R. Kelly “associate” Michael Williams was sentenced to eight years in prison this week for setting an SUV on fire outside the residence of one of the victims who testified against the disgraced R&B singer at his sex-trafficking trial.
Williams, a relative of a former publicist for the “12 Play” crooner, pleaded guilty to an arson charge in April when he admitted to Judge Ann Donnelly that he deliberately set a car on fire in someone’s driveway and also pleaded guilty to harassing and intimidating a woman who accused the R&B singer of sexual abuse.
Williams, 38, was accused of trying to silence one of Kelly’s ex-girlfriends, a witness in the singer’s racketeering case, by setting an SUV her father had rented on fire. Williams pleaded guilty to one count of arson for destroying the vehicle that was parked in front of the family’s Kissimmee, Florida, home on June 11, 2020.
Williams, a resident of Georgia, reportedly used his cellphone to search for the address of the woman identified as “Jane Doe” hours before the attack. He was also captured on toll plaza cameras traveling from Georgia to Florida and then back to Georgia after the crime was committed.
A witness also saw “an individual fleeing from the scene whose arm appeared to be lit on fire” during the crime. The criminal complaint also read that Williams did a Google search for “How do fertilizer bombs work?” along with the phrases “witness intimidation” and “case law for tampering with a witness.”
Jane Doe’s father received a threatening text message as well, saying: “It might be wise for you to protect your daughter from the heartache she’s gonna endure through this and after.”
The victim was not at the sentencing but said in a statement: “My mental state deteriorated tremendously due to fear, invasion of privacy and trauma among many other things. Because of your actions, I live in fear and have had to relocate my entire life.”
As part of the deal, prosecutors dropped the witness tampering charge against Williams. R. Kelly has been in custody since July 2019 and was convicted on all counts in a federal sex trafficking trial in September and is awaiting sentencing on May 4, 2022. His state trial in Chicago has been set for Aug. 2022 where he will answer to charges of child pornography and obstruction of justice.
