One of R. Kelly’s associates accepted a plea deal Monday after he set fire to one of the singer’s alleged victim’s vehicles.
Michael Williams pleaded guilty to one count of arson, according to Page Six. Williams could be sentenced to anywhere from 60 months in prison to 71 months of prison, the outlet reported.
An associate for R. Kelly took a plea deal on Monday that admitted he tried to silence one of Kelly’s accusers by setting her SUV on fire https://t.co/XjAqAMdyTq
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) April 19, 2021
“The plea agreement is fair in that the witness tampering charge as it relates to R. Kelly will be dismissed at sentencing,” defense lawyer Todd Spodek reportedly said. (RELATED: Associates Of R. Kelly Busted Trying To Bribe His Alleged Victims, Federal Authorities Say)
The vehicle, which was being rented by Azriel Clary’s father, was set on fire in front of the Florida home the family had been staying in, Page Six reported. A witness saw “an individual fleeing from the scene whose arm appeared to be lit on fire” after the car fire set off an explosion, according to the outlet.
Investigators found that Williams had searched the address for the home Clary’s family had been staying in two hours before the car was set on fire, Page Six reported. Court papers claimed Williams also searched for “witness intimidation” and “case law for tampering with a witness.”
Williams was originally charged with witness tampering alongside two other men. The three had been accused of attempting to harass, intimidate, threaten or corruptly influence victims in Kelly’s case.
As previously reported, Kelly faces federal and state charges connected to criminal sexual abuse. He is currently awaiting trial for creating and possessing child pornography and sexual exploitation of a minor. Kelly was hit with brand new federal charges in February of 2020 stemming from allegations that he sexually abused another minor for four years starting in 1997.