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.
Data shows this year's summer was the hottest ever, according to European Union data.
A new app to help forgetful people stay on top of communicating with family and friends.
A survey showed nearly 80% of women in opposite-sex partnerships took their husband's last name but those who are younger and who had completed a higher level of education were less likely to do so.
Jimmy Fallon has reportedly apologized to his staff after a Rolling Stones article that described a toxic work environment at 'The Tonight Show.'
YouTube comedian and writer Lilly Singh is partnering with Aavrani to work on a new hair care collection. Singh spoke with Hena Doba and provided Cheddar News with a glimpse of her new project. "I'm going to say that choices are what makes the beauty industry so amazing," Singh said.
As models hit the catwalk for Fashion Week in New York, Anthony Rubio, pet couturier and womenswear designer, has some couture designs for your dog's next walk. Rubio also discussed how he became a dog fashion designer and where he gets his inspiration.
Cheddar News checks in with a coast-to-coast forecast of the weather for Friday, Sept. 8, 2023 and the weekend.
On A Positive Note: Girl Scout Creates Anti-Human Trafficking Jewelry Line
On A Positive Note: Black Women Firefighters Make History as First Female Captains
Rescuers from across Europe rushed to a cave in Turkey on Thursday, launching an operation to save an American researcher who became trapped almost 1,000 meters (3,000 feet) below the cave's entrance after suffering stomach bleeding.
Load More