Michael Williams, an associate of R. Kelly, was sentenced to eight years in prison on Wednesday. Fox reports Williams was found guilty of setting a car on fire to intimidate a witness against R. Kelly.
38-year-old Williams is a resident of Valdosta, GA, and was sentenced to federal court in Brooklyn. Williams was previously described as a relative of a former publicist of the R&B superstar. Williams traveled to Florida in June 2020 and set the car on fire, which was outside of the home of a witness. The aim was to discourage cooperation.
R. Kelly is set to go on trial in his federal child pornography case in Chicago next summer.
A judge set an August 1st, 2022, trial date for Kelly’s case during a status hearing yesterday. The hearing was held more than three weeks after a jury convicted the singer in a separate racketeering case in Brooklyn’s federal court.
R. Kelly appeared virtually Wednesday morning with lawyer Steve Greenberg, who will continue representing him in the Chicago case.
According to ABC7 Chicago:
“The Chicago case, unfortunately for Robert, is far more serious,” Greenberg said. “Because it involves child pornography charges and charges that he obstructed justice in his earlier trial from, from the 2000s which was in state court here. The Chicago case actually carries much more severe penalties than the New York case, but we’re gonna fight for….we know the evidence in that case, we’re prepared we could go to trial tomorrow.”
The Chicago native, who was found guilty on September 24th in Brooklyn, faces between 10 years and life in prison for his crimes.
Prosecutors presented searing testimonies from accusers to paint a picture of more than two decades of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse by Robert Kelly. His sentencing for the Brooklyn verdict is set for May 4, 2022.
In Chicago, Kelly is facing charges of federal child pornography and obstruction of justice. There are also separate aggravated criminal sexual abuse charges in Cook County, Illinois. The convicted racketeer has as an additional criminal case in Minnesota
