A second witness in the R. Kelly trial, private investigator Nick Palladino, has claimed that prosecution witness Lisa Van Allen and her fiance Yul Brown tried to extort money from Kelly in exchange for not testifying. While they’re not accused of asking outright for money, Palladino took their repeated references to a potential $300,000 book deal and “wanting to do what’s best for their family,” as well as requests for Palladino to tell Kelly of their situation, to mean that they wanted cash. Palladino also says he recorded the meeting, so the jury may be allowed to decide for themselves what implications Van Allen and Brown were trying to make. [Chicago Sun-Times]