CELEBRITY JUSTICE ™

A singer has just filed a lawsuit claiming she was sexually molested when she was just 14 by her producer/agent/mentor.

The lawsuit does not mention the name of the girl or the alleged perpetrator. It claims she recorded an album in 2005 when she was 14, and she was signed to a 7-album deal. The lawsuit claims the entertainment company she worked with is "one of the most beloved, best-known and most valuable companies in the history of the world."

She says she was introduced to a man who was assigned to be her day-to-day producer/mentor/agent.

She says he became very controlling and the relationship changed. She claims in the lawsuit he began telling her he loved her and they were soulmates. She says he also made negative comments about her looks and weight.

She says he would rub and fondle her genitals and her body, digitally penetrate her and he would orally copulate her and forced her to do the same to him. She also claims they had intercourse, both vaginally and anally. On one occasion she claims she was drugged before anal intercourse.

She claims the man spent a significant amount of time with her mom to "groom" her.

The girl says the sexual abuse continued for 2 years ... on occasion at Staples Center, a music video set on the Warner Bros. lot, hotels, cars on public streets and other places.

Todd Chrisley and his wife, Julie, are not running from the law -- instead they're facing their tax evasion case head on, one day after the feds indicted them.

The "Chrisley Knows Best" stars surrendered Wednesday morning to the FBI in Atlanta, where there were open warrants for their arrest. According to local reports, the Chrisleys came in on their own accord and were taken into custody. They're set to appear in court later Wednesday ... presumably for a bond hearing.

As we reported ... the Chrisleys were slapped with the multi-count indictment Tuesday, alleging years of tax evasion, bank fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy between 2007 and 2012. The feds claim the couple ran a scheme in which they swindled banks out of millions of dollars in loans by providing fraudulent info -- not to mention screwing the public by dodging federal taxes on the money they earned. Their accountant was indicted as well.

The couple put out a lengthy statement shortly before the charges became public, denying any wrongdoing and trying to explain what exactly happened ... in their eyes, anyway.

Todd and Julie say a former employee of theirs is the one who was carrying out the financial crimes -- without their knowledge. They say they have nothing to hide.

R. Kelly wants to change up his legal team ... by bringing on one of the most powerful, successful criminal defense lawyers in the country ... Tom Mesereau.

Sources familiar with the case tell TMZ ... Mesereau is in Chicago right now, meeting with Kelly, who is charged with various sex crimes in 4 different jurisdictions -- Illinois State, Illinois Federal, New York Federal and Minnesota State. Raed Shalabi -- one of R. Kelly's current attorneys -- accompanied Mesereau into the jail to meet with Kelly behind bars.

In case you don't know ... Mesereau has worked miracles in the courtroom. He got Michael Jackson acquitted of child molestation in 2005, and got Robert Blake acquitted of murdering his wife, also back in 2005.

We're told Mesereau has not officially signed on, but that's the plan. If he does, he will be the lead attorney and possibly the sole attorney representing Kelly.

The big question ... how's Kelly paying his legal and other bills? As you know, he's struggled to pay child support and was even jailed for a time before someone footed the bill.

A$AP Rocky did not beat the rap in Sweden, because the judges in his assault case have found him guilty ... but he will NOT have to go to prison.

The 4 judges in the case issued their written ruling Wednesday ... concluding A$AP was guilty of assaulting a man during a street fight in Stockholm. The judges said Rocky, and his 2 friends who were also standing trial, "were not in a situation where they were entitled to self-defense."

The case hinged on whether A$AP threw a bottle at the victim during the all-out brawl in late June. Prosecutors argued Rocky hurled the bottle and badly cut the guy, but they couldn't produce a single witness who saw a bottle fly during the melee. Rocky conceded he was holding a bottle for protection, but put it down and it never made contact with the guy.

The judges said prosecutors did not prove the bottle was used to hit the victim. As a result, the judges said the crime did not warrant any further time served, and added Rocky will NOT have to do community service.

Rocky got a suspended sentence ... meaning he'll have to pay various fees and fines, and if he does he's in the clear. The judges felt Rocky and his co-defendants got ample punishment already with time served -- 1 month in a Swedish jail.

The upshot ... the court found hitting and kicking the victim while he was on the ground was a crime -- namely, assault -- because A$AP and his crew were not in danger of imminent harm, but prosecutors failed to prove the biggest issue ... that A$AP struck the victim with a bottle, and that's why he got no jail time.

A$AP and the co-defendants will, however, have to pay restitution to the victim, and also cover Sweden's court expenses.

As we reported, the alleged victim was the initial aggressor, harassing Rocky and his crew despite pleas from the rapper to leave them alone. The guy also attacked Rocky's bodyguard before A$AP took care of business.

A$AP was jailed for a month, and 3/4 of that time spent behind bars was before he was even charged. A$AP never claimed his arrest was racially motivated ... but his mom and G-Eazy had a different view.

The case became an international incident -- claims of racism and inhumane conditions in the jail. President Trump intervened ... but that didn't sit well with the Swedish Prime Minister who told him to butt out.

After a month in jail and a 3-day trial, the judges allowed Rocky to fly home to the states while they decided his fate. Prosecutors wanted Rocky to remain in jail pending the verdict, because they said he was a flight risk.

A$AP blew out of Sweden on a private jet, and was gleeful when he touched down at LAX.

As we reported ... Rocky performed last weekend at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA for the first time since his arrest and told his fans, "Hopefully I'm not guilty and hopefully we ain't gotta go back to jail or nothing like that."

Rocky seemed to indicate he would have returned to Sweden to do the time if found guilty -- however, that won't be an issue.

Jeffrey Epstein continues to be dogged by sexual abuse allegations in death -- a woman just sued his estate claiming he raped her as a teen ... and she appears to have a case thanks to a new state law.

32-year-old Jennifer Araoz just filed suit against Epstein's estate, as well as one of his alleged conspirators, Ghislaine Maxwell, claiming the billionaire financier sexually abused her for more than a year, culminating in an alleged brutal rape around 2002 at his NYC home. She's also suing 3 other women, including Epstein's secretary and his maid, claiming they were all in on the plot.

In the suit, obtained by TMZ, Araoz says Maxwell helped poach her from her high school, where she says she facilitated staking out young girls, and made them available to Epstein in 2001 at the age of 14. Araoz claims Epstein eventually invited her into his personal massage room where he asked her to partially disrobe and give him a massage, which she did.

The woman alleges he made a habit for a full year of finishing the massages by turning over and masturbating while grabbing her breast -- paying her $300 each time. One day, she claims he asked her to fully disrobe and sit on his stomach during the massage ... and then, suddenly, forced his penis inside her without a condom.

After that, Araoz says she cut off all communication with Epstein. Now, she's got an opportunity to go after damages in civil court due to a new New York law ... a law which gives victims of sexual abuse when they were minors a 1-year window from February 2019 to February 2020 to file a civil lawsuit -- regardless of when the alleged abuse took place. This is a one-time only law.

Araoz detailed her allegations earlier this summer on national television -- but the law gives her a chance to have them heard in court ... in front of a judge.

Rapper Roddy Ricch allegedly grabbed his girlfriend during a heated argument at his home, and now he's facing possible felony domestic violence charges.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the Compton MC got into a verbal spat with his girlfriend early Sunday morning at his Los Angeles pad. We're told the dispute eventually turned physical, and sources say Roddy put his hands on the woman during their argument.

Roddy was arrested and booked for felony domestic violence. We're told the alleged victim did not need medical attention.

The 20-year-old rapper was released on $50,000 bond.

Roddy Ricch has made a name for himself in the West Coast rap scene ... his music videos are getting millions of views on YouTube, and he was featured on Nipsey Hussle's hit track, "Racks In The Middle." Roddy's also working on a collab with Drake.

Scary moment for NY Yankees GM Brian Cashman ... Connecticut cops had their guns pointed straight at him during a traffic stop last week -- and the terrifying incident was caught on video.

52-year-old Cashman was stopped in Darien, Connecticut last Friday after cops mistakenly thought he had stolen the Jeep he was driving.

The police footage from the incident is intense ... officers pointed firearms at the Yanks exec and screamed at him to get out of the car and slowly move toward them.

Eventually, cops realized Cashman did NOT, in fact, steal his own car ... and the situation was diffused.

But, before officers let Cashman go, they had a funny interaction with the guy -- recognizing him as the Yankees' personnel man!!

"You look very familiar to me," the cop says ...

“I’m the GM of the New York Yankees,” Cashman responds.

“Yeah, I know,” the cop replies ... “I used to see you at Brook Street Bagels when I was an Eastchester cop. I apologize for the embarrassment."

Cashman was free to go after that.

The backstory behind the stop is wild ... Cashman had his Jeep stolen in Connecticut a few weeks ago, and after it was found in the Bronx and returned to Cashman -- he drove it back to Connecticut to have it processed for evidence.

But, Cashman says cops forgot to take the car off the stolen list when they returned it ... and when Darien cops ran his license plate, it still came up as a stolen vehicle.

To make matters worse, Cashman says Darien police were already looking for a white Jeep after a man driving that car had allegedly brandished a gun in a local doctor's office.

Everything has since calmed down for the GM ... and he says he has no hard feelings for police after the wild scene.

Art really does imitate life -- the "Empire" crew is firing up its cameras pretty much exactly where their former star, Jussie Smollett, insists he fell victim to a racist and homophobic attack.

FOX had a bunch of crew members from the show setting up a shot Tuesday in Chicago ... literally within a stone's throw from where Jussie says the Osundairo brothers gave him a clobbering, poured bleach on him and left a rope around his neck.

The set is literally in the shadow of Jussie's apartment building ... it's the high-rise with the reflective windows.

There are only stand-ins in these pics, but it's clear "Empire" is getting ready to shoot something. No word whether they're incorporating elements of Smollett's real-life drama into the show -- but this can't be a coincidence ... they've gotta know the significance of the location.

You'll recall ... Jussie said he got jumped around 2 AM on his way home from grabbing a sandwich, just near his apartment building on the 300 block of East North Water Street.

That's where the "Empire" team had set up camp. To give you a visualization ... here's a side-by-side of the block where the attack allegedly happened, and where production trucks are now parked.

Of course, Jussie was eventually accused of lying and making the whole thing up, and got indicted by a grand jury too. He was cleared of all criminal charges though in a tit for tat with Cook County State Attorney's Office -- but he's not out of the woods yet.

The City of Chicago is suing him for the cost of the investigation and then some, and Jussie's currently in the middle of trying to fight it.

Todd and Julie Chrisley are now under federal indictment for tax evasion and fraud, but the reality stars say they knew the charges were coming and insist they did nothing wrong.

A federal grand jury in Atlanta indicted Todd and Julie Tuesday on multiple counts of conspiracy, bank fraud, wire fraud and tax evasion. The couple's accountant, Peter Tarantino, was also indicted on tax-related offenses.

The U.S. Attorney's Office claims Todd and Julie defrauded banks by fraudulently obtaining millions of dollars in loans, and also claims the couple cheated taxpayers by actively evading federal taxes on the money they earned.

According to prosecutors, Todd and Julie ran the scheme from 2007 through 2012, allegedly fabricating documents and providing false information to banks when applying for and receiving millions of dollars in loans ... which they allegedly used to fund their lavish lifestyle.

According to the indictment, Todd allegedly worked with a partner to make it look like one of his bank accounts had $4 million, when they actually didn't even have an account at that bank at the time. The feds claim Todd emailed his partner, "You are a f***ing genious [sic]!!!! Just make it show 4 mil+."

As for Julie's role ... the feds claim she fabricated multiple financial documents by physically cutting and gluing or taping them together. According to the indictment, Todd allegedly told someone he was working with to "find a crooked accountant."

Aaron Carter isn't taking any chances with an ex-girlfriend he says threatened to stab him with a knife ... he was just granted a restraining order against the woman.

Aaron filed for a restraining order Monday in L.A. County Superior Court against Lina Valentina -- his ex who cops recently named as a suspect in a domestic violence report.

According to the docs, Aaron says Lina threatened to stab him several times and carries a knife with her. He claims she physically abused him during their relationship, shoving him and hitting him in the face.

TMZ broke the story ... police took a report for an alleged incident between Aaron and Lina that went down July 31 around 2 AM at the singer's Lancaster pad. Our sources say Aaron told cops she slapped him in the face, leaving a bruise on his cheek.

The alleged incident happened only days before Aaron confirmed his split with Lina.

The Showtime drama "Billions" could be on the hook for stacks of cash for its portrayal of a Native American tribe and one of its honchos.

A real-life Cayuga Nation Council member Clint Halftown points out there's a character on the show named Jane Halftown ... who just happens to be a council member. In the suit, Clint calls out a scene where Paul Giamatti's character is discussing a land deal with Jane Halftown that reeks of corruption on the part of the tribe.

According to the suit, the Nation claims "Billions" makes it seem like the Cayuga are all about accepting "unlawful gratuities" and coercing politicians into getting their way.

In the suit, the Nation says "Billions" producers were lazy because they didn't bother to change names -- as in using a fictitious tribe and council member. They claim they DID do that for the main characters. For instance, the show's star, Damian Lewis, plays Bobby Axelrod ... and they claim he's widely considered to be modeled after real-life hedge fund manager Steve Cohen.

Halftown and the Cayuga Nation say Showtime and the show's producers can make things right in two ways: stop referring to the Nation and the Halftown character in future episodes AND compensate the Nation for the damage to its reputation.

Showtime along with producers Brian Koppelman, Andrew Sorkin and David Levien are named as defendants. We've reached out to Showtime, but no word back.

Ex-"Deadliest Catch" star Jake Harris has been behind bars ever since his January arrest ... and it would behoove him to get comfy 'cause he's gonna be there a while longer.

According to legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Harris was sentenced to 18 months in Skagit County Corrections following his arrest on 2 felony charges ... driving under the influence and possession with intent to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance ... heroin.

As we reported ... Harris led state troopers on a chase in Skagit County, Washington when he took off with his RV. Cops say they noticed signs of drug use after they pulled him over -- pinpoint pupils, bloodshot eyes and a pale face. He was arrested and pled guilty to the 2 felony charges.

'Bachelor' creator Mike Fleiss THOUGHT he settled his divorce case with wife Laura Kaeppeler, but turns out it's still raging, because Mike paid her $10 mil, she took the kid out of state and she's not communicating with him.

TMZ broke the story ... Mike and Laura settled their divorce case late last month ... he agreed to pay her $10 million, they agreed to 50/50 joint legal and physical custody of their 4-year-old son, Ben, and she agreed to drop her domestic violence restraining request against him.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Mike paid her the cash, and on August 4 she left for Hawaii and went radio silent. He has tried to communicate with her, to no avail. He has not been able to see or speak with Ben since she left.

According to the agreement, Laura is allowed to live in Hawaii, but she has certain obligations. She's supposed to meet with renowned psychologist Stan Katz to figure out effective co-parenting, but according to the legal docs she has not set up an appointment to meet with him.

Fleiss planned to fly to Hawaii August 13, which is when he's entitled to get Ben for custodial time, but he's now in the dark because she won't communicate with him.

Fleiss' lawyer, disso queen Laura Wasser, has filed papers to get some action from the judge, but the hearing was set for late September. We're told they're hopeful they can work things out with Kaeppeler -- especially a co-parenting plan -- but it seems that may not happen easily.

Sources close to Kaeppeler say Fleiss went to court for an emergency order Monday but the judge denied it because it was not an emergency ... in part because the child lives in Hawaii. The sources say they're already working with Stan Katz.

Ex-NBA star Sebastian Telfair has been sentenced to 3 1/2 years behind bars for possessing an illegal firearm in 2017 ... TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported ... the 34-year-old former high school phenom was busted back in June 2017 in Brooklyn .... after cops found an arsenal of weapons in his car during a traffic stop.

Officials say the former Trail Blazer, Celtic, Clipper and Timberwolf (to name a few) had 3 pistols and what appeared to be a semi-automatic rifle.

Telfair was convicted of one count of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon back in April ... and was facing up to 15 years behind bars, so it could've been worse for the hooper.

Jeffrey Epstein was the target of death threats from fellow inmates during his stay at Manhattan's Metropolitan Correctional Center ... and should have been watched 24/7 ... this according to multiple sources connected with the investigation.

Our sources say ... despite being taken off suicide watch, there was concern for Epstein's safety in the Special Housing Unit -- the SHU -- and he was supposed to be watched around the clock.

We're told several of the threats involved extortion ... put money in the inmate's commissary account or else endure physical violence. We're told the extortion started early on ... before July 23, when Epstein apparently attempted suicide.

There is a protocol that guards check on inmates in the SHU every 15 to 30 minutes, but more time elapsed between checks during the time Epstein apparently took his own life by hanging.

We say "apparently took his own life," because prison officials still haven't said how he died. As we reported, a camera is trained on all the cell doors inside the SHU, which would show if someone -- another inmate or a guard -- entered to do him harm.

Prison officials clearly know if someone came in or if Epstein acted alone, but they're not saying.

Although an autopsy was performed Sunday, we're told one reason the conclusion was deferred is because the Medical Examiner must say whether death was a suicide or at the hands of another.

Cardi B, French Montana, Yo Gotti, City Girls and Master P all sampled a beat in some of their most famous tracks but when it came time to pay the DJ who created it, they went radio silent ... so claims the DJ in a lawsuit.

Kirk Edwards -- who goes by DJ JMK -- is suing the rappers claiming he produced a beat Master P famously rapped over in 2002. JMK says his track, "Choppa Style," has over 9 million streams on YouTube, and a small chunk of that track has been sampled in other notable tracks.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Cardi B and City Girls sampled a portion of 'Choppa' last year for their mega hit, "Twerk." JMK also says Yo Gotti and French Montana did it on "Oh Yeah" in 2017.

Specifically, JMK says he should have been paid for the samples, but never got his dough.

JMK -- who said he made the instrumental in November 2000 and played it at clubs where he DJ'd -- says the rappers have all "misappropriated many of the recognizable and key protected elements" of his work. He's now suing for copyright infringement.