Michael Williams, 38, an associate of R. Kelly, pled guilty to setting the car of Kelly's accuser, Azriel Clary, on fire. 

Williams took a plea deal Monday (April 19), where he pled guilty to one count of arson for setting Clary's rental car on fire outside of her parents' Central Florida home in an attempt to silence Azriel, who is a witness in the R&B singer’s racketeering case. In exchange for his plea, prosecutors have agreed to drop the witness tampering charge against him. Williams is facing a minimum of 60 months in prison and a maximum of 71 months under federal sentencing guidelines.

The incident took place in June 2020, where Williams searched for the address where Azriel and her family were living in Florida, according to a history search on his phone. Two hours later, Williams arrived at the home and set the vehicle on fire, which led to an explosion. A witness stepped outside amid the commotion to see "an individual fleeing from the scene whose arm appeared to be lit on fire." 

Toll plaza cameras captured Williams driving in his GMC Yukon, which was identifiable from the front and side damage and having no front license plate, from his home state of Georgia to Florida, and back to Florida again before the arson incident. Court documents show that Williams Googled "How do fertilizer bombs work?" He also searched the phrases "witness intimidation" and "case law for tampering with a witness." 

Williams was charged in 2020, along with fellow associates of Kelly, Donnell Russell and Richard Arline Jr., who were each accused of trying to silence Kelly’s alleged victims through intimidation and bribery. In February, Arline pleaded guilty to offering a victim $500,000 to not go through with her complaint or testimony against Kelly. He stated in court, "I knew what I did was wrong." He faces up to 15 years in prison when he's sentenced on the bribery conviction.

Source: Page Six