Crime & Arrests

Chris Brown's touched down in the USA, less than a week after being arrested overseas for allegedly raping a woman ... something he strongly denies, and led him to file a defamation suit.

CB landed in a private jet with his crew at the Van Nuys airport outside L.A. Saturday afternoon. Everyone looked pretty chill after the long flight ... and what was surely a turbulent week in Paris.

As we reported ... Brown was arrested by French police Monday after a woman claimed she was raped by the singer in his hotel suite. CB was released on his own recognizance without bail hours later, though, and free to leave France ... though he stuck around for work.

While the rape case hasn't been dismissed, we're told police had big problems with the accuser's version of events ... which factored into their decision to let Brown go.

Bobby Beausoleil -- one of Charles Manson's followers who's been in prison for murder for almost 49 years -- is on the verge of getting out, and he might have a Lady Gaga documentary to thank for helping his case.

If you don't know, Beausoleil's not considered part of the Manson "family," but he was an associate and was convicted of first-degree murder in 1970. Despite an initial life sentence, he was recommended for parole by a California parole panel earlier this month ... after being rejected 18 times before.

According to transcripts from his parole hearing, Beausoleil was asked several questions about his music and art in relation to his connection to Manson, and he made it clear ... his art stands alone.

To prove his point ... Beausoleil pointed out the soundtrack he provided for the 1972 short film "Lucifer Rising" was sampled in the 2017 documentary about Lady Gaga, "Gaga: Five Foot Two."

Beausoleil told the parole board ... "The Lady Gaga documentary used a portion of it ... and it has been used in other films." He added ... "It is respected on its own merits as art ... I think it is important to try to see it as something that is not representative of something that is related to Manson."

We looked into it, and his story checks out ... 2 tracks from "Lucifer Rising" were used in the Gaga doc, and Bobby is credited as the writer.

It's unclear if Lady Gaga had any input about the musical selections for the doc -- which was directed by Chris Moukarbel -- but we reached out to her rep ... no word back so far.

Sarah Palin's oldest son is walking free in Alaska after being released from a residential center he was forced to live in following his domestic violence arrest ... TMZ has learned.

The Alaska Department of Corrections confirms Track Palin was released Thursday from the Cordova Residential Center, where he was serving his sentence for a domestic violence incident.

As we reported ... Track was sentenced to a year in the center in October for allegedly hitting a woman with whom he lived. Track checked into the facility Dec. 5, and Thursday's release means he's getting out way earlier than expected.

According to online court records ... Track is getting credit for time spent on an electronic monitoring device, hence the early release.

6:02 PM PT -- Stone is now stumping for money, because he says he can't pay off his mounting legal bills without help from the public.

Stone says he's facing $2 million in potential legal fees, and plugs a website where people can donate money to help him pay for his defense.

Stone also says he needs money to pay for security for him and his family, because he says he gets 4 to 5 death threats a week and gets harassed in public.

9:40 AM PT -- Stone just greeted a group of fans -- and haters -- telling them he'll plead not guilty to the charges.

8:47 AM PT -- Stone was just released on a $250,000 bond. Interestingly, he threw up the infamous Nixon double peace sign as he walked out.

Stone worked on Prez Nixon's '72 campaign, and also has a back tattoo of the President's face.

Roger Stone ain't having a TGIF kinda day -- FBI agents pounded on his door before sunrise and arrested President Trump's ex-campaign adviser.

Stone was arrested around 6 AM Friday at his house in Fort Lauderdale after being indicted by special counsel Robert Mueller. Armed agents in bulletproof vests surrounded Stone's home and hauled him off ... reportedly in his pajamas. His apartment in Manhattan was also raided.

Stone's been charged with 7 counts -- 5 counts of false statements, one count of witness tampering and one count of obstruction of an official proceeding.

As you know, Mueller's team has been investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election, and Stone has previously acknowledged communicating with Guccifer 2.0 during the campaign, who intelligence officials believe was a Twitter account operated by Russia to hack Democratic emails.

Stone's also been linked to WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange, who he publicly praised after the hacked emails were released. Stone's denied any contact with Russia or WikiLeaks since the election.

Stone's arrest isn't entirely a surprise -- especially to him ... he said in May he was prepared to be indicted, and claimed Mueller might do it in an effort to silence him.

If you're keeping track, this makes 5 associates of the Prez who have been busted by Mueller ... following Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn, Rick Gates and George Papadopoulos. His former lawyer, Michael Cohen, separately pled guilty to tax evasion and campaign finance violations.

Stone's expected to be arraigned Friday in federal court in Ft. Lauderdale.

Originally Published -- 6:43 AM PST

Chris Brown's rape accuser is attempting to clarify key points of her claims, because her lawyer is saying she was under "great psychological pressure" during the alleged rape.

The alleged victim's lawyer, Franck Serfati, told the Associated Press Thursday his client "was not pressured physically" into having sex with CB, and the lawyer insists "non-consensual sex" allegedly took place.

Serfati says Chris allegedly "cornered her in a room that was locked" ... the lawyer also claims "there were forced sexual relations" and says his client "was only with men, older men, men who you imagine to be buff."

We broke the story ... Paris police had big problems with the accuser's story because she told cops Chris raped her in his hotel suite and then she went into another room and was raped again. We're told cops find her story almost impossible to believe because she never attempted to leave or alert anyone.

Chris' Parisian lawyer filed a defamation suit against the alleged victim Thursday morning.

As we reported ... Chris was freed by cops Tuesday, hours after he was arrested ... and he's been hanging around in Paris, where he's working on a music video.

Troubled 'Teen Mom' star Ryan Edwards was arrested over a whiskey bill.

According to police documents, obtained by TMZ, Edwards was at Bud's bar in Hamilton County, Tennessee where he ordered 6 Jack Daniel's whiskey, raking up a bill of $36 and then walking out without forking over the money.

The bartender called the cops and recognized his face from photos in the Criminal Justice Portal. His mug was there because he's been arrested multiple times before, for drug possession and other offenses.

Police located Edwards and arrested him for Theft of Services Under $1,000.

According to cops, Edwards was in the bar from noon till 4 PM, when he left.

The incident went down last month, but he was arrested Wednesday.

He is still in custody and is being held without bail, because of another pending criminal case in a neighboring county.

Chris Brown is walking around Paris without fear of getting cuffed and hauled back to the police station, because cops found his rape accuser's story almost impossible to believe ... TMZ has learned.

One source directly connected to the case tells us, "The weakest part of the case is the alleged victim's statement to police."

We're told she told cops that Chris raped her in his hotel suite dressing room for somewhere between 25 and 30 minutes. She says she then went into another room and was raped again, this time by one of Brown's friends. And then, she said she was "abused" for a third time in another room. We're told police believe the story doesn't hold water because she never attempted to leave or alert anyone of the 20 or so people who were in the living room.

Right or wrong, we're told that's why cops made the decision to release Brown without any conditions, including surrendering his passport. A source close to Brown says police actually apologized to Brown when they let him go.

What's especially interesting ... Brown didn't beeline it for the airport. He's staying in Paris -- at the same hotel -- apparently without fear he'll be arrested again. We're told the investigation is still ongoing, although it seems authorities have made some fundamental decisions about the case.

Brown certainly acted like he was exonerated Wednesday, when he mingled in public, proclaiming his love for everyone.

Chris Brown is NOT getting the hell outta Dodge after cops released him ... instead he's hanging around Paris for one good reason -- money, and lots of it.

TMZ's learned the singer is right in the middle of shooting a music video. He was seen performing Wednesday on a Paris street. We're told he's honoring his commitment to the project before he takes off Thursday.

We're told Chris dropped 6 figures on the music vid -- for an upcoming song called "Back to Love" -- so it's pretty important to make it happen. Our sources say in addition to the video, he's also working on another project with a dance studio.

Earlier in the day, Brown was seen publicly for the first time since his arrest as he left the Mandarin Oriental Hotel -- the same place where the alleged rape went down. He had nothing but love for everybody.

As we reported ... he was arrested Monday night by French police on possible rape and narcotics charges, but got released the same day without conditions. Chris was allowed to keep his passport and return home, but he's clearly not in a hurry to flee.

Chris Brown is stepping out in public for the first time since being arrested for allegedly raping a woman in a Paris hotel -- something he called total BS -- but today he's spreading a message of love.

Brown was leaving the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Paris Wednesday -- the same place where the alleged rape went down -- and he had just a few simple words to share, "I love everybody."

As we reported ... Chris was arrested Monday night by French police on possible rape and narcotics charges. The alleged victim told Closer Magazine Brown brutally and violently assaulted her for 25-30 minutes in a dressing room after a night of partying.

Although prosecutors initially told us Chris would have to answer in court and possibly surrender his passport, he was released the same day of the arrest with no conditions. He still has his passport and is free to return to the U.S.

Sources familiar with the Parisian legal system tell us there are signs the case fell apart.

Jay-Z, Meek Mill and a coalition of powerful voices have formed a new organization that they say will "fight different" for criminal justice reform ... and they've got $50 mil between all of them to get it started.

The rappers joined forces with the likes of Patriots owner Robert Kraft, 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin, Nets co-owner Clara Wu Tsai, Van Jones and others to launch Reform Alliance Wednesday, which they say will fight to get at least a million people out of jail over the next five years with a focus on probation and parole.

Meek kicked things off by recounting his harrowing story of being jailed for 5 months on a petty probation violation, and says there are countless people caught up in the system who are voiceless ... for whom he now wants to speak and fight.

He did an interview on The Breakfast Club last month, and outlined the parameters of what his support would look like.

The group announced Van would lead the effort as the CEO, and he gave a poignant speech saying Reform Alliance would amplify the social activists who've been pushing for this reform for decades now. He made clear that RA was not a bank, that it wasn't just going to hire a bunch of lawyers for people and that it wouldn't be reinventing the wheel of criminal justice reform.

On the contrary, Van says the org aims to change fundamental laws that are unjust and ass-backward, which incarcerate men and women for absurd lengths of time ... and cost taxpayers millions of dollars unnecessarily.

Jay also spoke on why he joined the board, saying that the issue of criminal justice reform affects everybody in one way or another. He also highlighted what a complete family unit can achieve even under the hardest conditions when education is at the forefront.

As you know, Meek has become a symbol for criminal justice reform following his 2-4 year prison sentence for probation violations in 2017, and he's been championing the cause ever since his hard-fought release on bail.

The movement's already been effective ... President Trump signed the First Step Act into law, earning huge praise from CNN's Van Jones.

Alec Baldwin just got a great result in his criminal assault and harassment case, after prosecutors realized the surveillance video created huge problems for them.

Baldwin appeared in an NYC courtroom Tuesday and prosecutors revealed they were willing to not only lower the charge to harassment in the 2nd degree, but they also cut a deal in which Baldwin would take a few anger management courses and the whole thing would just go away.

The case involved a parking dispute back in November between Baldwin and another man outside the actor's NYC apartment. Baldwin felt the guy underhandedly swept in and took his spot. The guy claimed Alec punched him in the jaw and filed a police report.

TMZ broke the story that the surveillance video did not show Baldwin punch the guy. Rather, it showed the 2 men shoving each other, which is consistent with mutual combat.

Prosecutors told the judge after reviewing the surveillance video and speaking with witnesses, a lower charge was appropriate.

Chris Brown is going on the offensive after his arrest for allegedly raping a woman in Paris, because he's going to sue her for defamation.

Chris' Parisian lawyer, Raphael Chiche, says, "Chris Brown is free. No lawsuits were filed against him. He vigorously challenges the charges against him. A complaint for slanderous denunciation will be filed tomorrow with the public prosecutor of Paris."

As we reported, Chris claims he was set up by the 24-year-old model, who claimed Chris took her to his hotel in Paris and violently raped her. Chris called BS, saying he was never alone with the women. We're told he insists he was playing music off his iPhone in the living room of the suite with 20 people around him the entire time.

Vinny Guadagnino made his pitch that fellow "Jersey Shore" star Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino could do way more good if he weren't behind bars ... and he made the pitch to Kim Kardashian.

We got Vinny Tuesday at LAX, and he said his buddy is doing fine behind bars. He was worried, but he's been assured by Mike's wife, Lauren, he's doing great.

After some talk about getting jacked in prison, Vinny makes his pitch to Kim, who's batting 3-0 in her effort to free certain inmates.

1:20 PM PT -- French prosecutors tell TMZ Brown is free to leave France. He was released on his own recognizance, without bail.

1:08 PM PT -- We've confirmed Brown and the other 2 men who were detained have been released. The prosecutor's office tells TMZ, "The investigations, which are not closed at this stage, will continue under the authority of the Paris prosecutor's office."

12:33 PM PT -- A source close to Chris tells us he and his team were just released from police custody. Chris just took to Instagram to seemingly address the situation, saying, "This Bitch Lyin'." He continues, " I WANNA MAKE IT PERFECTLY CLEAR...... THIS IS FALSE AND A WHOLE LOT OF CAP! NNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEERRRRRR!!!!!!"

"FOR MY DAUGHTER AND MY FAMILY THIS IS SO DISPRESPECTFUL AND IS AGAINST MY CHARACTER AND MORALS!!!!!"

Chris Brown allegedly raped a woman in a hotel dressing room for 25-30 minutes and it was "brutal and violent" -- so says Closer Magazine, which posted an article claiming to have interviewed the alleged victim.

Closer, which broke the story Brown was being investigated for rape, calls the woman by a pseudonym -- Karima -- a 24-year-old model who told the mag she met Brown at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Paris on January 15 at around 10:30 PM and then went to a nightclub.

Karima told Closer at 4 AM Brown and his crew wanted to return to the hotel, and she said she was tired but they convinced her to go back to the Mandarin with a group of people.

She says once inside his suite, she went to the bathroom, Brown followed her and "catches me by the right arm. He makes me enter a sort of dressing room. He closed the door ... it lasted 25-30 minutes."

She describes the alleged rape as "brutal and violent." She says she was then "abused" by one of Brown's friends and a bodyguard.

Karima says she went to cops 2 days later, adding she was scared but ultimately decided she didn't want Brown to "be able to do the same things to other girls."

Someone connected to Brown tells us the singer was never alone with the alleged victim and says Chris' girlfriend, Ammika Harris, was in the hotel room the whole time. He says there were more than 20 people in the room "hanging out" and listening to music Brown was playing on his iPhone.

We have reached out to Brown's U.S. lawyer for a response, but so far no word back.

12:20 PM PT -- According to R. Kelly's attorney Melvin L. Sims III ... despite the violations, the judge sided with the singer and rejected the City of Chicago's motion to shut the building down completely.

Kelly's legal team argued the problems with the studio did not mount to an "Emergency" situation, so instead, repairs were ordered along with the removal of personal items. Sims says the studio is still open for business as a studio during normal working hours.

R. Kelly is in serious trouble with Chicago officials because the city is going after him for a laundry list of building violations at his studio ... and it could end up costing the singer a ton of cash!!!

The Chicago studio, heavily featured in "Surviving R. Kelly" was slammed with 66 building code violations, most notably for using the place as a residence and not obtaining permits to build a sauna, steam room and a bar ... this according to legal docs.

In the docs, each violation comes with a fine ranging between $500 to $1,000 for each day the violation goes unaddressed ... and with 66 violations, R. Kelly could be looking at a fine between $33k to $66k per day!

The court has already ordered R. Kelly to remove all personal items from the premises and he can only use the space as a recording studio from 9 AM to 5 PM.

As you know ... R. Kelly's studio was swarmed last week by Chicago cops and the Cook County Building and Zoning Department -- and they ended up filing a complaint against R. Kelly.

Sources close to R. Kelly deny he's ever lived in the studio and R. Kelly believes the space is exactly as it was when he first started renting it 3-4 years ago.

5:45 AM PT -- A longtime Parisian criminal defense lawyer tells TMZ, Chris has effectively been arrested. Within 2 days he must either be released or appear in court, where a prosecutor can ask the judge to either keep Brown in custody pending trial or let him go free with "obligations." If Brown's released with obligations, we're told he could be required to surrender his passport to French authorities and would remain in Paris pending trial, which typically takes a year.

The lawyer adds Brown could be required to go to the police station every 2 weeks to ensure he's still in France.

Chris Brown and two members of his team have been arrested by French police after a woman claims she was raped by the singer in a hotel.

French authorities confirm to TMZ Brown has been detained and is in custody for alleged aggravated rape and narcotics offenses. Authorities went on to say he is being processed, which is the French version of being arrested and booked.

The woman says she met Brown overnight between January 15-16 at club Le Crystal and then headed back to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel with the singer where she claims to have been raped.

Investigators have two days to decide to file preliminary charges or to let Brown go.

Chris was spotted at Le Cirque Club in Paris Saturday night -- just three days after the alleged rape -- with Ammika Harris, a woman who he is reportedly dating.

Brown was prosecuted for felony assault and making criminal threats after he brutally attacked Rihanna in Los Angeles. The beating left Rihanna with visible facial injuries to her eyes and mouth which required hospitalization.

Brown later pled guilty to a felony and was sentenced to community service, 5 years probation and domestic violence counseling.

Brown was sued back in May by a woman who claimed she was raped at a party at the singer's home. The woman claimed Brown supplied party attendees with Molly, cocaine and weed and that it was one of his friends who raped her.

The LAPD investigated the woman's claim after she filed a report, but could not determine if the sex was forced or consensual. The lawsuit is ongoing.