Federal prosecutors announced charges Wednesday against three men accused of threatening and intimidating women who have accused R&B singer R. Kelly of abuse, including one man suspected of setting fire to a vehicle in Florida.
A longtime friend of the indicted singer offered to pay a victim $500,000 to keep her from cooperating in Kelly's prosecution, authorities said, while a manager and adviser of Kelly threatened to release sexually explicit photographs of a woman who sued Kelly.
The Grammy-award winning musician has denied ever abusing anyone and has pleaded not guilty to dozens of state and federal sexual misconduct charges in Illinois, Minnesota, and New York.
The charges range from sexual assault to heading a racketeering scheme aimed at supplying Kelly with girls. Kelly also is accused of having unprotected sex with a girl in 2015 without disclosing he had herpes.
Prosecutors described a third man accused of intimidating witnesses as being related to a former Kelly publicist. They said Michael Williams, 37, of Valdosta, Georgia, traveled to Florida in June and set fire to an SUV 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 United States," authorities said in a news release.
A message was sent to Williams' attorney seeking comment.
The Duchess of Sussex has revealed that she had a miscarriage in July. Meghan described the experience in an opinion piece in the New York Times.
As the pandemic interrupts the annual American holiday of Thanksgiving, big gatherings at home give way to smaller meals and dining out in an isolated fashion.
The massive demand for custom-made home bars during the pandemic surprised foo-BARS Designs, — and also fueled a 100 percent year-over-year increase in sales for the Florida-based furniture maker.
Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Tuesday, November 25, 2020:
Scottish lawmakers have unanimously passed legislation that will make period products freely available to anyone who needs them.
Deep in the Mars-like landscape of Utah’s red-rock desert lies a mystery: A gleaming metal monolith in one of the most remote parts of the state.
For many, Thanksgiving usually means pulling up to the home of family or friends with a pie and maybe some wine in tow; but now, thanks to social distancing efforts, some will instead be tasked with preparing their own holiday meal for the first time.
The Trump admin. officially allows the Biden transition to start as the president vows to keep fighting, all while the president-elect starts stocking his cabinet. Also, GM finds religion on electric cars, TikTok rules them all and chess...so hot right now.
Learn a new language, protect your online privacy, and read thousands of books with lifetime access and 73% off these top-rated apps.
Thousands of New York City volunteers trap, neuter, return, and monitor stray and feral cats amid an ongoing overpopulation crisis.
