CELEBRITY JUSTICE ™

If "Empire" money was Jussie Smollett's motivation to allegedly stage an attack, he certainly never showed his cards to the people who could actually make it happen.

"Empire" production sources tell TMZ ... none of the brass -- producers or EPs -- heard even a whisper from Jussie grousing he was underpaid. Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said Jussie staged the "attack" to raise his profile and get more per episode.

Our sources say, if Jussie was upset about his salary, he kept it to himself. He was in the middle of a long-term contract and the executives, who are in a position to bust the deal or sweeten the pot, say neither Jussie nor his reps ever asked.

Jussie was pulling in a reported $125,000 per episode. We're told that's on par with actor Bryshere Y. Gray, who plays his brother, Hakeem. Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard reportedly make $250,000 an episode.

We're told Jussie's main focus recently was the release of new music. He was upset his first album didn't do well and was stressed out over the debuts of his new songs and music videos.

R. Kelly will not be bringing the house down at the Ratiopharm Arena in April ... because he's no longer booked for the concert.

The venue in Neu-Ulm, Germany canceled its contract with the singer's tour organizer Tuesday, this after Kelly was charged with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse.

Ratiopharm says, "Regarding the new and objective facts, we have decided to cancel the contract" ... and has removed ads for the April 12 show. Fans who want ticket refunds are instructed to contact the tour operator where they were purchased.

Kelly's still scheduled for an April 14 show at the Sporthalle Hamburg arena, but it's reportedly in the process of being axed as well.

R. Kelly's attorney, Steven Greenberg, is still holding out hope all is not lost in Germany though, telling TMZ they could ask the judge for his passport back and permission to travel to the country for work.

Kelly's adviser, Don Russell, tells us ... "R. Kelly is committed to honoring any of his contractual obligations local and abroad within the law. It would be unconstitutional for the courts to immerse him in potential lawsuits that would result in more lawsuits by forcing him to breach his obligations based on allegations."

He adds ... "The potential revenue he could generate from these performances will assist him with his ongoing legal battle.”

Interestingly enough -- the singer is still booked for gigs in Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands.

As we reported ... Kelly got out of jail Monday after entering a not guilty plea to all 10 counts of sexual abuse and posted $100k bond. His financial issues are far from over, however ... because he has to pay about $160k in back child support very soon ... or else he's going back in.

Tyga got booted from Floyd Mayweather's birthday bash over 2 very common issues for the rapper -- money and the repo man.

Witnesses inside the Sunset Room tell TMZ ... moments before Tyga got dragged out of the club, he was approached by several men from whom he had leased a white Maybach -- and not in a friendly way.

We're told Tyga had a deal to pay $6,000 a month for the Maybach, but he fell behind on his payments and the men had the luxury car repo'd last month. So, when they crossed paths at the party, an argument erupted and Tyga started threatening the men.

You know what happened next ... security grabbed Tyga by the neck, dragged him out of the club and onto the street, where Tyga tried to pull a gun off his bodyguard.

As for why Tyga got so heated -- we're told he feels the Maybach was unlawfully repossessed.

Tyga's been down this road before ... it's the second Maybach he's lost to the repo man, and he also had a Ferrari swiped.

The good news ... it's all water under the bridge now, because Tyga says he's made-up with the men and the bouncer.

R. Kelly is a free man again -- it was total pandemonium as he walked out of jail -- and he'll have to pay off a 6-figure child support tab almost immediately if he wants to avoid getting locked up again.

Kelly's $100k bond -- 10% of his $1 million bail -- was finally posted Monday after he appeared in court and entered a not guilty plea to all 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse. As he walked out of jail, wearing his blue down coat, Kelly was swarmed by photogs and reporters.

There also seemed to be a number of protesters yelling at Kelly, calling him a pedophile and asking how he'd feel if someone urinated on his daughter -- but they used more colorful language.

Sources in Kelly's camp tell us he paid the bond with a bank cashier's check ... so, there won't be any issues with his check clearing.

Although Kelly's out, he's staring down another deadline. TMZ broke the story ... he has to pay about $160k in back child support to his ex-wife, Drea Kelly, by March 6. If he doesn't, it's right back to County lockup.

The Kelly sources tell us he plans to make arrangements to pay the child support by next week, so he can focus on his criminal defense ... and avoid jail.

It's possible he could be facing additional charges after attorney Michael Avenatti dropped an additional bombshell -- a NEW tape showing Kelly having sex with the same 14-year-old girl from the other tape. Avenatti has now turned over both tapes to Cook County prosecutors.

5:05 PM PT -- R. Kelly made a pit stop after leaving jail, stopping off at McDonald's for some quick eats.

We're told Kelly ordered a quarter pounder meal with BBQ sauce on the side, washing it down with a soda and some coffee. We're told Kels got cream and sugar with his coffee, but he went back to the counter and asked for more.

We're told the singer sat down and ate with his team inside the fast-food restaurant for about half an hour, and they left after a small crowd began to gather.

R. Kelly's got a full plate of problems right now -- but at least he also had a full plate of decent grub while he was in the hokey waiting to be released on bond.

The singer got sprung from jail Monday after his lawyers posted the necessary $100k he had to cough up to fulfill his $1 million bond. The question on everyone's mind since he turned himself in on Friday though ... what the hell did Kels eat behind bars???

We now have the answer based on the Cook County Jail's monthly menu, which TMZ has obtained. We gotta say ... it sounds like he ate pretty well this past weekend.

Here's what R. Kelly was fed on Saturday and Sunday for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Saturday:

B -- Breakfast square, bread, jelly, margarine, drink mix (whatever that is), applesauce

L -- Cured turkey, bread, egg (just one???), chips, cookie, mustard, drink mix

D -- Meatballs, teriyaki sauce, fluffy rice, carrots, bread, margarine, pudding and milk

Sunday:

B -- Breakfast square, bread, jelly, ginger snap, peanut butter, drink mix

L -- Turkey salami, bread, cereal, cookie and salad

D -- House fried rice, mixed veggies, bread, margarine, iced cake and milk

11:47 AM PT -- According to court documents, Kraft paid for a threesome on Jan. 19 -- with two women taking turns "manipulating his genitals."

Once Kraft finished, the women cleaned him up and he gave them each a $100 bill.

11:17 AM PT -- Officials have described the case against Kraft in graphic detail ... saying his first incident occurred on Jan 19. The second incident occurred on Jan. 20, the day the Patriots were playing the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game.

As for incident #2 -- officials describe it in the following way:

"[employee] escorted Kraft to a room identified as JPPD Cam 2. There, the two hugged each other and Kraft took off all his clothing, laid face up on the massage table and [employee] hugged him again. At approximately 1102hrs. (Employee) began manipulating Kraft’s penis and testicles and then put her head down by his penis. This went on several minutes.”

"After a few minutes, [employee] wiped Kraft in the area of his genitals with a white towel, helped him get dressed and hugged him again. Kraft gave [employee] one $100 bill plus at least one other unidentifiable bill."

Officials say Kraft was only at the Asian massage parlor for a total of 14 minutes on January 20 -- and exited to a waiting 2015 blue Bentley.

Cops say Kraft was wearing a dark long-sleeved shirt, blue baseball cap and blue shorts.

By the way, Kraft then flew to Kansas City to watch the Patriots defeat the Chiefs 37 to 31 in an overtime thriller.

11:16 AM PT -- Palm Beach State Attorney Dave Aronberg says Kraft is facing up to 1 year in jail if convicted on the 1st degree misdemeanor charge of soliciting another to commit prostitution.

A maximum sentence includes ... up to a 1 year jail, 100 hours of community service and completion of a class on the dangers of prostitution and human trafficking.

Prosecutors in Robert Kraft's prostitution case will be holding a press conference addressing the Patriots' owner's involvement in the scandal ... and TMZ Sports will be streaming it live.

Kraft is accused of soliciting prostitution at least twice in visits to the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Florida ... and the presser regarding his potential charges is set to begin at 11 AM PT.

Remember, investigators say they have surveillance videos from inside the massage parlor showing all of the men suspected of paying for sex acts at the massage parlor -- including Kraft -- and the footage is graphic.

It's all part of a massive sting operation which involved multiple law enforcement agencies including the Dept. of Homeland Security, the IRS, Jupiter P.D., the Indian River County Police and more.

Officials say the investigation took more than 8 months -- and exposed a massive human trafficking and prostitution ring operated out of Florida.

The 2 women suspected of running the operation are accused of essentially importing women from other countries -- mostly China -- and forcing them to work as sex slaves at various massage parlors in Florida.

Officials say some of the victims were forced to live at the parlors in terrible living conditions -- sleeping at the businesses and cooking their meals in the back areas.

Cops say they had obtained a warrant to put a covert surveillance camera INSIDE a massage room a the Orchids of Asia Day Spa which captured at least 25 men receiving sex acts in exchange for money.

Kraft has been named as one of the men captured on the surveillance video.

A spokesperson for Kraft has strongly denied the allegations -- saying, "We categorically deny that Mr. Kraft engaged in any illegal activity. Because it is a judicial matter, we will not be commenting further."

But, the day after the scandal broke, Kraft didn't seem bothered -- hitting up Barry Diller's pre-Oscars party Saturday afternoon in Beverly Hills.

As for the Day Spa, it's already become a tourist hot spot -- with all sorts of people flocking to the shop over the weekend ... including a naked man.

Originally Published -- 10:53 AM PST

R. Kelly's upcoming global concerts are still a go -- even though he's currently tied up right now -- and it doesn't sound like refunds will be issued until push comes to shove.

Concerts Stuttgart -- a promoter for a couple German concerts R. Kelly is supposed to perform at in April -- sent an update to ticket holders Monday, saying they're holding off on selling more tickets, given R. Kelly's legal sitch here in the States.

CS goes on to say (in rough English translation) ... "At the moment, and we also have to admit that, the chances of the tour are rather bad, yet we would like to wait for the outcome of the (case). It is also correct that Robert had to (surrender) his passport for now."

Even on the slim chance R. Kelly shows up to perform -- the guy's still behind bars as of Monday afternoon -- the group says it is not giving out refunds until they see how his case plays out.

Interestingly enough, other promoters around the world that hired R. Kelly seem to be following the same plan. Sources tell us that shows in Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands that R. Kelly was booked to perform at this year have not been canceled ... at least not yet.

Jerry Seinfeld is going after the classic car dealer that sold him what they claimed was a rare Porsche, because he thinks the car's certification wasn't legit ... this according to a new lawsuit.

In the suit, obtained by TMZ, Jerry says he bought what he thought was a 1958 Porsche 356 A 1500 GS/GT Carrera Speedster for $1.2 million in 2013 -- and the seller, European Collectibles, gave him a certificate of authenticity.

As we reported, Jerry auctioned the car off 3 years later for $1.54 million ... and the winning bidder, FICA FRIO Ltd, later challenged the car's authenticity, and sued the comedian for hawking a bogus Porsche.

So, now Jerry wants European Collectibles to pay up. In his lawsuit, Jerry says he relied on European Collectibles' certification when he bought the vintage whip, and had no clue it might be bogus until he got sued.

In the docs, Jerry says he doesn't know if FICA FRIO Ltd's allegation about the Porsche's authenticity is true, and he wants no part of the dispute. He says it should be sorted out between FICA FRIO and European Collectibles.

Jerry's suing to get European Collectibles to cover his damages if the court finds the car's certification is indeed bogus.

Jerry's attorney, Orin Snyder, tells TMZ, "Jerry has no liability in this matter, but he wants to do the right thing, and is therefore bringing this action to hold European Collectibles accountable for its own certification of authenticity, and to allow the court to determine the just outcome."

10:10 AM PT -- Avenatti spoke Monday morning at the courthouse, claiming the race of R. Kelly's alleged victims played a huge role in the delay of justice -- calling it R. Kelly's "reign of abuse and assault." He has now turned the tape over to the State's Attorney.

Prosecutors are about to get another sex tape in the R. Kelly case, and sources tell us it is even more shocking than the most recent one.

Sources familiar with the case tell TMZ ... attorney Michael Avenatti will turn over a 55-minute VHS video Monday to Cook County prosecutors. We're told the video shows R. Kelly having sex with the same 14-year-old girl depicted in the first video Avenatti obtained, which was shot in 1999. This second video was shot around 2000.

We're told, just like the first video, there are multiple references to the girl being 14 years old. Our sources say R. Kelly is repeatedly "coaching" the girl through various sexual situations.

At one point, we're told R. Kelly is seen choking the girl while having anal intercourse. Our sources also say there's a part where he takes some sort of lotion and "sprays" it all over her face. We're told he then chokes her, mounts her from behind and turns her face to the camera for a reaction shot.

We've also learned Avenatti is in the process of procuring a third tape showing R. Kelly with a different girl -- who, at the time, was somewhere between 13 and 16 years old. Our sources say Avenatti's team has identified the person in possession of the video and is attempting to get it.

8:31 AM PT -- Sources close to R. Kelly tell TMZ that Williams' attorney tried to shake down the singer prior to filing the lawsuit. In a letter sent to R. Kelly's legal team -- obtained by TMZ -- Williams' attorney, Jeff Deutschman, says R. Kelly's lawyers should contact him if they want to resolve the matter outside of court. Deutschman also writes that no response from R. Kelly's camp would result in the lawsuit being filed.

Clearly, they didn't come to terms.

R. Kelly is now facing a lawsuit from a new accuser who says he sexually abused her when she was 16 years old.

Heather Williams filed the suit in Cook County, Illinois ... and in the suit, she says she met R. Kelly in late May of 1998 while she was walking down a street in Chicago. She says the singer was driving by, and stopped and spoke to her ... then sent his people to meet her and her family at a restaurant.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, R. Kelly's associate told Heather and her fam ... that R. Kelly wanted her to come to her studio and appear in one of his videos. She admits she was "starstruck."

She claims in June, R. Kelly began sexually abusing her. She's not specific about where it happened but says they had sexual intercourse and oral sex. In her suit, Heather says the sexual abuse continued until she was an adult.

Heather says she was seeing a therapist in June 2015 when she "broke through her repressed memory" and could finally speak about the alleged abuse. She says she's suffered shame, guilt, self-blame and depression -- and she's suing the singer for at least $50,000.

Lil Pump is off the hook in his Miami airport criminal case in which he had a showdown with cops ... just days after TMZ published body cam video showing a cop getting in his face.

Pump's attorney appeared in a Miami court Monday morning where the State Attorney dropped the disorderly conduct case against the rapper ... this according to Pump's attorney, Kenneth Weisman.

TMZ broke the story ... Pump was busted back in December after he was yanked from his flight bound for L.A. Cops accused the rapper of secreting weed in his luggage. When Pump insisted the bag wasn't his, a cop went nuclear on him.

Body cam footage, obtained last week by TMZ, showed the intense showdown with cops ... you hear a cop shouting in Pump's face, saying, "It's your bag now" after Pump insisted it wasn't his.

Pump and his manager were arrested for disorderly conduct ... but it's now Pump's in the clear.

Pump's attorney tells TMZ, "I commend the State Attorneys Office’s for concluding that the underlying incident was nothing more than an emotionally charged police-citizen encounter that involved no criminal wrongdoing on the part of [Lil Pump]."

Terrence Howard had a complete meltdown on the set of "Empire" after Jussie Smollett was arrested for allegedly staging his "attack."

Sources on the "Empire" set tell TMZ ... Thursday was a complete disaster on set after Jussie turned himself into Chicago Police. Terrence was so upset he refused to come out of his trailer for most of the day.

A source close to Terrence tell us ... the actor didn't believe Jussie's account from the get-go, he felt the story never added up. We're told Terrence grilled Jussie periodically as holes began to emerge.

Tensions between Terrence and Jussie boiled over after the 2 Nigerian-American brothers who allegedly helped Jussie stage the attack, Abel and Ola Osundario, were detained by police ... we're told Terrence confronted Jussie once again, screaming at him to come clean.

Further illustrating his disdain for Jussie ... we're told Terrence was nowhere to be found Thursday night when Jussie addressed the cast and crew.

Terrence was not alone in his feelings ... we're told many others on the cast and crew felt Jussie was lying and ultimately that's why producers decided to remove Jussie from the set for the final 2 episodes ... it was just too disruptive.

Interestingly enough, Terrence posted a video Saturday that was seemingly in support of Jussie. The clip shows Jussie playing with Terrence's son ... and a caption that read, "All your lil homies got you... We love the hell outta you."

Nevertheless, it doesn't take away from what we know happened on Thursday.

Boxing star Gervonta Davis is the subject of a police investigation after an alleged physical altercation with police, TMZ Sports has learned.

Davis -- Floyd Mayweather's top protege -- was at an upscale mall in Virginia on February 17 when he got into it with another man at an ATM machine.

One witness tells us ... Davis began shouting at the man and cops were called to the scene. When officers arrived, we're told Gervonta acted hostile toward the cops.

One person we spoke with says he watched Gervonta shove one of the officers while screaming obscenities while his friends were desperately trying to restrain him.

We spoke with the Fairfax County Police Dept. who would only confirm there was an "interaction" and/or an "encounter" with Davis ... and that an investigation is ongoing.

Cops also tell us Davis was not formally arrested.

Davis is 21-00 as a pro fighter -- and is already a 2-time super featherweight world champ. Mayweather recently told TMZ Sports he's got big plans for Davis as a fighter ... with a potential superfight on the horizon with rising star Ryan Garcia.

Unfortunately for Davis, he's no stranger to police drama ... he was arrested back in September after allegedly getting into a fist fight in the streets in Washington D.C.

According to the police report, Davis and another man duked it out -- "punching each other with a closed fist about the upper body."

Several people tried to break it up but the two guys tried to flee -- until cops swooped in and picked them both up.

2/24/19 -- Sources connected to R. Kelly tell us the singer could be behind bars until at least Tuesday, if not Wednesday. The reason ... the slow-moving wheels of bureaucracy. We're told R. Kelly's lawyers plan on heading to the Child Support Bureau on Monday to figure out exactly how much their client owes in back pay. Once they do that, they'll head to the bank, pull out the necessary funds and pay off his bail and child support payments in one shot. That technically would lift the hold on his bond, but our sources say it could take 24 to 48 hours to process the paperwork. In other words ... Kels might be sitting in a jail cell 'til mid-week.

7:30 PM PT -- R. Kelly reportedly failed to post the $100k bond by the cutoff time of 9 PM in Chicago, so he'll have to spend the night in jail.

2:10 PM PT -- We're told until R. Kelly makes bail, he's being held in a holding pen by himself because the jail doesn't want him interacting with other inmates for safety reasons. R. Kelly's considered a "high profile individual," and if he doesn't bond out tonight he'll be placed in his own cell.

TMZ's also obtained video of Joycelyn and Azriel leaving the courthouse. Neither woman had anything to say about Kelly's case or their relationship with their parents.

1:15 PM PT -- As we told you ... Joycelyn Savage and Azriel Clary were both in the courtroom for R. Kelly, and were reportedly sitting in the first row reserved for friends and family during his hearing. The women are allegedly the singer's "sex slaves," but both have denied that. They were seen holding hands entering court together.

12:25 PM PT -- TMZ's obtained a courtroom sketch of R. Kelly and his lawyer, along with the State's Attorney, in front of Judge John Fitzgerald Lyke Jr.

12:00 PM PT -- R. Kelly's lawyer just had a heated exchange with a reporter, who called him out for allegedly misquoting one of the victims. The lawyer shot back and accused the guy of trying to sell books, and that's when it got really testy ... and an F-bomb was dropped.

Greenberg also says R. Kelly should be able to bond out, but it might take a while because his financial situation is complicated ... and it's Saturday. As far as R. Kelly's defense, Greenberg says he's not ready to divulge info about that yet because he's in the process of reviewing all the evidence.

He did raise eyebrows at the end of his Q&A, though, when he said about R. Kelly -- "He's a rock star, he doesn't have to have nonconsensual sex."

11:35 AM PT -- Cook County District Attorney Kim Foxx just gave more details of the alleged sex crimes to the press outside the courtroom, and says 2 of the 4 alleged victims turned in physical evidence -- shirts with R. Kelly's semen on them -- to prosecutors.

Avenatti also spoke to reporters and started by blasting R. Kelly's lawyer, Steven Greenberg. Avenatti says Greenberg has referred to all of the alleged victims as "liars" and insists the new sex tape is the same as the one from 2008, which Avenatti says is a lie.

He also claims R. Kelly's handlers were at the courthouse to keep Azriel Clary's parents away from her and believes Azriel has been brainwashed.

R. Kelly just appeared before the judge, who set his bail at $1 million ... meaning the singer can be released -- but only if he can afford it.

Prosecutors laid out the details of R. Kelly's 4 separate indictments Saturday at the Leighton Criminal Court Building in Cook County, and requested the R&B singer not be granted bail ... but the judge disagreed and set bail at $250k for each indictment.

The judge also ordered Kelly to surrender his passport.

R. Kelly's lawyer reportedly said the singer's finances are a mess, so he can't bond out just yet. However, a source close to Kelly tells us he'll be able to gather up $100k soon and post bail. If he does, he'll be released from jail ahead of his trial.

As we reported ... R. Kelly surrendered to police in Chicago Friday night, turning himself in at a police station after being charged with sexual abuse of 4 girls, at least 3 of whom were minors.

Prosecutors hit R. Kelly with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse Friday morning, and 9 of the 10 counts involve alleged victims ranging in age from 13 to 16 years old. There are 4 alleged victims in total, and according to the criminal complaint ... the graphic allegations include oral and vaginal sex with a girl between the ages of 13 and 17.

Attorney Michael Avenatti -- says he's representing at least 1 of the alleged victims in the R. Kelly indictment -- was on hand for Saturday's court hearing. He arrived with the parents of Azriel Clary, one of R. Kelly's alleged sex slaves.

Both Azriel and Joycelyn Savage -- another one of R. Kelly's alleged sex slaves -- were inside the courtroom for the hearing ... but it's unclear if they had any contact with their parents.

As we reported ... Avenatti also claims the new sex tape he turned over to prosecutors shows R. Kelly engaging in sex acts with a 14-year-old girl. He released images from the video Friday, showing what appears to be R. Kelly.

Farrah Abraham's got beef in Texas, but we ain't talking brisket -- she's getting sued for breaking a couple of leases and skipping out on more than $100k in rent.

The company that runs the Oaks at Lakeway Mall in Travis County says Farrah signed two 5-year leases in 2016 for her F&S by Farrah and Sophia Laurent Boutique. Biz was not good, though ... in docs, obtained by TMZ, the mall says Farrah closed her doors in September 2018, and stopped paying rent.

Obviously, that pissed off the mall, and according to the suit ... they fired off a notice for Farrah to pay up. In docs, the Oaks at Lakeway says an attorney repping Farrah's boutique responded that they have "no intentions on making any further payments under the lease agreement."

Translation: kick rocks.

Now, it's true it's Farrah's company that signed the leases ... however, the mall points out Farrah is the guarantor. So, she's on the hook as far as the mall's concerned.

The landlord says Farrah's in the hole for at least $101,212.50 ... and they're not about to let her slip out the backdoor without paying.

For her part, Farrah's under the impression everything was squared away last October when the mall kept her deposit.

Lil Pump's shouting match with Miami cops moments before they arrested him has caught the attention of the police department's honchos ... who are reviewing the incident to make sure everything's on the up and up.

We broke the story ... body cam footage captured an intense showdown between the rapper and police officers in December before his flight out of Miami. Pump's seen growing increasingly frustrated as he tells cops a bag that allegedly smelled like weed is NOT his ... when a cop gets right in his face and shouts back.

Pump responded to the vid's release Friday, pointing out the "dirty ass" police officer shouted, "It's your bag now," and added ... "THIS RACIST S**T NEEDA STOP LAWSUIT ON DA WAY."

Miami-Dade PD apparently took notice, because it tells TMZ while there has been no formal complaint filed by Lil Pump ... "command staff members are aware of the Body Worn Camera footage and are reviewing it to ensure compliance with our established policies and procedures."

The statement adds ... "We take pride in a professional level of service and fairness to all and hold ourselves accountable for our actions."

Pump doesn't seem to be letting the situation bother him too much, though. The rapper was out at 1OAK in Weho Friday night for the release party for his new album, "Harverd Dropout" ... and had a good time with his mob of fans.