An R. Kelly associate has been sentenced to 96 months in prison for witness intimidation in connection to Kelly’s sex crime and racketeering case.
The sentencing was announced by the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York on November 17, nearly seven months after Michael Williams, 38, pled guilty to an arson charge.
According to authorities, the Georgia resident went to the home of one of Kelly’s accusers and set fire to a vehicle parked outside her Florida home. Williams’ purposeful acts, according to prosecutors, were meant to intimidate the woman and prevent her from assisting in Kelly’s federal prosecution.
On June 11, 2020, Williams, a relative of Kelly’s former publicist, allegedly showed up at the accuser’s house and sprayed gasoline around an SUV leased by the victim’s father.
Prosecutors claim the witness, Jane Doe, was inside the house at the time of the incident, along with three other people and two children, according to court filings. After seeing the flames outside, the accuser’s mother reportedly dialed 911.
According to the Department of Justice, investigators also found traces of an accelerant outside the witness’ home. They also said Williams had conducted internet searches “about the detonation properties of fertilizer and diesel fuel, witness intimidation and witness tampering, and countries that do not have extradition agreements with the United States.”
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