Controversial S#!T

George Santos has just been arrested for a variety of alleged misdeeds, including lying.

Santos has been charged with 13 counts of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to the House of Representatives.

Santos was taken into custody by the FBI and is expected to be arraigned later today.

U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said when the indictment was unsealed, he "seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations," adding, "He used political contributions to line his pockets, unlawfully applied for unemployment benefits that should have gone to New Yorkers who had lost their jobs due to the pandemic, and lied to the House of Representatives."

Santos has been caught in a web of lies since his election victory last November. Some of his Republican colleagues wanted him expelled, but the leadership was radio silent on the issue.

According to the indictment, 2 of his supporters each transferred $25,000 to an account that was supposed to go to his campaign but was then transferred to a personal account. Santos allegedly used the funds to buy designer clothes and withdraw cash for personal debts.

It'll be interesting how Speaker Kevin McCarthy deals with Santos now.

Belal Muhammad doesn't plan on waiting for Leon Edwards and Colby Covington to fight ... the UFC star, coming off a decisive win over Gilbert Burns, tells us he wants to jump "Chaos" and scrap with "Rocky," and he knows precisely when and where.

UFC 294, October 21, Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi. UAE.

"I’m still hoping and praying that since Leon wants to fight in Abu Dhabi and he wants to fight in October that they’ll just let me fight him because that makes the most sense in the world," Belal told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).

"There’s not a bigger fight they can make in Abu Dhabi than me fighting for the belt in Abu Dhabi."

Dana White previously said Colby would get the next title shot. Assuming the UFC prez sticks with his original plan, we asked Belal if he's been told he has next.

"Yeah, for sure," Muhammad said, continuing ... "I saw Dana in the back. He said, ‘Yup, you got it, man. You earned it. You got your spot now.’ When you hear it from the boss’ mouth that’s all I need to hear. That’s like freakin' -- the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. You’re like, ‘Uh, got it, finally.’"

Of course, 34-year-old Muhammad beat Burns by unanimous decision at UFC 288 ... and is now the 3rd ranked welterweight, behind the champ, Edwards, former champ Kamaru Usman (#1), and the aforementioned Covington (#2).

FYI, Belal's resume is about as strong as it gets. He's won 9 fights in a row and hasn't lost since January 2019 (Geoff Neal). Over the course of the win streak, Muhammad has beaten the likes of Demian Maia, Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson, and Vicente Luque, amongst others.

Muhammad already fought Edwards in 2021 ... but the fight was stopped near the start of the 2nd round after an inadvertent eye poke forced Belal out of the fight. The bout was ruled a "no contest."

Belal believes he's done more than enough to run things back with Leon ... who is coming off a victory over Usman, the welterweight G.O.A.T.

"I’ve done everything I can do. I have five ranked wins. What else is there to do? There’s nothing else."

Check out the clip ... there's much more with the UFC star, from his breakdown of the fight with Burns to his plans to train with Khabib Nurmagomedov later this month.

E. Jean Carroll just released a statement, saying, "I filed this lawsuit against Donald Trump to clear my name and to get my life back. Today, the world finally knows the truth. This victory is not just for me but for every woman who has suffered because she was not believed."

Donald Trump was found liable in his battery and defamation trial involving E. Jean Carroll.

The jury of 6 men and 3 women reached the verdict Tuesday after deliberating for a mere 3 hours. They found the former president liable for defaming Carroll and sexually abusing her ... but not liable for rape. As a result, Carroll was awarded $5 million in damages.

As you know ... Carroll sued Trump for battery and defamation, claiming Trump raped her back in 1996 in a Manhattan department store dressing room. She said she was attacked by Trump after they ran into each other at the store and shopped together.

Trump maintained Carroll's allegation was just a "hoax" and claimed he wouldn't have raped her because she wasn't his type.

As we reported ... Carroll's attorney grilled Trump about his general treatment of women when he sat for a deposition as part of the suit.

In the depo, recorded on video last October, Trump clarifies his hot mic comments during his 2005 interview with Billy Bush, where he infamously said ... "And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything, grab them by the p****. You can do anything."

Carroll's attorney asked Trump if that's indeed what he said, and without blinking he responded, "Well, historically, that's true with stars. If you look over the last million years, I guess that's been largely true."

Trump then shockingly adds ... "Unfortunately or fortunately."

While Trump never appeared in court during the trial, he ripped Carroll as a "whack job" and a "nut job" in his deposition.

It will be interesting to see if Trump references the verdict tomorrow during his CNN town hall.

ESPN anchor John Anderson issued a mea culpa on Tuesday ... after he made an on-air joke about the last name of an NHL player who's of First Nations descent.

Anderson cracked the quip during an episode of "SportsCenter" on Monday night ... when he was reading over highlights of the Las Vegas Golden Knights' playoff win over the Edmonton Oilers.

As LV defenseman Zach Whitecloud was putting a shot in the net on the screen, Anderson said, "Zach Whitecloud -- what kind of name is Whitecloud?"

"Great name if you’re a toilet paper," he added.

The comment was immediately hit with backlash -- with many dragging Anderson for poking fun at Whitecloud, who, according to NHL.com, is "the first Indigenous NHL player from the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation."

Social media users called it offensive and crass -- and on Tuesday morning, Anderson said in a statement he was sorry about it all.

"This is totally on me and I sincerely apologize to Zach, the Golden Knights, their fans and everyone else for what I said," Anderson wrote. "It's my job to be prepared and know the backgrounds of the players and I blew it."

He added, "I will be reaching out to the team to personally apologize and hope to have the opportunity to speak to Zach as well."

Ex-NBA player John Amaechi is calling out West Virginia basketball coach Bob Huggins over the anti-gay comments he made earlier this week ... telling TMZ Sports everyone involved in the conversation is straight-up "disgusting."

As we previously reported, Huggins used homophobic slurs during a Cincinnati radio appearance on Monday ... referring to Xavier fans as "Catholic f**s" while speaking with Bill Cunningham on 700 WLW.

Amaechi -- who came out as gay in 2007 -- got wind of what the coaching legend said ... and he believes, unfortunately, Huggins isn't the only one in a sports leadership role who would use such a term.

"I don’t know the man -- but he sounds like a dinosaur," Amaechi tells TMZ Sports. "College (and indeed pro) sports are littered with them."

But Amaechi isn't just disappointed in Huggins -- he continued to speak out against the show's hosts ... saying they "are also disgusting and to blame for egging this conversation on and calling him 'the best' after he said those words."

"It's hardly surprising that some people still think it’s OK to say these words," he added. "As to whether he should be an educator (as a coach or otherwise), I would remind people that the vociferously anti-trans and anti-gay usually sit in a constellation where many other minority groups (including Black and Brown people) are also held in contempt."

Amaechi -- who played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic and Utah Jazz over the course of 5 seasons in the Association -- has become a voice for the LGBTQ+ community since coming out ... and has also built a career as a psychologist and professor at a Russell Group university.

He was recently honored for his work at an event ... where he gave a powerful monologue that actually ties in with Huggins' controversy.

"I won an award the other day from the Sports Industry, and in my acceptance speech, I talked about sports being an empty vessel that people fill with who they are -- if you imagine what this man fills his sport with, it's hard to imagine that the human outcomes will be positive, even if sporting success occurs," Amaechi says.

Jonathan Majors' big day in court turned out to be not so momentous after all -- because the charges he's facing remain in place ... something his attorney's not too happy about.

As you may have heard, the actor was due to appear before a judge Tuesday in what amounted to his first real chance to combat the criminal case that's been brought against him by the Manhattan D.A.'s Office -- but, in the end, nothing much came of it.

The D.A.'s Office tells us Majors' charges are still intact and unchanged from when they were first announced. For a refresher ... those charges include 3 counts of attempted assault as well as assault, a count of aggravated harassment and a separate count of harassment.

The D.A. says there'll be a future hearing to discuss a motion filed by Majors' legal team -- but it's unclear what exactly that's about. In any case, he's due back in court in June.

As for what happened -- or didn't, rather -- today ... Majors' defense attorney, Priya Chaudhry, tells TMZ ... she and her team forked over what they say is irrefutable evidence that supposedly exonerates their client ... but say the D.A. turned a blind eye to all of it.

She goes on to explain that the D.A. allegedly told her they would not "fix" their complaint against Majors based on what was submitted -- however, the attorney now says they recanted on that promise and changed the accuser’s story with her help. The attorney also says she has clear proof the alleged victim is lying about that night, and that Majors is the one who's being falsely prosecuted.

Chaudhry claims the D.A. is simply altering their approach to this case based on what she says is the woman's continuously changing story -- and that, she says, is a shame ... not to mention a classic witch hunt, which Chaudhry suggests might be racially motivated.

She says, "When Mr. Majors showed a white police officer the injuries the woman caused him, the white officer got in Mr. Majors' face and taunted him, saying that if the officer were to slap Mr. Majors, the officer wouldn't break his finger. None of the white officers present investigated the assault of Mr. Majors. Worse, the District Attorney has not indicated any intention to pursue charges against the woman, or even investigate the truth."

Chaudhry says this is an example of explicit and implicit bias that still exists in the criminal justice system -- as well as a glaring double standard JM was on the receiving end of that benefitted his accuser ... who, as his attorney has pointed out, is a white woman.

The attorney also claims to have obtained even more evidence that proves her client is innocent -- but says she's hesitant to share it out of fear of the D.A. tipping off the alleged victim to twist the narrative even further. We'll see what comes of this next month.

Dallas Braden, Oakland A's color commentator, is defending himself from critics who blasted the former pitcher for remaining silent after broadcasting partner Glen Kuiper used the n-word during a live broadcast last week, saying "My silence has been misrepresented."

"At the time of the incident, I was not aware that anything in the broadcast was amiss," Braden said in a lengthy statement on Twitter. "In that moment, I missed the live comment, and I was not aware of it until the sixth inning when Glen Kuiper made an apology."

He continued, "I would like you to know that this incident has, indeed, impacted me greatly."

Braden -- who pitched for Oakland from 2007-2011 -- noted commentators sometimes don't hear or see what the audience does due to the fast-paced, ever-changing nature of live broadcasts ... coupled with producers talking in their ears.

As we previously reported, Kuiper referred to the Negro League Museum as the "N***** League Museum", and Braden, sitting beside him, said nothing to Kuiper on air.

Kuiper apologized later in the game ... admitting he misspoke when he used the racial slur. Still, NBC Sports California suspended the 59-year-old, saying he wouldn't return until they investigated the incident.

Braden called Kuiper's remarks "an unfortunate mistake." He also said he supports him "as he furthers his work in understanding the impact and hurt" he's caused, adding he's doing his part to ensure this can be a teachable moment for everyone involved.

Offset was on dad duty Monday with his 2 little girls -- he took them to the world premiere of the live-action 'Little Mermaid' movie ... and everyone was looking like Disney royalty.

The ex-Migos rapper made it to the debut screening of the highly-anticipated flick -- which stars Halle Bailey as Ariel -- in Los Angeles ... where he and his daughter -- 8-year-old Kalea and 4-year-old Kulture -- walked the blue carpet as they were headed into the theater.

Their outfits were on point/on theme ... Offset was dressed to the nines, wearing an ensemble that strongly resembled what Prince Eric wears in the animated flick -- complete with a white jacket, black pants and shiny matching boots. His kids were even cuter.

Kalea and Kulture each donned gorgeous mini gowns and tiaras, looking like they were being taken to the ball that Cinderella went to in the fairy tale. Kalea even had her hair dyed red, just like Ariel does in the cartoon and just like Halle in the live-action film. It's clear the family was excited to see this one on the big screen -- and probably for good reason too.

As you may know ... Halle being cast as Ariel -- who's portrayed as white in the OG -- was a big deal in the African-American community ... serving as a crucial point of representation that hadn't really been seen before. Little Black girls everywhere reacted to the trailer when it came out ... and they all pretty much seemed to be in awe that Ariel looked like them.

Of course, there's been some backlash as well ... some of which, you could argue, is steeped in racism. No matter though -- the film's still coming out ... and it's a big deal.

No sign of Cardi here, which is fine. Looks like this was a dad-daughter date that Offset was more than happy to handle on his own -- and he certainly stepped up to the plate.

Howard Stern had some terse words for King Charles and his coronation -- going so far as to say he thought the guy was a "p****" and that the whole thing was a waste of money.

The radio talk show host went in on the Brits for putting on such an extravagant show for their new monarch -- who was officially crowned over the weekend in what amounted to a 3-day celebration, capping off with a massive concert with a lot pomp and circumstance.

You figure that's exactly what a coronation calls for, which HS says he understands -- but at his core ... he finds the idea revolting, seeing how they're pouring money down the drain.

Howard also takes some personal potshots at Charles himself ... saying the guy is no war hero, even though he kinda gets treated like one anyway by his royal subjects. His cohost, Robin, was getting in on the dogpile too ... and they called out Queen Camilla as well.

The 'American Idol' moment -- in which both Charles and Camilla made cameos on the show -- was in their crosshairs too ... with Howard saying they looked like complete stiffs on there.

Howard's gripes seem to be steeped in what a lot of people -- particularly Americans -- say about the monarchy ... namely, that it's outdated and completely unnecessary in modern times, both in terms of reverence paid and the money spent to showcase the Royal Family.

He says he gets its tie to tourism and that it drives interest in Britain at large, but the dude's completely unimpressed by the institution  ... and definitely isn't a fan of HRH, Chuck.

College basketball coaching legend Bob Huggins stuck his foot firmly in his mouth during a radio appearance on Monday morning ... using a homophobic slur not once -- but twice -- on the show.

Huggins, who's been the men's basketball head coach at West Virginia since 2007, dropped the offensive remarks while talking with Bill Cunningham about Xavier on the radio personality's 700 WLW show in Cincinnati.

Bill brought up the NCAA transfer portal with Huggins -- and asked if he had "poached any Xavier guys to come to play for West Virginia?"

Huggins responded that "Catholics don't do that" -- before he added, "Any school that can throw rubber penises on the floor and then say they didn’t do it, by God they can get away with anything."

Huggins seemed to be referencing an incident that happened when he was coaching for the Cincinnati Bearcats against the Musketeers in a Crosstown Shootout rivalry game prior to his time at WVU.

"I think it was transgender night wasn’t it?" Cunningham said ... before Huggins responded, "No, what it was, was all those f**s. Those Catholic f**s I think."

"They were envious they didn't have one."

Huggins coached at UC from 1989 to 2005. He had a brief stint as Kansas State's head coach from 2006 to 2007 before he joined the Mountaineers. In his career, he's earned 934 wins -- the eighth-most all-time -- and made two Final Fours.

Last season, he helped lead WVU to the NCAA tournament but lost in the first round to Maryland.

West Virginia has yet to comment on the coach's interview. Xavier has not yet either.

The suspect in the deadly shooting rampage at a Texas mall didn't keep his hateful beliefs a secret ... tattooing the Nazi swastika on his body and spreading sick messages on a Russian social media platform.

Mauricio Garcia, the gunman accused of gunning down 8 people and wounding others Saturday at an outdoor mall, had a large swastika tattooed on his chest ... plus a "SS" tattoo on his arm.

Garcia's alleged social media profile is reportedly chock full of hateful rants targeting women and minorities ... plus posts praising Adolf Hitler and neo-Nazis.

In one of the alleged social media posts, Garcia shows off a bulletproof vest with Punisher patches and one patch embroidered with "RWDS" ... which is short for "Right Wing Death Squad."

As we reported, the deadly shooting went down Saturday at the Allen Premium Outlets in Allen, Texas -- where video appears to show the gunman pulling up in a car, hopping out and firing into a crowd of shoppers.

Kanye West's political team members are dropping off one by one after Milo Yiannopoulos took over as his political director ... who tells us they're "cleaning house."

TMZ's obtained a letter filed to the Federal Election Commission, from Kanye's 2020 campaign committee treasurer, Patrick Krason, saying he resigned Monday morning. For context, Ye hasn't officially said he's running for prez in 2024, so it seems "Kanye 2020" is still being used as the name of his political action committee.

Krason says he notified higher-ups of his resignation, and "they have been made aware of the requirement to name a new treasurer within 10 days." He also says he made the rest of the team aware they can't raise or spend any funds until they find a new treasurer.

The move seems like it may relate to the bigger picture ... Kanye's political director Milo Yiannopoulos tells TMZ they are, "Cleaning house and professionalizing Ye's political team."

As we reported, Kanye re-hired Milo last week, and he instantly gave the boot to the rapper's right-hand man, Nick Fuentes, and Ali Alexander, one of Ye's political advisors.

Distraught Juice WRLD fans can take comfort ... plans for a new mural honoring him are already coming together after the original was abruptly removed from its Chicago site.

Peter Jideonwo, manager to the late "Lucid Dreams" rapper, tells TMZ Hip Hop that he and the family still have no clue who painted over the mural, which had become a beloved cultural landmark.

Thousands of fans flew to the windy city to see the original piece since its intro back in 2020 ... honoring Juice after his December 2019 death from a drug overdose.

The art piece cost the 999 Squad $50K to enlist artist Corey Pane.

No one has taken ownership of clearing the mural and the Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation even conducted a paint test to prove it had nothing to do with it.

The city agency tells us there are protocols in place for artists to register, and to be notified when their graffiti is slated to be removed as well.

Although they're still in the early planning stages, Peter tells us he and the rest of Juice’s team are not only plotting how the new installation can be a better piece, but also one that withstands vandals or accidents going forward.

Usher took the stage Saturday night at the "Lovers & Friends" music festival, after a physical confrontation with Chris Brown Friday night that left him bleeding.

Here's the thing ... Chris performed right before Usher, and never made reference to the fight.

As we reported, the confrontation went down at a roller rink party, after Usher and Chris got into a heated confrontation that turned physical. TMZ obtained video of the lead up to the fight.

Thing is ... Usher and Chris were super close, and the party was to celebrate Chris's 34th birthday with lots of celebs on hand.

As we reported, the fight was over Chris' scrapped AMAs performance last year -- when he was set to do an MJ tribute, which as 86'd at the last minute. As for what led up to the fight ... Teyana Taylor, who was at the party, was being confronted by Chris because he blames her for his canceled MJ tribute.

Chris demanded that Usher show her the door, and things escalated quickly.

Grammy-winner Robert Glasper is thankful for Chris Brown's temper tantrum about this year's Grammy ceremony ... mainly because the controversy helped line his pockets!!!

We caught up with Rob at LAX, where he told us he's still raking in the residuals from his "Black Radio III" album.

If you remember, the project took home the "Best R&B Album" Grammy in February -- and Chris cast a bigger spotlight on Robert's win with a sore loser reaction ... asking his 130 million+ followers "Who The F*CK is Robert Glasper?"

Rob eventually got an apology from Chris, but even better than that -- he sold the negative question on t-shirts, which he says earned him enough to buy a really nice car.

Our only question now is ... are we talking a Bentley or a very brand-new Buick?!!

He also says Chris' viral outburst scored him around 20,000 new followers and several musicians flooded his DMs hoping to collaborate.

Despite the bad reputation Dillon Brooks may get, fellow NBA player Wendell Carter Jr. tells TMZ Sports the Grizzlies forward is a solid player AND person ... and he'll do just fine on another team.

ICYMI, the 6-year-vet -- who becomes an unrestricted free agent this offseason -- has been catching heat from fans and analysts for his villainous antics recently, especially in Round 1 of the NBA playoffs against LeBron James.

To make matters worse for Brooks, the Grizzlies lost the series, 4-2 ... and now the Memphis organization reportedly wants to move on from the controversial player.

However, some are vouching for Brooks ... like Carter who told us great things about Brooks -- both on and off the court.

"I think Dillon Brooks is a great person and a great player," the Orlando Magic forward/center said.

"A lot of people like to make their narratives about a lot of players from whatever they may do, which I don't think is fair. But I feel like he's a great player."

Now, when it comes to Brooks' status in the league, Wendell thinks he'll be alright ... and his NBA career is far from over, regardless of what's being said about his character.

"He'll be in this league for a long time, whether it's with Memphis or somewhere else," Carter said. "He'll do just fine."