A friend of the 'I Believe I Can Fly' hitmaker's admits to trying to silence one of the witnesses in the singer's case by offering her hundreds of thousands of dollars.
- Feb 4, 2021
AceShowbiz - R. Kelly's friend has pleaded guilty to trying to silence one of the singer's accusers by offering her hundreds of thousands of dollars.
During a virtual hearing on Tuesday (02Feb21) in Brooklyn, Richard Arline Jr. told the federal court, "Me and another person offered Jane Doe money for her to not go forward with her complaint or testimony against Robert Kelly. I knew what I did was wrong."
An unnamed co-conspirator texted the woman, involved in the racketeering and sex trafficking indictment against the singer, "Rob is trying to get his cousin rich in contact with you because he wants to pay you for silence."
Following that text, Arline called the woman in May 2020 to offer her $500,000 (£366,000) to stay silent in her claims against the "I Believe I Can Fly" star, and said that the singer had authorised the payment. However, the feds were listening to the call, and Arline now faces up to 15 years in prison on the bribery conviction.
He was charged last year, alongside Donnell Russell and Michael Wilson, with attempting to harass, intimidate, threaten or corruptly influence accusers in the Brooklyn case against Kelly.
The disgraced singer is also facing a separate indictment in Chicago on charges of producing child pornography and destroying evidence.
While in jail, the singer repeatedly failed in his attempts to be released on bail. He was also denied a hearing regarding a new request in October, two months after suffering a jail cell beating by another prisoner.
