly and others case. “According to the Daily News, he will be sentenced on October 5th and face up to 71 months in prison.
The US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York announced the criminal complaint against Williams and two other R. Kelly affiliates last August. One of the other men, Richard Arline Jr., pleaded guilty to attempting to silence one of R. Kelly’s accusers. Arline, who is “a self-proclaimed longtime friend of Kelly,” told a judge in February that he and another person offered Jane Doe money to stop her complaint or testimony against Robert Kelly.
The third subsidiary, Donnell Russell, is “a self-described manager, advisor, and friend of Kelly”. Back in November, CNN reported that Russell, who pleaded guilty to harassing and threatening Kelly prosecutors, was in the middle of negotiations.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, we encourage you to seek support:
RAINN National Hotline for Sexual Assault
http://www.rainn.org
1 800 656 HOPE (4673)
Line of crisis text
http://www.facebook.com/crisistextline (chat support)
SMS: Text “HERE” to 741-741
