R Kelly’s ‘pals set fire to sex crime accuser’s car and threatened to release explicit pics’
THREE pals of R Kelly allegedly tried to “intimidate, threaten or corruptly influence” women who have accused the singer of abuse, New York federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
The allegations include one man setting fire to a parked car outside an accuser’s house in Florida and discussing paying another woman half a million dollars so that she would remain silent.
A longtime friend of the indicted singer offered to pay a victim to keep her from cooperating in Kelly's , authorities said, while a manager and adviser of threatened to release sexually explicit photographs of a woman who sued Kelly.
A Kelly defense attorney said he had "no involvement whatsoever" in any attempt to silence witnesses.
"He hasn't attempted to intimidate anyone, or encouraged anyone else to do so," attorney Steve Greenberg said on .
Prosecutors described a third man accused of intimidating witnesses as being related to a former Kelly publicist.
They said Michael Williams, of Valdosta, , traveled to Florida in June and set fire to an parked outside a residence where one of Kelly's victims was staying.
Williams also conducted Internet searches for "the detonation properties of fertilizer and diesel fuel, witness intimidation and witness tampering and countries that do not have extradition with the ," authorities said in a news release.
"The men charged today allegedly have shown that there is no line they will not cross to help Kelly avoid the consequences of his alleged crimes — even if it means re-victimizing his accusers," Peter Fitzhugh, special agent in charge of the Homeland Security Investigations in New York, said in a statement.
Arline Jr., a longtime friend of Kelly, is accused of offering to pay off a woman he believed had "too much" incriminating information against the singer.
Authorities said they set up a wiretap and recorded a call in which Arline claimed he had spoken with Kelly behind bars during a three-way call.
Russell, of , is charged with harassing a Kelly victim and her mother after the unidentified woman filed a lawsuit against Kelly.
Authorities said Russell, a manager and adviser to Kelly, sent a letter to the woman's lawyer with cropped nude photographs of her and later sent her a text warning her: "Pull the plug or you will be exposed."
It was not immediately clear whether Russell and Arline Jr. had attorneys who could comment on the charges.