TMZ.com Home

Former Department of Energy Official Sam Brinton could be in even more hot water regarding stolen bags ... this time a fashion designer claims she saw Brinton wearing an outfit from her missing suitcase.

Fashion designer Asya Khamsin dragged Brinton on Twitter, saying her luggage went missing back in 2018 at the Ronald Reagan Airport in Virginia ... and it wasn't until she heard about Brinton's prior alleged luggage stealing that she became suspicious.

Check out the side-by-side Asya showed, which she says shows Brinton wearing one of her custom-made dresses a year after she claims her bags were swiped.

Asya told Fox she was heading to D.C. to put her clothes on display for an event when the bag went missing ... and lost out on the opportunity as a result. She said her husband filed a police report at the time, but nothing was found.

Asya says she filed another report this December after seeing pics of Brinton in what she claims is her outfit -- and says she was then contacted by the FBI the next month regarding the complaint ... but says nothing much has happened since then.

As you know, Brinton's been accused of stealing suitcases from airports on 2 separate occasions ... getting charged in both Nevada and Minnesota. Brinton appeared in court last week in Minneapolis for one of the alleged incidents.

A longtime hairstylist for KISS says the rock band didn't act fast enough to help a COVID-stricken guitar tech while they were on tour, leading to his death.

According to a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, David Mathews accused KISS' manager Doc McGhee, of mishandling the grave situation involving Francis Stueber. KISS legends Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley are also named defendants in the suit.

Mathews claims the group was on a tour stop in October 2021 when he learned Stueber had contracted a severe case of COVID while staying in an Illinois hotel room.

He says he urged Stueber to contact Stanley to arrange being sent to the hospital, and  Stueber agreed to do so.

Mathews says he then went to Stanley's dressing room and told him, "Call Fran. He's very sick. I can hear the fear in his voice. He needs to go to the hospital."

Stanley allegedly responded, "I get it. I was afraid too when I was sick with COVID." The rock star, according to the docs, phoned Stueber and advises him to go to the hospital, explaining that the disease was "nothing to mess around with."

But, hours later, Mathews says McGhee told him Stueber didn't want to go to the hospital, which conflicted with Stueber's earlier statements to him.

Still, Stanley called Stueber again and told him to go to the hospital, the docs say.  Stueber apparently agreed, and McGhee promised to have a Live Nation rep take him to the medical center.

That allegedly never happened. Nearly an hour later, according to the docs, Matthews inquired about Stueber with McGhee, who said Stueber was being tested with an oxygen meter to see if he really needed to go to the hospital.

Matthews says, "Unfortunately, it was apparent that Mr. McGhee did not act in a timely manner. The Live Nation representative did not arrive until the following morning. When visitors entered Mr. Stueber's room at about 1 a.m., he was found dead."

Rolling Stone magazine then ran an article about Stueber's death, blaming KISS for having lax COVID protocols while on tour. The band was allegedly furious and blamed Matthews for the anonymous leaks to the R.S. reporter.

Although Mathews denied being the source of the information, the band apparently didn't believe him and allegedly ended up canning him the following May after 30 years of service.

Mathews is suing the group for wrongful termination, retaliation in violation of labor code and failure to pay all wages.

Not only is Don Lemon thankful to be back on the air at CNN, he wants to remain there for the foreseeable future, and worked hand-in-hand with the network on his return apology ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, Don was in contact with CNN honchos throughout his entire time off, with a common goal, get back to work and apologize for his wrongdoing.

In fact, we're told it was agreed upon by both Don and the network that he would tweet out an apology before getting back on-air Wednesday. Our sources say Don never refused to apologize on-air ... everyone, including the network, thought it would be best they get back to reporting the news and move on from Don's mishap.

Additional sources say there was never an impression, internally, Don would be fired -- despite many outside CNN calling for that. We're told both he and the network are looking forward to continuing a long-term working relationship. We're told Don really enjoys working on 'This Morning' and is fully committed.

Our network sources say Don feels awful he said something dumb and made the mistake, but he's now acknowledged it and apologized publicly and internally.

Nipsey Hussle's pal Cowboy is satisfied with the sentence that came down on the rapper's murderer, but still believes the wound left by Nip's death is one that will never heal.

We got Cowboy outside the DTLA courthouse where the judge gave Eric Holder 60 years to life. He told us it's a big win for those closest to the superstar rapper, but he also filled us in on why it's a bittersweet moment.

While the sentencing brings an end to the tragic saga of Nipsey's murder ... Cowboy says he'll still have Nipsey's family's back -- just as he did through the trial -- because they all made an impact on his life.

As we reported, Holder was handed his lengthy sentence Wednesday after a jury found him guilty last year of 1st-degree murder. He gunned down Nipsey back in 2019.

We also got activist Najee Ali after Holder's sentencing, and he echoes Cowboy's feelings ... saying any amount of time behind bars could never bring back Nip, but he too calls 60 years fitting for the crime.

Actor Ray Buffer is officially going up against prosecutors for his comic book theft debacle ... which includes surveillance video of him allegedly swiping merch.

A rep for the San Diego City Attorney tells TMZ ... Ray's been charged with one count of misdemeanor petty theft over the October 2022 incident. We're told the actor pled not guilty at his arraignment in January, and a further court hearing is scheduled next week.

As we reported, Southern California Comics claims Ray took $600 worth of comic books, and handed cops security cam footage of the whole caper.

Another comic shop -- this one in L.A. County -- said it had similar footage from their store of Ray attempting to swipe comics. That owner was seen on camera booting him out of the store over it.

The owner of Southern California Comics tells TMZ … he was told by the City Attorney's office that Ray's lawyer is attempting to cut a deal to handle the matter by paying restitution to the shop and entering a diversion program -- but the shop owner doesn't think such a slap on the wrist is enough.

Ray has more than 100 acting credits to his name, appearing in TV shows like "ER" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm," and most recently "Into the Wild Frontier".

We reached out to Ray for comment ... so far no word back.

Get ready "Outer Banks" fans ...  the Netflix hit is back for a 3rd season, and we've got a behind-the-scenes sneak peek ahead of all the antics from the cast.

As expected, Chase Stokes is returning to the teen drama series as John B. Routledge -- aka ringleader of the Pogues gang -- along with Rudy Pankow as JJ Maybank.

The cast seemingly took plenty of time to hang while on breaks from shooting ... posing like old friends in a series of photos we've obtained.

Madelyn Cline will be making a comeback as Sarah Cameron and Jonathan Daviss will return as Pope Heyward ... ditto Carlacia Grant as Cleo, who will now be a regular on the show.

By the looks of the BTS pics, the cast was sure to mix in some fun while working all those hours to deliver the drama to fans.

Netflix has already announced some new faces in the cast, including Andy McQueen, Lou Ferrigno Jr., and Fiona Palomo.

CeeDee Lamb is heading into the 2023 season with a new look ... TMZ Sports has learned the Cowboys star just got a massive back tattoo featuring an image of Kobe Bryant -- and it's incredible.

The 23-year-old Dallas receiver went to artist Andres Ortega out at Onder Ink in Arizona this week to get the piece done ... seeking work that covered everything on his backside from the top of his traps to the top of his glutes.

We're told Lamb wanted things that symbolized the fight and will it took to make it from childhood to the NFL ... and Ortega's team of four artists immediately went to work.

At some points during the tattoo process, the ink masters worked on his back simultaneously -- and when they all finished up, the final product came out spectacularly.

An iconic photo of Kobe chewing on his jersey now sits on Lamb's right shoulder blade, accompanied by a black mamba with its tongue out. On his left shoulder blade, there's a huge image of a jaguar. Just below that, there's a Spartan warrior -- and to the right of that, there's an I-45 sign that represents the highway that runs through Dallas. There's also a crucifix, a crown and the words "My Story Isn't Over."

Ortega says it all took about eight hours to complete -- and it isn't hard to see Lamb loved it.

In fact, the two-time Pro Bowler even got another tat done at the shop on his leg!!

Before this kid curled up on the couch turned into a musical genius and a fan favorite to millions, he was braving the Canadian cold, becoming fluent in French and dreaming of making it big one day in La La land.

This guy does not mess around when it comes to fashion ... One might argue his signature look is a red suit jacket and black pants, but when he first appeared on the scene you'd probably recognize him by his tied-up locs and sleek goatee.

Need one more hint? He's headlined at Coachella and even stayed "After Hours."

Kim Zolciak's kiddos are denying the family's Georgia mansion is in foreclosure and heading to the auction block ... claiming it's all a misunderstanding.

The "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star's daughters, Brielle and Ariana Biermann, tried to clear the air Wednesday ... telling photogs at LAX the family is still living in their Alpharetta estate with no plans on moving out.

Brielle and Ariana say all the family's belongings are still in the home and they're not concerned about losing the house ... saying they even slept there before traveling across the country.

Kim's daughters don't go into depth on what the so-called misunderstanding is ... but as we reported last week, a public notice stated the home is scheduled to be auctioned off March 7 at the Fulton County Courthouse.

A law firm previously told us they were handling the foreclosure for Kim and Kroy Biermann's home, which rests along the 18th hole of the Manor Golf & Country Club.

Kim's kids say the house is already saved and their mom hasn't said anything to them about an upcoming auction, though they admit they've asked Kim about all the news reports.

Remember ... Kim and Kroy bought the home way back in 2012 for $880,000 and it's been heavily featured on 'RHOA' and the couple's own reality show, "Don't Be Tardy." The estate has an elevator, pool, waterfall, spa and basketball court.

Truist Bank reportedly began foreclosure proceedings on the property back in August after Kim and Kroy defaulted on their mortgage.

Univ. of Alabama star forward Brandon Miller is expected to play on Wednesday night ... one day after cops testified he was the one who brought the gun that was used in the killing of a woman in Tuscaloosa last month.

The school's athletic director, Greg Byrne, said in a podcast just hours before the Tide were set to tip off against the Univ. of South Carolina that Miller did make the trip with the team to Columbia, S.C. and is scheduled to play in the game.

The contest is slated to begin at 8 PM CT.

Of course, the impending move comes as a surprise to many ... as on Tuesday, police said Miller had a connection to the murder case involving his ex-teammate, Darius Miles.

Cops alleged in testimony that Miles had contacted Miller on Jan. 15 about bringing him Miles' gun, which he'd left in Miller's car earlier in the night. Police said Miller eventually arrived on the scene with it -- and the firearm was ultimately used in the killing of 23-year-old Jamea Harris.

Miles' friend, 20-year-old Michael Davis, is the one actually accused of pulling the trigger.

Following the new police testimony, Alabama head coach Nate Oats said Miller was not facing any punishment from him or the school. Oats told reporters, "Brandon hasn't been in any type of trouble nor is he in any type of trouble in this case. Wrong spot at the wrong time."

Miller's attorney, in a lengthy statement released Wednesday afternoon, said Miles' gun was in Miller's car when Miller went to pick up the former Tide basketball player ... but Miller insists he "never touched the gun, was not involved in its exchange to Mr. Davis in any way, and never knew that illegal activity involving the gun would occur."

The attorney added, "Brandon does not own a firearm and has never even handled a firearm. Moreover, he had no knowledge of any intent to use any weapon."

Miller has not been charged with any crimes. He is fully cooperating with authorities in the case, his attorney said.

Miles and Davis, meanwhile, are both facing capital murder charges.

The 911 call from an alligator's deadly attack on an 85-year-old woman in Florida has just been released ... and it's terrifying.

The frightened caller, who saw it all go down, tells the 911 dispatcher ... "There's a woman in the lake. The alligator's got her!"

The caller says the huge gator grabbed the woman as she walked her small dog by the water, telling the dispatcher ... "He pulled her into the lake."

The dispatcher asks if the gator dragged the woman below the surface ... and the caller says "Yes."

As the call unfolds, the caller says she hasn't seen the woman surface for several minutes ... but about 8 minutes in the caller notices a body floating in the water and exclaims, "I think she's gone, oh my God."

As we reported ... the attack happened Monday at a retirement community in Fort Pierce, FL, where the victim, 85-year-old Gloria Serge, was walking her dog near a retention pond when the gator lunged at them.

The roughly 10-foot alligator was ultimately captured and killed ... but the woman's dog survived.

Khloe Kardashian allegedly canned one of her former household assistants after he suffered a knee injury, and now he's suing ... but Khloe's attorney is calling BS.

Khloe just got hit with a lawsuit from her former-hired help, Matthew Manhard, who says working for her was a total nightmare.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Manhard claims he worked for Khloe from January 2019 until November 2022, when he says she fired him as he was trying to return to work from a knee injury that put him on the shelf.

Khloe's legal rep tells a different story, saying, "It’s unfortunate to learn that a former employee would choose to go this route. Matthew was properly classified and compensated for his role."

Khloe's former assistant claims she kept him so busy with tasks, he often couldn't take his legally required breaks ... and he says she also skirted paying him overtime even though he often worked 12-hour days.

What's more, Manhard claims he injured his knee in May and told Khloe he couldn't work ... but he says when he tried to come back to the job a few months later in November, he was fired.

As for Manhard's leave, Khloe's legal spokesperson tells us, "Toward the end of his employment, he was on a leave of absence for an extended period of time and the role eventually needed to be replaced. We will not tolerate false accusations and will prove that this is a frivolous lawsuit."

The folks over at the Oscars have gone all "Zero Dark Thirty" ... creating a "crisis team" in case someone goes all Will Smith during the ceremony. Thing is ... what the hell will they do?

According to Academy honchos, "We have a whole crisis team, something we've never had before, and many plans in place. We've run many scenarios. So it is our hope that we will be prepared for anything that we may not anticipate right now but that we’re planning for just in case it does happen."

The idea is that the crisis team can quickly assemble and decide what action they'll take if someone or something gets out of hand.

It seems the idea might be to yank someone off the stage or boot them from the auditorium if they do something really untoward. As a matter of fact, the Prez of the Academy recently expressed regret her org didn't take some sort of action when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock.

We're guessing the idea might be to order Will out of the building quickly ... it was super embarrassing the Academy let Will ride out the show, and accept an Oscar to the applause of many.

But here's the deal ... these moments happen quickly, and to expect a committee of any sort to reach a decision in minutes or, more appropriately, seconds during a live TV broadcast is a giant stretch.

A U.S. Air Force pilot has a unique keepsake from the Chinese spy balloon crisis -- a selfie snapped with the device in the background ... before it was shot down over the Atlantic Ocean.

The Pentagon released new images Wednesday, showing the balloon in flight on Feb. 3 -- the USAF eventually fired a missile on Feb. 4 to take it down. The photos were taken from the cockpit of a U-2 spy plane, which is capable of flying at an altitude of up to 70,000 feet.

The spy balloon was reportedly floating around 40,000 feet when it was destroyed. Interestingly, the new photos show it was still over land on Feb. 3, and that the U.S. military was keeping a close eye on the balloon.

U.S. officials said China's super snooper was about the size of 3 school buses, and you can see in the pics ... it had huge solar panels attached to the spying equipment.

President Biden said he gave the order to shoot it down on Feb. 1, but military advisors said it would be best to wait until it was over open water.

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg had a weirdly tense and terse reaction when a reporter asked him about the residents suffering in the wake of the East Palestine train disaster, refusing to answer questions, saying he was on "personal time."

Buttigieg was in Washington D.C. Tuesday, when a reporter with the Daily Caller approached him and asked what he would say to the folks in East Palestine. His response -- "I'd refer you to about a dozen interviews I've given today, and if you'd like to arrange a conversation, make sure to reach out to our press office."

When the reporter persisted, Buttigieg, who was walking with his husband Chasten, brushed her off, saying, "... I'm taking some personal time and I'm walking down the street."

That wasn't the end ... the reporter asked when the former presidential candidate would go to East Palestine, he said he'd "share that when I'm ready."

And then the bizarre turn ... he stopped and asked the reporter if he could take a picture of her. It seemed like an intimidation tactic ... the reporter later Tweeted, "I guess he didn't like that so he took a pic of me ... just doing my job, sir."

Nipsey Hussle's killer, Eric Holder, was sentenced to 60 years to life behind bars, a sentence that came months after a Los Angeles jury found him guilty of 1st-degree murder.

Remember ... Holder gunned down Nipsey in broad daylight back in 2019, and the brutal details were outlined at trial, with prosecutors telling the jury Holder kicked Nipsey in the head after riddling his body with bullets, claiming it was proof the attack was personal.

Deputy District Attorney John McKinney then told the jury Holder told Nipsey, "You're through," to which the rapper replied, "You got me."

As we reported, Holder shot 2 other people while committing Nipsey's murder ... and he was also found guilty of 2 counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter, 2 counts of assault with a firearm, and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Holder may have to keep his head on a swivel in prison ... he was previously jumped by inmates in county jail while waiting for his transportation to court. Holder suffered a big gash to the back of the head that required staples, and the injuries delayed his trial.