Federal prosecutors announced charges on August 12 against three men connected to R. Kelly, accusing them of threatening, intimidating or trying to bribe women who have accused the singer of abuse.
According to a complaint filed in Brooklyn, the men are Richard, 31, a longtime friend of Kelly, Donnell, 45, a manager and adviser to the singer, and Michael, 37, who is related to a former Kelly publicist. Authorities say Homeland Security Investigations and the NYPD worked the case. “These crimes shock the conscience,” said special agent in charge Peter Fitzhugh, who added that the men allegedly showed “there is no line they will not cross.”
Prosecutors allege Richard offered one accuser $500,000 to stay quiet earlier this year. She reported it to authorities, and prosecutors say recorded calls captured him claiming he had spoken with Kelly about it. Donnell is accused of harassing a woman who sued Kelly, along with her mother, and threatening to expose private images of her unless she dropped the suit. Michael is accused of traveling to Florida in June and setting fire to an SUV parked outside a home where one of the accusers was staying. Prosecutors say his internet searches included topics about witness intimidation and countries that do not extradite to the United States.
Kelly was not named as a defendant in the new case. His attorney, Steve Greenberg, said Kelly had “no involvement whatsoever” in any effort to silence witnesses. Kelly has pleaded not guilty to sexual misconduct and racketeering charges in Illinois, Minnesota and New York. Charges are allegations, and all three men are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. It was not immediately clear whether the men had attorneys.
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