Josh Duggar Arrested in Arkansas By Federal Agents

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Josh Duggar is in custody in Arkansas ... federal law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

The reality star was arrested Thursday by federal agents in Washington County, and he's being held in a detention center without bail.

We've obtained Duggar's mug shot, showing the former reality star posing with a bizarre smirk.

As we reported ... back in November 2019, Homeland Security agents were crawling around the car dealership where Duggar works in Arkansas, raiding his office in connection to a federal probe.

Josh's only current legal dispute, as far as we know, is a civil lawsuit filed against him for real estate fraud. It would appear his latest arrest is for something far more severe, though it's unclear exactly why he's been taken in.

Story developing ...

Lady Gaga Alleged Dognappers 3 Charged with Attempted Murder, Robbery ... 2 Others Hit with Accessory Charges

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UPDATE

2:55 PM PT -- L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón has released the names of the 5 suspects, and says they've all been charged for their alleged roles in the shooting of Gaga's dog walker.

UPDATE

James Howard Jackson, Jaylin Keyshawn White and Lafayette Shon Whaley were charged with one count each of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit robbery and second-degree robbery. Jackson also faces 2 additional firearm charges -- one count each of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and a felon carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle. White faces one count of assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury.

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Harold White and Jennifer McBride were charged with one count each of accessory after the fact. Harold was also charged with one count of possession of a firearm and McBride faces one count of receiving stolen property

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1:55 PM PT -- LAPD says a total of 5 people were arrested -- 3 of whom allegedly pulled off the actual dognapping and shooting of Fischer ... they've been booked for attempted murder.

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The other 2 suspects were arrested for accessory to murder, and cops say one of them is the father of one of the alleged dognappers. LAPD believes he contacted a female friend and recruited her to drop off the dogs, and claim the reward money.

UPDATE

Cops say the father and the 3 people booked for attempted murder are all known gang members.

Multiple people who allegedly dognapped Lady Gaga's 2 French Bulldogs and shot her dog walker have been arrested ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

Multiple law enforcement sources tell us the alleged culprits were arrested on a variety of charges, including attempted murder and robbery. They were arrested Thursday.

We're told cops got video of where the dogs were dropped off in an alley days after the February 24 dognapping ... and it became key evidence in hunting down the alleged criminals.

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VIOLENT ABDUCTION

The woman who "found" the dogs was also arrested, according to law enforcement sources. As we reported, cops were suspicious of her from the jump and that's why Gaga was advised by cops not to pay the $500,000 reward.

We're told cops initially thought this was some sort of gang initiation, but later changed the theory to a dog-stealing ring. French Bulldogs are a hot commodity and can be resold for lots of money.

We're told police believe the dognappers got nervous with all the publicity surrounding the incident and decided to bail on the dogs and, while they were at it, cash in on the reward.

As we reported, Gaga got her dogs back unharmed ... they were tied up in an alley when the woman called the number Gaga had posted.

The dogwalker, Ryan Fischer, was in the hospital for several weeks but we're told he's OK.

Originally Published -- 12:48 PM PT

Ghislaine Maxwell Gets Black Eye Behind Bars ... First Pic From Prison

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Ghislaine Maxwell is sleep deprived and things are so torturous for her behind bars she's suffered a black eye ... so claims her attorney in a letter and photo she filed in court.

Maxwell's attorney, Bobbi Sternheim, filed docs attaching a picture showing what Jeffrey Epstein's associate is looking like these days while locked up at NYC's Metropolitan Detention Center.

It's clear she's suffered a bruise under her eye, but how she got it is a mystery. Her lawyer's filing included a letter to the judge stating Maxwell only noticed the bruise after catching her reflection on a nail clipper. She doesn't have a mirror.

Sternheim says Maxwell -- who's accused of trafficking underage girls to have sex with Epstein -- doesn't know how she got the bruise. It appears prison officials aren't buying that, because Sternheim claims officials threatened to put Maxwell in a Special Housing Unit unless she spilled the beans on how she got the bruise.

But, Sternheim says if Maxwell's ever placed in SHU "it would be ironic" because "it would signal that Ms. Maxwell needs protection from the very staff so intent on protecting her, since she has no contact with anyone but staff."

BTW ... there's one theory on how Maxwell got the bruise. Sternheim said, "There is concern that the bruise may be related to the need for Ms. Maxwell to shield her eyes [using a sock or towel] from the lights projected into her cell throughout the night."

Sternheim's concerned about Maxwell's sleep disruption every 15 minutes to check on her breathing ... to which the attorney also objects, saying it's a "myth" that "Maxwell's conditions of confinement are related to her being a suicide risk."

Maxwell's attorney wants prison officials to ax the 15-minute light surveillance because they say sleep deprivation is having an adverse effect on her "health, well-being, and ability to prepare for and withstand trial."

Post Malone Causes Frenzy at Card Shop Drops Thousands on 'Magic' Cards!!!

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Post Malone's brought the magic touch to one collectible shop ... 'cause his mere presence alone brought fans out in droves to watch him spend bank on Magic: The Gathering.

We're told the "Circles" rapper hit up the super popular Frank & Son Collectible Show shop Thursday in Industry, CA -- just outside L.A. -- and he was on the hunt for some very pricey 'Magic' cards.

For the too-cool-for-school kids ... MTG is a collectible and digital collectible card game that hit the market back in the early 1990s. The game astoundingly has around 35 million players as of 2018, and more than 20 BILLION cards have reportedly been produced to meet the incredible demand!

As you can see ... Posty's a HUGE fan, and once fans got word he was in town looking to plunk down some serious cash, they swarmed the collectible shop as if he were the Pied Piper.

We're told PM signed autographs for fans before dropping thousands of dollars on a slate of cards. He's so passionate about the game, he was rocking an MTG button-up when he appeared on "Late Night with Seth Meyers."

Fans went bananas trying to figure out how to get their hands on the $135 shirt. They also started speculating it was probably PM who dropped $511k for the highly-coveted alpha Black Lotus card when it sold earlier this year.

No word if Posty's behind that transaction, but lets not forget -- he's no stranger to dropping serious cash for the things he loves most.

Rudy Giuliani Here's What Triggered FBI Raid ... Ukraine & Trump Ties, My Ass!!!

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Rudy Giuliani just went on his radio show in an effort to set the record straight about what led the FBI to raid his NYC pad and office.

Rudy said Thursday on his WABC radio show that reports the search warrant's tied to allegations he played middle man between Ukrainian officials and Donald Trump ... are FALSE.

Instead, he claims the feds came knocking because he allegedly failed to file as a foreign agent prior to dealing with Ukraine -- which he said was also false.

What's more ... Giuliani claimed he tried to clear this up with the Justice Department for the last 2 years, but they ignored him. Rudy said that over the last 2 years he was willing to prove as much ... but claims the Justice Department ignored him.

In all, he claims he made 3 attempts to squash the whole Ukraine drama -- 2 years ago, 1 year ago and 6 months ago. What's interesting about all of those dates is that they were all under President Trump's administration.

Rudy, who in November 2019 said anyone that tries locking him up will come away embarrassed, the feds instead decided to raid his home at 6 in the morning.

As we reported ... federal investigators seized Rudy's electronic devices as part of a criminal probe involving his alleged dealings with Ukraine. The feds wanna know if Rudy illegally lobbied the Trump administration in 2019 on behalf of officials and oligarchs in Ukraine.

Ahmaud Arbery Mom Settles 2:23 Foundation Feud

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Ahmaud Arbery's mother is squashing her beef with an organization that's been raising funds in her son's name, but without her permission -- they've settled the dispute without going to court.

Wanda Cooper's lawyer, J. Carter, tells TMZ ... Ahmaud's mom settled her trademark dispute with the 2:23 Foundation last week, avoiding the hassle of a lawsuit.

As we first told you, Wanda claimed the 2:23 Foundation was using her son's name and likeness ... hauling in massive amounts of cash donations even though she hadn't given her blessing.

We're told the settlement terms call for the 2:23 Foundation to phase out their usage of the marks, for the org to be dissolved and for $345,306 in donations to be transferred to Wanda's newly established foundation, The Ahmaud Arbery Foundation.

Wanda's new foundation, we're told, is officially launching May 8 to coincide with Ahmaud's birthday.

It sounds like it will be a big event ... we're told Rep. Maxine Waters, Angela Rye, Roddy Rich, Young Thug and former NBA star Tracy McGrady have all expressed interest in speaking or performing at the foundation's launch.

Wild Video Hundreds of Birds Take Over Cali Home ... Bird Poop Everywhere!!!

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HOME TWEET HOME

Alfred Hitchcock is smiling somewhere -- hundreds of birds overran a Southern California home, and even spent the night ... and the video is straight out of that very famous horror movie.

The nightmarish scene played out recently in Torrance, CA where a family says they counted at least 800 birds flapping around inside their pad.

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POINT OF ATTACK

Video shows the huge flock ominously circling above the home before diving in through the chimney and then causing all kinds of chaos inside.

As you can see, the avian invasion took over every nook and cranny of the home -- birds were on the ceiling, along the windows, in the corners, in the bedrooms, in the bathrooms, on the furniture, on the stairs ... everywhere.

Oh, and ya know what birds do -- there's poop. Lots and lots of bird poop!!!

The family says the birds, which are migrating north, were in their home for a few days and didn't seem to want to leave for some odd reason. They actually spent one night with the birds, but it was too much, and the next night they moved to a hotel.

Eventually, they were able to remove the birds and the rest of the flock flew on their way. No word if they're targeting another home.

Sarah Paulson Using Fat Suit to Play Linda Tripp Triggers Fatphobia Anger

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Sarah Paulson's slipping her slim frame into a fat suit in order to play Linda Tripp ... and it's got lots of folks pissed off over Hollywood's casting decisions.

The actress was all done up as Linda this week on the set of "Impeachment: American Crime Story," and her need for a fat suit is triggering critics ... including a journalist who says Tinseltown is doing plus-sized actors dirty.

The criticism, in a nutshell, is that roles for bigger actresses are few and far between in Hollywood, and it shows the industry's fatphobia when slim actresses like Sarah are cast to play a role like Linda Tripp.

Journalist Kristin Chirico wrote, "This could have been a fat actor. This could have been their big breakout role. This could have been their Golden Globe or their Emmy nod. This could have been their paid off student loans or their first house. Instead it's Sarah Paulson in a fat suit."

Another person tweeted, "So here’s a reminder: fat suits are incredibly anti-fat and perpetuate anti-fat bias. Here’s what you should do instead: hire an actual fat person!"

On the other hand, Sarah is a vet on the 'American Crime Story' anthology ... she was also cast as prosecutor Marcia Clark in 'The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story', and just as she's doing with Linda, nailed the look.

But, the difference here is critics are saying a fat suit is a whole different ballgame compared to wardrobes, wigs and makeup.

'Jeopardy!' Winner's Alleged 'White Power' Gesture ... Past Players Pissed, But He Denies it

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A "Jeopardy!" winner flashing a hand gesture associated with "white power groups" is outraging hundreds of past players, who are calling out their beloved game show, but he insists they've got him all wrong.

The group of 467 former "Jeopardy!" contestants issued an open letter Wednesday, demanding "a statement and a disavowal" of the actions of Kelly Donohue ... who it accuses of racist messaging "either intentionally or unintentionally" on 2 separate occasions this week.

According to the letter, posted on Medium, the most egregious incident happened Tuesday, when Donohue made a 3-finger gesture to the camera that's extremely similar to the gesture "co-opted by white power groups, alt-right groups, and an anti-government group that calls itself the Three Percenters."

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Donahue insists his hand signal was simply to indicate he'd won 3 games. In fact, Thursday morning he posted a long response to the backlash, saying, "I deeply regret this terrible misunderstanding. I never meant to hurt a soul and I assure you I am no friend of racists or white supremacists."

Even if that's true, the past players are still pissed "Jeopardy!" allowed the gesture to air without censoring it, and they point to a past example.

"A couple of years ago, a contestant unintentionally wagered a monetary amount that used numerical values coopted by white supremacist groups and, since the total didn’t affect the outcome of the game, 'Jeopardy!' digitally altered the numbers in the version that aired."

It should also be noted that Donahue held up one and two fingers after his first and second wins ... seemingly supporting his explanation that there was no hate behind it.

Even so, the former contestants believe it was on the production team to similarly catch Donohue's gesture and make an edit. The letter also alleges Kelly responded to a clue on Monday with a term for the Romani culture that's considered a slur.

Along with demanding the show publicly repudiate Donohue's actions, they say ... "we hope to see changes made so that future mistakes of this magnitude never make it on air."

Louisiana State Rep. Suggests Teaching 'Good' of Slavery During Education Debate

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THIS IS NOT GOOD

A Louisiana State Rep. had the audacity to suggest, out loud, that if a school is going to teach slavery it should talk about all parts of it ... including the "good." Seriously.

If there wasn't video of State Rep. Ray Garofalo making the argument this week, we wouldn't believe this ... but there is. While debating his controversial education bill that critics say aims to ban the acknowledgment of institutional racism, another legislator asked Garofalo what he considers a "larger course of academic instruction."

That's when he spewed, "If you're having a discussion on whatever the case may be, on slavery -- then you can talk about everything dealing with slavery. The good, the bad, the ugly."

Mind you ... Garofalo said this while a Black man, presumably another legislator, was sitting right next to him.

You gotta see how most of the legislative body reacted to the outlandish remark and, to her credit, Rep. Stephanie Hilferty quickly fired back a response.

The bill, sponsored by Garofalo, has been slammed by teachers who say it whitewashes history. Democrats and Republicans alike have also criticized the bill, which the Louisiana House did not pass.

Tommy Tuberville Advises NFL Rookies To Avoid Talking Politics ... 'Nobody's Looking For An Outspoken Person'

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Tommy Tuberville tells TMZ Sports ... Thursday's NFL draft picks should avoid speaking publicly about politics, saying the rookies should straight-up "talk about what you know about."

The Alabama Senator -- who coached future NFL draft picks for YEARS during his tenure as a college headman -- tells us he wants to see less political chatter from athletes, and more playing.

"Nobody's looking for an outspoken person," Tuberville said on Capitol Hill this week of the advice he'd give to his players if they were heading into Thursday's draft. "We're too divided as it is."

Tuberville clearly believes the sports landscape would be better off if players -- particularly younger ones who are just arriving in their respective leagues -- avoided polarizing subjects altogether.

"Everybody wants to make an opinion and that's fine," Tuberville tells us. "But, I think, especially for young people to get involved in something that maybe they might not understand as much, I think they need to let people that, whatever they do for a living, justify it."

Tuberville added, "I'd just like to see our country be more settled down in terms of people getting into politics or in sports and vice versa."

What's interesting ... the draft's projected top overall pick, former Clemson star Trevor Lawrence, has made it clear he's already comfortable commenting on hot-button topics outside of the gridiron.

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Lawrence was very vocal in his support for players returning to the field amid the coronavirus pandemic last fall ... and he was also an active supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement in the summer.

Ronnie Ortiz-Magro GF Made Call to Cops in DV Bust ... Despite Downplaying Incident

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Ronnie Ortiz-Magro ended up getting arrested because cops say his girlfriend had visible marks on her body when they showed up, responding to her call for help ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us it was actually Ronnie's girlfriend, Saffire Matos, who called the police that night ... after they'd gotten into some type of argument that allegedly got physical. We're told when officers arrived, they spoke to both parties, and determined Ronnie was the aggressor.

As for why ... our sources tell us officers observed visible marks on Saffire's body which they determined she sustained during the alleged fight. We're told that was one of multiple observations that spurred police to slap the cuffs on Ronnie.

This is interesting because it shows Saffire had enough of a problem with whatever was going on to actually pick up the phone and dial 9-1-1. Since Ronnie's arrest, she tried to downplay the alleged violence.

She posted a statement in the aftermath, telling her followers not to believe media accounts of what had happened, insisting she and Ronnie were "fine."

Ronnie's attorney, Scott Leemon, tells us, "We are still investigating the incident of last week and have not yet received any of the police reports. Therefore, we will continue not to comment while our investigation is still ongoing. As we have all learned in the past, initial reports can be and are often incorrect.”

Of course, as we reported, this is bad news for Ronnie ... who's been down this road before with his ex, Jenn Harley. He ended up getting probation in that DV case -- and a judge could deem this latest arrest a violation of that probation.

Speaking of Jenn ... she drove all the way from Vegas to come get her and Ronnie's daughter, once she heard he'd been arrested.

The two exes currently share custody of the kid, but that could be in jeopardy ... depending on the outcome of this new case.

Marvin Scott Black Man's Death in TX Jail Ruled a Homicide

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Marvin Scott III -- a 26-year-old Black man who died last month in a Texas jail after being restrained to a bed for several hours -- died as a result of homicide, according to the medical examiner.

Scott was arrested for misdemeanor marijuana possession in a Dallas suburb on March 14, and though he was first taken to a local hospital for reportedly acting erratically ... he was later transported to the Collin County Jail in McKinney.

It was there Scott began "exhibiting some strange behavior" according to Collin County Sheriff Jim Skinner, and officials say he was subsequently restrained, pepper-sprayed and had a spit mask put on his face by detention officers.

According to reports, sometime during the several hours of being restrained to a bed, Scott became unresponsive and was later pronounced dead at a hospital. Skinner called it a "profound tragedy" at a news conference.

But, Collin County's chief medical examiner, Dr. William Rohr, is calling it a homicide. According to Rohr, his findings show Scott's cause of death was "fatal acute stress response in an individual with previously diagnosed schizophrenia during restraint struggle with law enforcement."

Scott's family says he had schizophrenia and was experiencing a mental health crisis while in police custody, and family attorney Lee Merritt claims Scott was using marijuana at the time of his arrest "to self-medicate after being two years diagnosed with schizophrenia."

Merritt tells TMZ ... he got the news about Marvin's death being ruled a homicide around the same time he learned the suspects in Ahmaud Arbery's killing were being charged with federal hate crimes, so it was a bittersweet day.

Lee, who represents Arbery's family as well, adds ... "I now have another uphill battle, having to fight the system for justice. Again, the cycle continues."

Worth noting -- the Collin County sheriff announced earlier this month that 7 detention officers who were allegedly involved in Scott's death have been fired for violating department policies and procedures.

Scott's family publicly called for them to be arrested as well, after watching video footage with Collin County prosecutors of Scott’s last moments.

Tekashi 6ix9ine's Baby Mama Medical Scare After Butt Lift

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Tekashi 6ix9ine's baby mama flew down to Colombia for a little mommy makeover but it came at a high cost ... in the form of a severe reaction.

69's baby mama, Sara Molina, had gone through a bout of depression from being holed up at her house during the pandemic ... according to her manager. So, she went down to Colombia for a little pick-me-up in the form of a Brazilian butt lift and a 360 liposuction.

Thing is ... after Dr. Humberto Peña performed the 5-hour surgeries over the weekend, Sara, who has Multiple sclerosis, had a severe MS flare-up hours after the surgery ... her entire body was racked with pain.

We're told Sara was given nausea medicine but doctors also removed a pain pump that had been placed under the skin of her abdomen to funnel medication directly to the source of the pain. We're told this helped, but she still has big issues. She can't even lie flat.

Sara now rests in a special recliner and although she's still experiencing pain ... we're told she's recovering at the posh Lluxe Recovery facility in Colombia until mid-May.

All that said ... Sara's happy with the results of the surgery. It's almost 5 months into 2021 but ... #NewBodyNewMe is still in full force.

Tamika Mallory Cops Did Andrew Brown Jr. Wrong ... I Know It Without the Vid!!!

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THEY'RE MAKING THIS WORSE

Video evidence isn't required to see there's a problem with the policing of Black people -- that's activist Tamika Mallory's take on a judge blocking the release of body cams in the fatal cop shooting of Andrew Brown Jr.

We got Tamika in Bev Hills, and she went in on the judge's decision to withhold the Pasquotank Sheriff's Dept footage from the public ... at least for now. She says the judge's ruling only adds to the distrust of the entire criminal justice system and perpetuates the idea that the authorities would rather protect each other ... than protect citizens from police brutality.

Tamika's also not buying the judge's intent to let the situation cool down a bit before releasing the video ... because she says the nationwide temperature is up to stay as a result of the long list of Black people killed by cops.

Regardless, Tamika tells us it shouldn't matter what happens with the body cam footage because she believes the basic facts in the case show Brown was shot in the back of the head by police as he was trying to flee ... and that's just wrong.

As we reported ... the judge in Brown's case ruled the fatal encounter with cops in North Carolina can be viewed, but only by his family and NOT the media. The judge will reevaluate making it available to more eyes in 30-45 days.

Brown was killed in Elizabeth City on April 21 as cops were trying to execute a search warrant, but his family believes his death was an "execution" and say he was killed by one bullet to the back of his head ... supported by the findings of a private autopsy.

Chrishell Stause Here's My #FreeBritney Plea ... Let Her Boot Her Dad!!!

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Chrishell Stause is hoping Britney Spears' request to speak to the judge in her conservatorship means the singer's about to get exactly what she wants -- the power to tell her father to kick rocks.

We got the "Selling Sunset' star Wednesday evening in L.A. and she told us why she's all aboard the #FreeBritney movement. Chrishell's adamant Britney should be able to choose who's in charge of her estate.

The high-end real estate agent also thinks it ridiculous Britney's had to jump through hoops just to get to this point where she can tell the judge herself -- and she firmly believes a man would never be put in this position.

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I'M EXTREMELY HAPPY

We also ask her about the comment she left on one of Britney's posts last month ... which was deleted. In case you missed it ... Chrishell says she left a comment on one of Britney's dancing vids -- the one where Brit included the caption, "I didn't watch the documentary but from what I did see of it I was embarrassed by the light they put me in."

This led some people to believe Britney didn't write her own captions ... including Chrishell, who commented, "Instead of dancing can we get a video of you typing your own captions next time? I want to believe you it's you speaking for yourself, but I am skeptical. We love you!"

Chrishell still has some strong feelings about her comment getting deleted. But, she's happy Britney later came out and said she's extremely happy.