R. Kelly Associate Pleads Guilty To Setting Fire To Accuser's Car: Report

Michael Williams pleaded guilty to setting fire to R. Kelly's ex-girlfriend Azriel Clary's car.

BYAron A.
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It seems that R. Kelly might actually be convicted of the alleged sex crimes that he's been accused of throughout his career. The singer's faced allegations of witness tampering in his previous criminal case, though it's never been proven in court. According to The New York Post, an associate of Kelly's has just copped to one count of arson in an attempt to silence one of his accusers.

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Michaels Williams took a plea deal in court where he confessed to setting fire to R. Kelly's girlfriend Azriel Clary's SUV. The plea deal was in exchange to have the witness tampering charges against him dismissed. Williams is now facing a minimum 60-month sentence for the charges. “The plea agreement is fair in that the witness tampering charge as it relates to R. Kelly will be dismissed at sentencing," defense attorney Todd Spodok said.

Azriel Clary took to IG last summer where she revealed that her vehicle was lit on fire outside of the Florida home where hee family stays. Williams' left a trail of evidence behind, including footage of his GMC Yukon that was captured by toll plaza cameras. Additionally, he Googled "How do fertilizer bombs work?” 10 days later, though it wasn't clear what the purpose of the search was.

Alongside Donnell Russell and Richard Arline Jr., Williams was charged for attempting to silence Kelly's alleged victims with intimidation tactics and bribery. Arline Jr. pleaded guilty to attempted bribery in February. 

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Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.