Three men affiliated with R. Kelly have been charged with allegedly trying to intimidate, and harass women who have lodged sexual abuse and misconduct allegations against the Chicago native. The accused have identified as Michelle Williams, 37, Richard Arline, 31, and Donnell Russell, 45, federal prosecutors announced on Wednesday (Aug. 12).
Williams, is reportedly related to Kelly’s publicist. He is accused of torching a woman’s car in Florida in June. Although the woman was not named, Azreal Clary, one of Kelly’s ex-girlfriends, revealed on Instagram that someone set her car on fire in June.
Arline is accused of offering to pay off an accuser that he thought he “too much” incriminating evidence against Kelly. Russell allegedly harassed and threatened an accuser and her mother after the woman filed a lawsuit against Kelly. Russell was also charged for allegedly threatening to shoot up a New York City movie theater where the Surviving R. Kelly documentary was being screened in 2018. Russell faces a single count of threatening physical harm, and conspiracy to threaten physical harm.
Kelly is currently locked up awaiting trial on several federal abuse charges. His lawyer asserts that Kelly had nothing to do with the alleged attempts. “We just learned of the charging of several so called ‘associates’ of R. Kelly,” Steve Greenberg tweeted on Wednesday. “Without question, Robert Kelly had nothing to do with any of these alleged acts by those charged. He hasn’t attempted to intimidate anyone, or encouraged anyone else to do so. No involvement whatsoever.”