CELEBRITY JUSTICE ™

The University of Michigan gymnastics coach who was arrested for having sex with one of his gymnasts in public was punished in court Monday with a fine ... TMZ Sports has learned.

39-year-old Scott Vetere was arrested back in October after cops say they caught him and an 18-year-old member of the UM gymnastics team banging in a parking lot near the Ann Arbor campus.

Vetere's been in court ever since fighting an indecent or obscene conduct in public charge -- a misdemeanor that carries a maximum of 90 days in jail if convicted.

But, court officials tell us Scott reached an agreement with prosecutors this week ... and got his charge reduced to a civil infraction. He paid off a fine and now the case is closed.

Vetere -- a former stud gymnast who was the 2000 Big Ten Gymnast of the Year -- was suspended by UM after the incident last fall. He later resigned from his position and left the school.

Former Disney star Kyle Massey is vehemently denying allegations he sent sexually explicit photos to a 13-year-old girl ... claiming the lawsuit against him is a clear and simple case of extortion.

We broke the story ... the "That's So Raven" star is being sued by a teenage girl who claims he sent her images of his erect penis, along with sexually explicit text messages. She's suing for at least $1.5 million.

Kyle's lawyer, Lee Hutton, tells TMZ his client couldn't be clearer ... "No child should ever be exposed to sexually explicit materials and I unequivocally and categorically deny any alleged misconduct."

Kyle says it's all just a money grab ... he claims earlier this year the accuser's legal team demanded $1.5m threatening to go public to destroy his career if he did not comply. Hutton says his client told the accuser to pound sand.

2:15 PM PT -- Anthony Comello's attorney, Robert C. Gottlieb, tells TMZ that his client has waived extradition Monday and will be arraigned in a Staten Island court next week. Gottlieb also tells us that Comello has been placed in protective custody after receiving "serious threats," where he will remain while his case is pending. Gottlieb adds that Comello's family cannot believe the accusations against Anthony, and promises to get to the truth of the matter.

The man suspected of killing Gambino crime boss Frank Cali came to court with a message on his hand ... "United We Stand MAGA Forever."

Anthony Comello faced a New Jersey judge Monday and displayed his left palm with words written with a blue ballpoint pen. A court officer scoffed at Comello -- who was arrested and taken into custody over the weekend -- asking him why he was waving his hand to reporters. His response ... "Why? I'm handcuffed," suggesting he couldn't do any harm by showcasing his palm.

Our law enforcement sources said cops believe Comello may have murdered Cali because the mob boss was blocking him from dating Cali's niece.

You'll recall, domestic terrorism suspect Cesar A. Sayoc pledged allegiance to Trump ... festooning his van with tons of pro-Trump stickers and allegedly sending pipe bombs to CNN, President Obama and others.

Then there's Florida shooter Nikolas Cruz, who wore a MAGA hat during target practice just months before killing 17 people at his former high school.

11:01 AM PT -- According to legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- Geno allegedly threatened to kill June during a domestic dispute. Cops say when they arrived on scene, Geno was placed under arrest and admitted to having a needle on him ... June told cops the SUV the two were sitting in belonged to her, and she'd take all blame for whatever was inside.

After a search, cops discovered another needle, a white powdery substance -- which June allegedly said was crack cocaine -- and a pipe. June also had $1,340 in her bra.

Geno was ordered by the court to stay away from June after the incident ... an order that was seemingly ignored when the two hit up a casino together Saturday.

Mama June is headed down a rough path, and there's no one else to blame but her boyfriend, Geno Doak ... so say members of her family.

Sources connected to Mama June's brood tell TMZ ... her family is laying guilt over the reality star's recent arrest squarely at Geno's feet, as they feel he's been an awful influence on June since they started dating around 3 years ago.

We're told June's family believes Geno's criminal history speaks for itself, and it's no coincidence she got into trouble while in his company. He does have quite the rap sheet -- Geno's been arrested for burglary, theft and damage to property. He's also done jail time.

TMZ broke the story ... Mama June and Geno were arrested at an Alabama gas station last week after someone called cops to report they were involved in a domestic incident. When police arrived, they say they found drugs and drug paraphernalia on both of them, including traces of crack on Mama June and a needle in Geno's pocket.

Interestingly enough, Mama June was spotted hanging with Geno at a casino a few days after her arrest ... hitting a slot machine with her BF right by her side. It certainly appears her family's concerns are falling on deaf ears.

That doesn't change how the family feels though. Our sources say Mama June's fam thinks she'll continue putting herself at risk as long as she's with him. Not only that, but they feel that her daughter, Alana (aka Honey Boo Boo, who's only 13) is in an unsafe environment.

Originally Published -- 9:17 AM PT

12:16 PM PT -- Osaka has lawyered up with attorney to the stars Alex Spiro and he's attacking Jean's claim as straight-up "absurd."

"While it comes as no surprise that Naomi's meteoric rise as an international icon and inspiration would lead to some false claim, this silly 'contract' that Naomi never saw or signed -- which purports to give away part of herself at the age of 14 -- is particularly absurd," Spiro says.

"This case has no merit and we will move past it.”

The tennis coach who began working with Naomi Osaka back when she was 13 claims her father signed a contract promising him 20% of her career earnings ... and now he's coming to collect.

The man behind the lawsuit is Christophe Jean -- who says Naomi's father, Leonard Francois, hired him to work with Naomi and his other daughter, Mari, back in 2011.

Jean says Francois couldn't pay his rates at the time, so they struck a deal in which Jean agreed to accept 20% of Naomi and Mari's tennis prize money and endorsement deals forever.

That's not a typo ... Jean says he has a copy of the contract where Francois agrees that the term of the deal is "indefinite." It's included in Jean's suit, filed in state court in Florida.

Of course, Naomi -- now 21 years old -- has blossomed into a tennis superstar, currently ranked #1 in the world ... and famously beat Serena Williams at the 2018 US Open.

According to the official WTA website, she's made more than $10.8 MILLION during her career -- and that's not including endorsement money.

So, Jean wants his cut -- at least $2 million -- which is why he's suing Naomi, Mari and Leonard.

The other possible issue ... can a parent promise a cut of a minor child's future adult earnings? And, can a judge enforce such a contract?

It's not exactly cut and dry. We're looking into it.

Former Starbucks CEO and possible presidential candidate Howard Schultz might have a problem on his hands ... 'cause his trust is being sued over house booties.

The Howard D. Schultz Residence Trust just got sued by a guy who claims he did construction work at Schultz's New York state home back in 2017. He says someone by the name of Loren Hostek -- who reps Howard's trust -- required workers to wear booties in the home to avoid scratching the floor or getting it dirty. He obliged, but says it cost him gravely in the form of an injury.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, the man, Julio Guerrero, claims that while he was on a ladder wearing the booties, he slipped and fell ... cracking his back in the process.

He claims in his suit that he has suffered "spinal pathology" requiring surgery, and now he wants Schultz's trust to cough up some major dough.

The stars of "Seeking Sister Wife" are accused of harassing the crap out of a relative, who now says he fears for his life.

Bernie and Paige McGee were arrested on misdemeanor stalking charges Friday in Mississippi after Paige's brother, Patrick Marble, accused the couple of flooding his home, cell and work phone with harassing calls. According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Patrick's girlfriend was also targeted by the couple.

In docs, Bernie's also accused of confronting Patrick and harassing him. It's unclear how he harassed him ... but now Patrick and his GF both say they fear for their lives.

It's also unclear what sparked the McGees to allegedly harass Patrick. But, just last month ... Patrick put his sister on blast ... claiming she attacked a fan who has a child with Down Syndrome.

The woman accusing Nelly of sexual assault in the UK thinks cops who've been investigating have royally screwed things up to the point she doesn't care if they finish the probe or not.

In a letter obtained by TMZ, the attorney for the anonymous accuser -- who goes by Jane Doe -- put the lead detective of the Essex Police on blast, claiming he'd completely botched the investigation by treating her client like a suspect instead of a victim.

The lawyer outlines what she says were the sequence of events in the case over the past year as the Essex Police looked into Jane Doe's claims -- namely, that Nelly allegedly masturbated in front of her and forced his penis in her mouth after one his concerts in 2017. Nelly says her story is BS.

In her letter, Jane Doe's lawyer claims the police have asked for the alleged victim's phone records, including all of her pictures, texts and emails between herself and the attorney ... who points out that violates attorney-client privilege under U.S. law.

Not only that ... the attorney says the police have asked Jane Doe to do a follow-up interview to the one she's already done, showing up to her house unsolicited and trying to coax her into coming to the police station again. Meanwhile, the attorney notes that they took an entire year to get Nelly to come out to interview with them, dragging their feet the whole time.

Jane Doe's attorney says the Essex Police are probably intimidated by Nelly and his high-powered lawyers, and accuses them of being completely incompetent in coming to a resolution.

She says that because Jane Doe has already filed suit against Nelly over the alleged assault, they will no longer be participating in the Essex Police's probe.

Originally Published -- 6:40 AM PT

9:06 AM PT -- The Essex Police tell TMZ, "We can confirm we have received communication from a solicitor regarding the case and will be reviewing this investigation and engaging with both parties in due course."

R. Kelly's accuser has run into a huge roadblock in her lawsuit against the singer ... so she's running to the judge for some help.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Heather Williams says she's desperately tried to serve Kelly with legal papers but claims security is so tight at Trump Tower where Kelly lives, it's proven to be mission impossible.

In the docs, Williams says she even tried giving a copy to Cook County Sheriff's officials but says security at Trump Tower would not let deputies past the lobby. She's filed a motion to get the judge to allow her to serve the papers on Kelly's lawyers instead.

TMZ Sports has obtained video of Barry Cofield's DUI arrest ... and the scene is intense -- with cops drawing their guns and demanding the ex-Giants DL to get out of the car.

"Get out of the car!" one officer screams ... "Get out of the car now! Get out of the car! Get out of the car or we'll shoot! Get out of the car now!"

It all went down last July when the former Super Bowl champion allegedly led cops on a wild police chase after they found him asleep at the wheel of his Cadillac Escalade around 2:40 AM.

You can see in the video the conclusion of the chase ... where cops are so concerned with the way the 6'4", 250-pounder was driving -- they pulled out their guns and surrounded the car.

Cofield doesn't comply ... so cops attempt to physically break him out of the vehicle by beating in his window, with one officer yelling, "Get him out of that car!"

Cofield eventually opens the door as cops are smashing in the window ... and he's taken to the ground without incident.

When cops search the former defensive lineman ... they find a wad of cash and a small baggie of what they later say was heroin.

Cofield was hit with several severe charges from the altercation, including heroin possession, assaulting an officer, DUI, resisting arrest and fleeing from police.

But, Barry was able to get a great deal from prosecutors last week ... and after pleading no contest to just heroin possession and DUI causing damage or injury -- he likely won't spend any time behind bars.

Cofield was a key piece for the Giants' D-line from 2006 through 2010 ... ultimately helping Eli Manning and NY beat the undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

3/17 -- Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... cops are investigating whether Cali's killing was over a family dispute -- namely, whether Cali blocked Comello from dating his niece. We're told police believe this is something that could've possibly motivated Comello to shoot Cali.

2:21 PM PT -- The NYPD held a press conference Saturday, saying Anthony Comello is in custody and expected to be charged for Frank Cali's murder. NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea told the media that they believe Comello is the shooter. He's currently being held in a New Jersey jail but will be charged in Staten Island. No word on an official motive.

Police have apprehended a person of interest in the murder of Gambino crime boss, Frank Cali ... TMZ has confirmed.

Law enforcement sources tell us cops picked up a white 24-year-old man in New Jersey Saturday morning, who is now being questioned in connection with the killing.

As we reported ... someone rolled up to Cali's Staten Island home Wednesday night and opened fire on the mob boss, apparently running him over as well.

Our sources say the man was apprehended in Jersey in the vicinity of a blue pickup truck -- which is significant to the investigation. According to investigators, witnesses say they saw a man in a blue pickup truck slam into Cali's parked car, prompting him to come outside.

Police say about a minute after Cali confronted the man who'd struck his car, the other guy pulled out a handgun and fired 12 shots ... 6 of which hit Cali. Cops say Cali then tried to crawl under the back end of the other guy's truck before the man drove away.

We're told the 24-year-old, who has yet to be identified, has not been arrested or charged with a crime as of yet. He's simply someone cops wanted to talk to. Our sources also tell us the dude -- whom we're being told is from Staten Island -- was tracked down in part through his cell phone.

Also interesting ... we're told cops don't believe the murder was actually mob-related, as it appears to be more of a personal dispute than anything else.

Cali reportedly took over as head of the Gambino family in 2015. John Gotti was the "boss" before going down for murder and racketeering in 1992.

Animal Planet has pulled the plug on its long-running show about fish tanks, but it has nothing to do with the drama involving one of its hosts and his now estranged wife.

"Tanked" has officially been canceled, and Animal Planet tells TMZ ... "After 15 fantastic seasons the series came to a natural end late last year." Fact is ... ratings for the show -- which follows a Las Vegas aquarium manufacturer as they install epic custom tanks for celebs -- have been in the tank.

Production sources say the decision to end the show was made months before the recent domestic violence incident between the husband-and-wife stars, Wayde and Heather King.

We broke the story ... Heather was arrested for domestic violence last week for allegedly slapping and kicking Wayde in the stomach following a heated argument. He had also claimed she had him hanging out the window of her car as she drove away ... but she denied it.

Two days later, Heather filed for divorce. She wants temporary spousal support, child support and primary custody of their kids.

The couple had just hit their 21st year of marriage last year.

Boxing star Adrien Broner is off the hook in his sexual battery case after prosecutors decided there just wasn't enough evidence to prove he grabbed a woman's vagina at an Atlanta area mall.

The 29-year-old was arrested in February 2018 after a woman claimed Broner touched her butt, thigh and "private parts" without her permission outside of a Louis Vuitton store.

Aftermath of the alleged incident was captured on video -- you can see the woman yelling and getting angry at Broner.

Broner denied the allegations -- but cops arrested him for sexual battery and simple battery ... both misdemeanors.

But, when the boxer appeared in court last month ... prosecutors said they did not have enough admissible evidence to "prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt" and dropped the charges.

In other words, there's no smoking gun video to prove he committed the crime.

Per court records, "the alleged victim in this case understands and consents to this decision."

"Glee" actor Jesse Luken has officially been charged with DUI ... nearly 3 months after he was arrested.

The L.A. County D.A.'s Office charged Jesse with 1 misdemeanor count of DUI and 1 misdemeanor count of driving with a .08 blood alcohol content. His arraignment's been set for next month in Glendale.

TMZ broke the story ... Jesse was busted last December after cops said his Toyota was found on a curb with the airbag deployed. His right front tire was mangled but no other cars were involved. We were told Jesse was in the driver's seat and he reeked of booze. Cops say he bombed the field sobriety test.

If convicted, Jesse -- who played the dirty blonde jock, Bobby 'Boom Boom' Surette, on the hit show -- will almost certainly get the usual punishment ... probation and a mandatory alcohol ed program.

Mama June was feeling lucky after her arrest for crack cocaine earlier this week ... so she rode that wave by rolling into a casino and hitting the slots.

The reality TV star was spotted at a slot machine early Saturday morning at a casino in Wetumpka, Alabama. We're told she was there around 3 AM, with her boyfriend, Geno Doak, right by her side. Hard to tell if she hit any jackpots -- not too many smiles here.

We broke the story ... Mama June AND Geno were both arrested Wednesday after a reported domestic incident at a gas station. When cops investigated, they say they found controlled substances on both of them, including drug paraphernalia. Police say Mama June was in possession of crack cocaine, and that Geno had a needle in his pocket.

Geno was also arrested for domestic violence/harassment.

Clearly, whatever happened between June and Geno wasn't bad enough to keep them apart for long. Geno seems to be attentive and relaxed as his gal works the machine.

Lance Bass says he's come to peace over his late former manager, Lou Pearlman, and it sounds like a new documentary about the guy helped with that process.

We got the former 'NSYNC singer at LAX Friday, where our photog asked about a new doc coming out that covers Lou's sheisty dealings and financial crimes while he managed Lance and co., as well as the Backstreet Boys in their heyday. It's called 'The Boy Band Con.'

If you aren't familiar, Lou got sent to prison in 2008 for running one of the largest Ponzi schemes ever. He pled guilty to conspiracy, money laundering and other financial crimes ... and got sentenced to 25 years in prison. He died behind bars in 2016.

More relevant to Lance ... Lou stands accused of robbing his artists blind throughout his career by way of shady business practices -- aka fraud. 'NSYNC, The Backstreet Boys and even Aaron Carter all sued Lou in federal court ... and either won or settled.