CELEBRITY JUSTICE ™

The dog that died on an Air France-KLM jetliner bound for L.A. this week was a healthy, happy puppy heading for his new home ... according to the devastated family now demanding answers.

The family's attorney, Evan Oshan, tells TMZ ... the dog, a Central Asian Shepherd less than a year old named Bear, was recently purchased by the California family from Europe, and was en route to become their pet.

We're told Bear was chosen specifically because the breed is known for being strong and protective but gentle, and the family has 6 and 7-year-old children.

Oshan says the dog had no known health problems and was fine when he boarded the plane, and also doesn't have breathing issues like the French Bulldog that died on a United Airlines flight last year.

The family's now seeking more info from Air France, including surveillance footage of Bear and personnel files of anyone who handled him, incident reports connected to the flight, a flight manifest, cockpit recordings and KLM's protocol for stowing away animals.

In a letter to the airline, Oshan adds ... "We take the death of Bear very seriously and expect the protocol which you will follow will be consistent with the death of any passenger. Furthermore any attempt to veer from our requests will be viewed as obstruction of justice and dealt with as prescribed under the law."

We broke the story ... Bear was found dead Tuesday afternoon in L.A. in KLM's cargo hold after a long flight from Amsterdam. We're told the dog's body is still in the custody of the airline's investigator, and the family's efforts to have him returned to them have been ignored so far.

We're told the family wants the dog's necropsy done by an independent vet facility and to conduct its own investigation into the death.

3/25 -- For the record, Dre and Iovine donated a whopping $70 MILLION to the University. The department they funded -- The Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation, was established to promote entrepreneurship, computer science and engineering, audio and visual design, and the arts. Dre and Jimmy wanted to inspire innovators.

3/24 -- Dr. Dre has deleted his Instagram post in which he touted his daughter's acceptance to USC with "no jail time." Lots of people pointed out how tone-deaf it came off considering he and Jimmy Iovine made a multi-million dollar donation to USC and literally have a portion of the school named after them.

Dr. Dre's rubbing a little salt in the wounds of Lori Loughlin, Felicity Huffman and all the other parents involved in the college bribery scandal ... while gloating about his USC-bound child.

The music mogul and proud papa just shared a photo with his daughter, Truly Young, holding up her Certificate of Admissions letter from the University of Southern California ... and added a savage jab.

Dre wrote ... "My daughter got accepted into USC all on her own. No jail time!!!"

As we've reported ... Huffman, Loughlin and her husband are facing criminal charges for allegedly paying to get their kids into the prestigious school by fraudulent means.

Loughlin's daughters have already formally left USC and could be banned from campus forever.

Dr. Dre clearly doesn't think he has any reason to worry about something like that happening or any legal issues with her attending the college.

Some folks might take umbrage with the rapper's claim that his daughter got accepted on her own, though -- he and Jimmy Iovine founded the USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy a few years back ... and there's a hall on campus named after them.

That may have had a little something to do with it ... just maybe.

Former "American Idol" contestant Chikezie Eze says his estranged wife disappeared more than a year ago and took their children ... but he's finally got the court's help trying to locate them.

Chikezie and his ex, Linda Iruke, have had their issues -- he filed for divorce from her last year shortly after she accused him of domestic abuse and threats -- but this is even more troubling.

Eze tells us Iruke completely vanished in early 2018 and cut off all ties with him and their friends, and even more concerning ... he says her family hasn't been able to contact her either.

According to new legal docs ... the court stated there is reason to believe the children have been "taken, detained, and concealed" and have authorized the L.A. County D.A.'s office to investigate and locate Eze's estranged wife and kids.

He's thankful to have this assistance, and tells us Linda's family -- especially her mother -- have been vital in convincing the court to take action.

Chikezie also has an emotional message for his son -- on his birthday -- and urges anyone who knows about his family's whereabouts to contact the D.A.'s child abduction unit.

Jordan Belfort could have been linked to Lori Loughlin, Felicity Huffman and the other parents caught up in the college bribery scandal ... but he didn't take the bait.

The real-life "Wolf of Wall Street" was at LAX when we asked him about the admissions scandal involving schools like USC, Harvard, Yale, UCLA and Georgetown, and turns out ... he has a wild personal story about it.

Belfort tells us his son was applying to Georgetown and somehow, a shady character got his number and tried to rope him in ... but he and his son declined. He says the scheme went far beyond the old "wink wink" days of buying your kid's way into college with a donation too.

As for who was behind the recruitment process, Jordan speculates it could have been one of Rick Singer's "finders" ... but he's not certain.

As for Singer -- the ringleader of the scandal -- Belfort has some predictions on the legal ramifications of his crooked scheme ... and it goes beyond jail time.

Robert Kraft is finally speaking out about getting caught in the South Florida prostitution sting ... and he's apologizing to his friends, to Patriots fans and to all women.

Kraft says, "In deference to the judicial process, I have remained silent these past several weeks. To correct some of the misinformation surrounding this matter, my attorney made his first public comments on Friday night. I would like to use this opportunity to say something that I have wanted to say for four weeks.

"I am truly sorry. I know I have hurt and disappointed my family, my close friends, my co-workers, our fans and many others who rightfully hold me to a higher standard."

His statement continues, "Throughout my life, I have always tried to do the right thing. The last thing I would ever want to do is disrespect another human being. I have extraordinary respect for women; my morals and my soul were shaped by the most wonderful woman, the love of my life, who I was blessed to have as my partner for 50 years."

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Kraft's legal team, along with 14 other defendants, filed for a protective order earlier this week which would prevent all evidence in the case -- especially the surveillance video from inside the Orchids of Asia spa -- from going public. Kraft's lead attorney, William Burck, insists that video, recorded on cameras set up by police, was illegally obtained.

Burck told the NY Post, "We’ve looked at the law around the warrant for the video surveillance inside the spa, and we think it is a violation of the fourth amendment. We also believe the traffic stop [made by police as the men left the spa] was illegal and a violation of the constitution."

As we first reported, Palm Beach County prosecutors have refused to sign off on the protection order to keep the video from going public -- despite police insisting they are concerned about victims of human trafficking.

Burck also addressed the alleged "trafficking," calling out law enforcement in Palm Beach and Martin Counties. He says they "have said this is a human trafficking case, but have produced no evidence [to corroborate that]. They have falsely connected Robert Kraft and other men to human trafficking. Now they should correct the record. I have asked that the record be corrected and there’s been no response."

Kraft and his legal team have not accepted a plea deal offer ... which would require him to admit he would have been found guilty if the case went to trial.

6:40 PM PT -- Barbra issued a new statement adding an apology, saying ... "I am profoundly sorry for any pain or misunderstanding I caused by not choosing my words more carefully."

She adds ... "I didn’t mean to dismiss the trauma these boys experienced in any way. Like all survivors of sexual assault, they will have to carry this for the rest of their lives. I feel deep remorse and I hope that James and Wade know that I truly respect and admire them for speaking their truth."

1:15 PM PT -- Streisand's clarifying some of her interview comments in a statement to the Washington Post, saying ... "To be crystal clear, there is no situation or circumstance where it is OK for the innocence of children to be taken advantage of by anyone."

She continues ... “The stories these two young men shared were painful to hear, and I feel nothing but sympathy for them. The single most important role of being a parent is to protect their children. It’s clear that the parents of the two young men were also victimized and seduced by fame and fantasy."

Barbra Streisand believes Michael Jackson was a child molester, but she also believes his victims got a bonus and the sexual attacks didn't kill them ... this according to a new interview.

Streisand was interviewed by The Times in the UK, and shared some bizarre thoughts about MJ and the 2 accusers featured in "Leaving Neverland" -- Wade Robson and James Safechuck.

Streisand seemed sympathetic to Jackson, saying, "His sexual needs were his sexual needs, coming from whatever childhood he has or whatever DNA he has."

She believes Robson and Safechuck were indeed molested by MJ, saying the HBO documentary was painful to watch.

That said, she went on to dismiss the horror of child molestation, saying, "You can say molested, but those children, as you heard them say [in the documentary] they were thrilled to be there. They both married and they both have children, so it didn't kill them."

Streisand wasn't done. She said, "I feel bad for the children. I feel bad for him. I blame, I guess, the parents who would allow their children to sleep with him. Why would Michael need these little children dressed like him and in the shows and the dancing and the hats?"

Streisand says Jackson once asked her to do a duet, "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" ... but she turned him down.

Frank Shamrock says he didn't mean to hurt the dog he tied to a truck and left at an airport ... telling TMZ Sports, "I know what I did was wrong, but there was no way out of it."

As we previously reported, the UFC legend is under investigation after cops say he abandoned a dog at Dallas Love Field Airport ... leaving it tethered to the bed of a pickup truck for 5 days.

Now, Shamrock is explaining to us why he did it ... saying, "I had no other solution to solve that problem."

The former fighter tells us his mother is ailing, and when he traveled to Texas earlier this month to take care of her ... he realized she was in no condition to own dogs anymore.

Shamrock says he tried his best to find new homes for the animals ... but just could not find a place for Zelda.

"I called everybody in Dallas, I tried everything humanly possible to get care for the dog, to let people know that we could not take the dog."

Shamrock says his search for a new home for Zelda lasted up until just minutes before he had to board a plane back home ... so he decided the best thing to do was to tie her up with food and water and call security to come get her.

The problem? Security never found her, and she was stuck in the pickup bed for 5 days before police officers rescued her.

Now, Frank tells us he's heartbroken over the whole ordeal ... mostly because he can't believe people at the airport let her stay in the truck for that long without getting her.

"The dog stayed there for five days. I can't believe that," Shamrock said through tears ... "That wasn't what I was intending. I thought they would come get it."

Frank is now under investigation by the Dallas Police Department, who tell us they are expecting to file a charge of Cruelty to Non-Livestock Animals -- a Class A Misdemeanor -- against the former fighter.

Shamrock says he'll accept any charges, telling us, "I take responsibility for what has happened."

As for Zelda, a spokesperson for the SPCA of Texas tells us she's doing just fine since the incident -- and has received "a ton of TLC" and care while she's been in the organization's custody.

The spokesperson also tells us they expect to put Zelda up for adoption within the next few days.

4:00 PM PT -- R. Kelly's rep, Darrell Johnson, says the meeting was only canceled because Joycelyn insisted on it going down in Chicago, while her family was demanding it happen someplace between Chicago and Atlanta.

Sources in Kelly's camp provided this audio recording of a phone conversation Johnson had 14 days ago with the Savage family's attorney, Gerald Griggs. Take a listen, it's pretty clear both sides were going to have trouble coming to any agreement.

For his part, Griggs tells us the Savages intended to acquiesce and meet Joycelyn in Chi town, but Johnson never got back to them after the phone call. Griggs says they didn't hear back from him until AFTER Johnson was grilled Friday by the Chicago reporter.

1:33 PM -- According to Griggs, R. Kelly's team reached out to the Savages to say they're no longer going to help coordinate a meeting. It's unclear why Kelly's team pulled a 180.

R. Kelly's team is having a hard time arranging a meeting between Joycelyn Savage and her parents ... because both sides can't agree on a location.

R. Kelly's rep, Darrell Johnson, tells TMZ ... Joycelyn is not opposed to meeting with her mom and dad, but she only wants to meet them in Chicago. We're told the Savage family wants to meet Joycelyn at her grandmother's home -- which is outside the Windy City -- because Grandma's battling cancer.

The Savages have made it clear from the beginning ... they want to meet in a neutral location outside of Chicago.

So, both sides remain at a standstill ... even though it's been two weeks since R. Kelly's team agreed to set up a meeting between Joycelyn and her fam.

The Savages' family attorney, Gerald Griggs, tells TMZ ... there's no planned meeting in place, and he can't force one to happen.

Earlier Friday, Kelly's publicist was asked about orchestrating a meeting between Joycelyn and her family ... but he dodged the question.

As we've reported ... whenever the meeting goes down, the Savages plan to bring a psychologist with them to evaluate their daughter.

Joycelyn is alleged to be one of Kelly's "sex slaves" and the Savages have been doing everything they can to set up a face-to-face meeting with her.

Cardi B is suing bloggers for making some outrageous claims -- including saying Cardi's a prostitute who has herpes.

Cardi filed the lawsuit against Tasha K -- who has a blog called unWinewithTashaK. She's pissed about 23 videos Tasha's posted over the last 14 months. According to the suit, Tasha posted a vid last April saying Cardi's baby might be born with intellectual disabilities. The inference seems to be Cardi was doing drugs that would harm then-unborn Kulture.

She's also suing Starmarie Ebony Jones, who, according to the suit, posted a video in September accusing Cardi of doing Molly and cocaine ... engaging in prostitution. Jones allegedly says of Cardi, "Just a Grammy nominated prostitute running around spreading her herpes."

Latasha and Starmarie even posted a video together making more allegations of STDs and hooking.

In the suit, Cardi says she's never been a prostitute or a user of cocaine and molly. She also denies having herpes now ... or ever.

1:19 PM PT -- Durst's attorney, Dick DeGuerin, tells TMZ, "All you have to do is file a lawsuit -- but you have to prove it. And that's where they are going to have their problem."

He also stands firm, "Bob Durst did not have anything to do with Kathy Durst's disappearance and he did not kill Susan Berman and he doesn't know who did."

Robert Durst has just been sued for wrongful death in connection with the murder of his wife.

The Estate of Kathleen Durst is suing Robert, who is currently on trial for the murder of his good friend, Susan Berman, claiming he murdered Kathleen January 31, 1982. According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, the Estate believes based on Durst's alleged M.O. ... after shooting her in the back of the head, he cut her body into little pieces and disposed of the remains ... which have never been found.

The Estate believes the primary motive was his then-lover, "Dear Prudence" Farrow, gave him an ultimatum ... if he didn't divorce Kathleen she would end their affair. The Estate says Kathleen was threatening a divorce and a cut of their fortune. There was also worry she would expose illegal business practices of the Durst companies.

Durst is currently locked up in downtown L.A. where he is awaiting trial in the Berman case.

Durst arguably confessed to both murders on an open mic during filming of the HBO documentary, "The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst." You hear him muttering, "You're caught ... What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course."

Jussie Smollett's fighting to stay outta prison, but one of the brothers who allegedly helped him stage the infamous "attack" is fighting his ass off in the boxing ring -- and just rung up another W.

Abel Osundairo competed again Thursday night in the semifinals of the prestigious Chicago Golden Gloves Tournament at Cicero Stadium. He didn't score a first-round knockout like he did in the quarterfinals, but Abel still secured a unanimous decision -- and he's moving on to the finals, slated to go down next month.

After the match ... Abel was met by a horde of reporters. Abel didn't say much with his mouth but he did let his eyes do a lot of talking. Just ask this reporter who got a bit of a death stare.

Nevertheless ... Abel -- who wore a white robe with the American flag emblazoned on the back -- has proven he's got potential as a powerful southpaw. His vicious jabs set up a brutal knockdown in the first round. As we first said after his win last weekend ... pretty clear that Abel held back a LOT during the "attack."

As for Jussie's fight -- he's pled not guilty on the 16-count indictment, and is awaiting trial.

BTW ... the Chicago Golden Gloves Tournament is arguably the most elite amateur tournament in the country. It's been around since 1923 and some of its past champions include Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis and Sonny Liston.

Adam "Pacman" Jones has agreed to a plea deal in his casino cheating case that will put him behind bars -- and also ban him from drinking booze for a YEAR AND A HALF ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The 35-year-old was arrested in an Indiana casino last month after authorities say he cheated while playing a table game ... and then went ballistic on officials after he was confronted.

The former NFL star was hit with a bevy of charges ... including felony intimidation, felony battery against an officer and several misdemeanors.

But now, Jones has agreed to a plea deal that will send him to jail.

According to court docs, Jones will enter a guilty plea to one count of felony cheating at gambling and one count of misdemeanor resisting law enforcement.

In exchange, prosecutors have agreed to drop all remaining charges against the defensive back.

The terms of the deal would require Jones to spend 10 days behind bars ... while also serving a probation period that will bar him from drinking booze for a year and a half.

Jones also cannot possess a firearm or dangerous weapons without permission from his probation officer during that time frame ... and he's also been banned from the Rising Star Casino.

The agreement is not set in stone ... all parties still have to appear in court and a judge has to sign off on it -- but that's usually just a formality.

Jones is currently scheduled to be back in court next month.

3:59 PM PT -- Victim Giovanni Arnold's attorney, Daniel Szalkiewicz, tells us, "Our office was deeply upset to learn that the NYPD has decided not to prosecute Cardi B, Offset, or any of their body guards following their actions last year after the Met Gala."

He continues, "Both my office and my client cooperated with the NYPD at every opportunity but had not heard from them since the weeks immediately following the incident ... We hoped that those responsible for Mr. Arnold’s injuries would be charged accordingly. It appears that was wishful thinking."

"What the NYPD did today was endorse violence. They have given Cardi B, Offset, and all celebrities a license to assault people who say things they don’t like; and that is a dangerous precedent to set."

The security team for Cardi B and Migos is off the hook in an alleged assault on an autograph seeker at last year's Met Gala.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the rappers' security guards won't face any charges, and the assault case has been closed. We're told the alleged victim refused to be interviewed by NYPD detectives. That's despite the fact he was clearly seen on video catching a beatdown.

TMZ broke the story ... Cardi, Offset and Quavo were all leaving a Met Gala party when the melee began. The rappers were accused of ordering their security team to put hands on an overzealous fan.

None of the security guards was ever arrested, and it was only CB and the Migos rappers who were facing potential criminal charges -- but now, everybody's walking away scot-free.

There's still a civil lawsuit, though. The fan's lawyer, Daniel Szalkiewicz, filed last May claiming he suffered injuries to his face, neck, back and body.

5:29 PM PT -- Tommie just apologized for showing up to court drunk ... she says she needs help and is seeking treatment.

Tommie says, "I've been working really hard through my problems considering the challenges that's been set before me since I've been home. I've done all that I can do on my own to shake my habits but I do realize that I need help and I am currently seeking treatment."

Tommie Lee needs some serious help, because she's back in jail for being extremely drunk ... during a court appearance!

The former 'Love & Hip Hop' star showed up to court last week in Cobb County, GA for a hearing in her child abuse criminal case. Law enforcement sources tell us she appeared to be intoxicated -- so much so the judge ordered her to undergo drug and alcohol testing immediately.

Spoiler alert -- the new mug shot was also a dead giveaway -- but she failed. We're told Tommie's BAC was 0.16 ... twice the legal limit, and a violation of her bond. Tommie was arrested on the spot, and no bail's been set yet.

You'll recall ... Tommie was trying to get approval to move to Cali for work while she was out on bond, but a judge shot her down ... citing her long rap sheet as the reason. She's currently facing multiple charges of child abuse for her October 2018 arrest.

According to prosecutors, Tommie disrupted her daughter's class, slapped her hands and face, dragged her out by her hair and slammed her into a locker. She was indicted earlier this year, and faces up to 54 years in jail if convicted on all 7 charges.

As it stands, she might be behind bars until her trial starts. We've reached out to Tommie's attorney for comment ... so far, no word back.

Dallas Cowboys tight end Rico Gathers cut a deal in his weed possession case and won't face jail time ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The 25-year-old was arrested back in August in Frisco, Texas just after Cowboys' training camp ... when cops say they found him with less than 2 ounces of weed.

Gathers was charged with possession of marijuana ... but on Thursday, he struck a deal with prosecutors and will avoid time behind bars for the incident.

Court officials tell us Gathers had his charge reduced from a Class B misdemeanor to a Class C misdemeanor in exchange for a guilty plea.

Rico's punishment? He has to keep his nose clean for the next 90 days ... and, if he does, the conviction will be wiped off his record.

Rico also had to pay fines and court costs.

It's good news for the young tight end ... his role on the Cowboys is in limbo after Dallas brought back veteran Jason Witten this offseason.

Adrien Broner has been ordered to stay away from social media star Andrew C. Caldwell after making a video implying he would shoot Caldwell in the face if he made a pass at him.

Caldwell filed a request for a temporary restraining order against the boxer Thursday morning in St. Louis -- which was granted by a judge. Broner must stay at least 500 feet from Caldwell.

As we previously reported, Broner threatened to "punch the testosterone" out of Caldwell earlier this week -- claiming Andrew had been contacting him online in an attempt to hook up. Caldwell has said Broner was the initiator.

Broner denied that -- and posted a "P.S.A." video online in which he threatened to shoot ANY gay person in the face who tried to make a pass at him ... saying he's aggressively homophobic.

Caldwell took the video as a personal threat -- and in court docs obtained by TMZ Sports, he wrote, "[Broner] says on social media that he coming to St. Louis to kill me."

The judge felt Caldwell had a reasonable fear and granted the temporary order -- which also requires both Broner and Caldwell from posting bad things about each other on social media.