Three men linked to R. Kelly accused of tampering with witnesses in his upcoming sexual misconduct trial...
From NBC Chicago
Three men connected to R. Kelly have been accused of threatening, intimidating and trying to bribe women who accused the disgraced R&B performer of sexual abuse, including one who federal prosecutors say firebombed a victim's father's car.
All three men charged Wednesday have ties to Kelly. Arline described himself as a longtime friend and Russell was a manager, friend and adviser. Williams was the relative of the singer's onetime publicist.
Prosecutors say Arline offered one accuser $500,000 to "be quiet" earlier this year. She told authorities about the bribery attempt, who then recorded several calls between the pair. In one, Arline allegedly told the victim that he had tried to talk to Kelly about the plan.
Russell meanwhile, was accused of repeatedly harassing another victim and her mother after they filed a civil suit against Kelly. Prosecutors say between November of 2018 and February, he threatened to release sexually explicit photos of her if she didn't drop the suit, and later published them on a Facebook page after the Lifetime documentary "Surviving R. Kelly" aired. He also showed the same images again during a YouTube live vlog in January.
Prosecutors say that on June 11, Williams set fire to an SUV belonging to the father of another accuser. Authorities said beforehand, he searched the internet for information on detonating fertilizer and diesel fuel, witness intimidation and tampering and countries that don't extradite suspects to the United States.
