Crime & Arrests

Kathie Lee Gifford isn't about to weigh in on R. Kelly -- she's leaving that to a much higher power, but she firmly believes it's not too late for the embattled singer.

We got the "Today" host Tuesday in NYC, and asked if she thought there was any way for Kelly to redeem himself after the lurid allegations involving the 2 new sex tapes Michael Avenatti turned over to prosecutors. KLG immediately got biblical on us by suggesting Kelly seek redemption in God's eyes.

As you know, he's facing 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse.

Kathie Lee says the legal process will run its course but adds ... Kelly should only be thinking about ONE judge right now.

YBN Almighty Jay is turning himself in to cops who are investigating him for allegedly stealing another rapper's chain, Rolex and cash ... but he tells us 5-0's got the wrong guy.

We got the rapper Tuesday as he was about to walk in to LAPD -- a little more than a week after cops named him a suspect for felony grand theft. Still, he strongly denies he's the culprit ... telling us, repeatedly, "I didn't do s**t!"

We broke the story ... YBN was filming videos in Chatsworth, CA with another rapper, Skinnyfromthe9 ... when he and his crew allegedly ran off with tons of loot -- a $40k chain, $20k Rolex and $20k cash.

In surveillance footage of the incident, you see a couple men approach Skinny's Range Rover which YBN was standing next to, and after a struggle ... the men run away.

YBN admits it's him in the video, but insists he had nothing to do with jacking the cash and jewelry.

10:58 AM PT -- R. Kelly's attorney, Steven Greenberg, tells TMZ, "In 30 years of practicing criminal defense law, I have never seen anyone prosecuted for non-payment of child support. Maybe it happens, but I've never seen it done in Illinois."

10:25 AM PT -- Drea Kelly's management team tells TMZ, "We are aware that they are bringing criminal charges for non-payment of child support and we support any and all efforts that will make sure that his children are taken care of."

R. Kelly's freedom may be short-lived because we've learned prosecutors in Chicago are looking at charging him with the CRIME of failing to pay child support.

Sources connected to the case tell TMZ, the State's Attorney is investigating the over $160k he owes ex-wife Drea Kelly. We're told Drea has been in touch with prosecutors who are now looking to charge R. Kelly with the offense of failure to support. Any amount over $20k can be filed as a felony.

If he's charged, he can be immediately arrested and will land right back in jail.

As you know, the judge has ordered the singer to pay the $161,663 by March 6 or else he'll go back to jail. But, our sources say the State's Attorney does not want the singer out of custody and is now looking at accelerating things by filing a criminal case.

R. Kelly clearly had problems posting bond in the sex abuse case. He sat in jail for days until a friend posted the $100k.

WWE Hall of Famer Tammy Sytch -- aka "Sunny" -- was arrested for DWI in New Jersey over the weekend, the 6TH time she's been busted for drunk driving.

Officials say the 46-year-old was driving the WRONG WAY on a one-way street around 6:30 PM on Saturday. She also blew through a stop sign.

When cops pulled her over, officers noticed she had an alcoholic container in the car and believed she was drunk -- so they arrested her on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

Cops say during the incident, they also realized Sytch was driving on a suspended license and she had two outstanding warrants out for her arrest.

Sytch was taken into custody and hauled to a nearby station. She was eventually released after facing a judge via video conference.

Sytch has a long and sad history with alcohol abuse and police. She's been arrested for drunk driving 6 times starting back in 2012 and just last year, she served 8 months in jail after 3 DUI arrests in 2018.

The last time we spoke with Sunny back in April 2017, she said she was cleaning herself up and completing rehab.

Sytch is a WWE legend -- she's widely considered the first WWE Diva and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame back in 2011.

If "Empire" money was Jussie Smollett's motivation to allegedly stage an attack, he certainly never showed his cards to the people who could actually make it happen.

"Empire" production sources tell TMZ ... none of the brass -- producers or EPs -- heard even a whisper from Jussie grousing he was underpaid. Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said Jussie staged the "attack" to raise his profile and get more per episode.

Our sources say, if Jussie was upset about his salary, he kept it to himself. He was in the middle of a long-term contract and the executives, who are in a position to bust the deal or sweeten the pot, say neither Jussie nor his reps ever asked.

Jussie was pulling in a reported $125,000 per episode. We're told that's on par with actor Bryshere Y. Gray, who plays his brother, Hakeem. Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard reportedly make $250,000 an episode.

We're told Jussie's main focus recently was the release of new music. He was upset his first album didn't do well and was stressed out over the debuts of his new songs and music videos.

R. Kelly is a free man again -- it was total pandemonium as he walked out of jail -- and he'll have to pay off a 6-figure child support tab almost immediately if he wants to avoid getting locked up again.

Kelly's $100k bond -- 10% of his $1 million bail -- was finally posted Monday after he appeared in court and entered a not guilty plea to all 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse. As he walked out of jail, wearing his blue down coat, Kelly was swarmed by photogs and reporters.

There also seemed to be a number of protesters yelling at Kelly, calling him a pedophile and asking how he'd feel if someone urinated on his daughter -- but they used more colorful language.

Sources in Kelly's camp tell us he paid the bond with a bank cashier's check ... so, there won't be any issues with his check clearing.

Although Kelly's out, he's staring down another deadline. TMZ broke the story ... he has to pay about $160k in back child support to his ex-wife, Drea Kelly, by March 6. If he doesn't, it's right back to County lockup.

The Kelly sources tell us he plans to make arrangements to pay the child support by next week, so he can focus on his criminal defense ... and avoid jail.

It's possible he could be facing additional charges after attorney Michael Avenatti dropped an additional bombshell -- a NEW tape showing Kelly having sex with the same 14-year-old girl from the other tape. Avenatti has now turned over both tapes to Cook County prosecutors.

5:05 PM PT -- R. Kelly made a pit stop after leaving jail, stopping off at McDonald's for some quick eats.

We're told Kelly ordered a quarter pounder meal with BBQ sauce on the side, washing it down with a soda and some coffee. We're told Kels got cream and sugar with his coffee, but he went back to the counter and asked for more.

We're told the singer sat down and ate with his team inside the fast-food restaurant for about half an hour, and they left after a small crowd began to gather.

R. Kelly's got a full plate of problems right now -- but at least he also had a full plate of decent grub while he was in the hokey waiting to be released on bond.

The singer got sprung from jail Monday after his lawyers posted the necessary $100k he had to cough up to fulfill his $1 million bond. The question on everyone's mind since he turned himself in on Friday though ... what the hell did Kels eat behind bars???

We now have the answer based on the Cook County Jail's monthly menu, which TMZ has obtained. We gotta say ... it sounds like he ate pretty well this past weekend.

Here's what R. Kelly was fed on Saturday and Sunday for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Saturday:

B -- Breakfast square, bread, jelly, margarine, drink mix (whatever that is), applesauce

L -- Cured turkey, bread, egg (just one???), chips, cookie, mustard, drink mix

D -- Meatballs, teriyaki sauce, fluffy rice, carrots, bread, margarine, pudding and milk

Sunday:

B -- Breakfast square, bread, jelly, ginger snap, peanut butter, drink mix

L -- Turkey salami, bread, cereal, cookie and salad

D -- House fried rice, mixed veggies, bread, margarine, iced cake and milk

11:47 AM PT -- According to court documents, Kraft paid for a threesome on Jan. 19 -- with two women taking turns "manipulating his genitals."

Once Kraft finished, the women cleaned him up and he gave them each a $100 bill.

11:17 AM PT -- Officials have described the case against Kraft in graphic detail ... saying his first incident occurred on Jan 19. The second incident occurred on Jan. 20, the day the Patriots were playing the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game.

As for incident #2 -- officials describe it in the following way:

"[employee] escorted Kraft to a room identified as JPPD Cam 2. There, the two hugged each other and Kraft took off all his clothing, laid face up on the massage table and [employee] hugged him again. At approximately 1102hrs. (Employee) began manipulating Kraft’s penis and testicles and then put her head down by his penis. This went on several minutes.”

"After a few minutes, [employee] wiped Kraft in the area of his genitals with a white towel, helped him get dressed and hugged him again. Kraft gave [employee] one $100 bill plus at least one other unidentifiable bill."

Officials say Kraft was only at the Asian massage parlor for a total of 14 minutes on January 20 -- and exited to a waiting 2015 blue Bentley.

Cops say Kraft was wearing a dark long-sleeved shirt, blue baseball cap and blue shorts.

By the way, Kraft then flew to Kansas City to watch the Patriots defeat the Chiefs 37 to 31 in an overtime thriller.

11:16 AM PT -- Palm Beach State Attorney Dave Aronberg says Kraft is facing up to 1 year in jail if convicted on the 1st degree misdemeanor charge of soliciting another to commit prostitution.

A maximum sentence includes ... up to a 1 year jail, 100 hours of community service and completion of a class on the dangers of prostitution and human trafficking.

Prosecutors in Robert Kraft's prostitution case will be holding a press conference addressing the Patriots' owner's involvement in the scandal ... and TMZ Sports will be streaming it live.

Kraft is accused of soliciting prostitution at least twice in visits to the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Florida ... and the presser regarding his potential charges is set to begin at 11 AM PT.

Remember, investigators say they have surveillance videos from inside the massage parlor showing all of the men suspected of paying for sex acts at the massage parlor -- including Kraft -- and the footage is graphic.

It's all part of a massive sting operation which involved multiple law enforcement agencies including the Dept. of Homeland Security, the IRS, Jupiter P.D., the Indian River County Police and more.

Officials say the investigation took more than 8 months -- and exposed a massive human trafficking and prostitution ring operated out of Florida.

The 2 women suspected of running the operation are accused of essentially importing women from other countries -- mostly China -- and forcing them to work as sex slaves at various massage parlors in Florida.

Officials say some of the victims were forced to live at the parlors in terrible living conditions -- sleeping at the businesses and cooking their meals in the back areas.

Cops say they had obtained a warrant to put a covert surveillance camera INSIDE a massage room a the Orchids of Asia Day Spa which captured at least 25 men receiving sex acts in exchange for money.

Kraft has been named as one of the men captured on the surveillance video.

A spokesperson for Kraft has strongly denied the allegations -- saying, "We categorically deny that Mr. Kraft engaged in any illegal activity. Because it is a judicial matter, we will not be commenting further."

But, the day after the scandal broke, Kraft didn't seem bothered -- hitting up Barry Diller's pre-Oscars party Saturday afternoon in Beverly Hills.

As for the Day Spa, it's already become a tourist hot spot -- with all sorts of people flocking to the shop over the weekend ... including a naked man.

Originally Published -- 10:53 AM PST

Terrence Howard had a complete meltdown on the set of "Empire" after Jussie Smollett was arrested for allegedly staging his "attack."

Sources on the "Empire" set tell TMZ ... Thursday was a complete disaster on set after Jussie turned himself into Chicago Police. Terrence was so upset he refused to come out of his trailer for most of the day.

A source close to Terrence tell us ... the actor didn't believe Jussie's account from the get-go, he felt the story never added up. We're told Terrence grilled Jussie periodically as holes began to emerge.

Tensions between Terrence and Jussie boiled over after the 2 Nigerian-American brothers who allegedly helped Jussie stage the attack, Abel and Ola Osundario, were detained by police ... we're told Terrence confronted Jussie once again, screaming at him to come clean.

Further illustrating his disdain for Jussie ... we're told Terrence was nowhere to be found Thursday night when Jussie addressed the cast and crew.

Terrence was not alone in his feelings ... we're told many others on the cast and crew felt Jussie was lying and ultimately that's why producers decided to remove Jussie from the set for the final 2 episodes ... it was just too disruptive.

Interestingly enough, Terrence posted a video Saturday that was seemingly in support of Jussie. The clip shows Jussie playing with Terrence's son ... and a caption that read, "All your lil homies got you... We love the hell outta you."

Nevertheless, it doesn't take away from what we know happened on Thursday.

2/24/19 -- Sources connected to R. Kelly tell us the singer could be behind bars until at least Tuesday, if not Wednesday. The reason ... the slow-moving wheels of bureaucracy. We're told R. Kelly's lawyers plan on heading to the Child Support Bureau on Monday to figure out exactly how much their client owes in back pay. Once they do that, they'll head to the bank, pull out the necessary funds and pay off his bail and child support payments in one shot. That technically would lift the hold on his bond, but our sources say it could take 24 to 48 hours to process the paperwork. In other words ... Kels might be sitting in a jail cell 'til mid-week.

7:30 PM PT -- R. Kelly reportedly failed to post the $100k bond by the cutoff time of 9 PM in Chicago, so he'll have to spend the night in jail.

2:10 PM PT -- We're told until R. Kelly makes bail, he's being held in a holding pen by himself because the jail doesn't want him interacting with other inmates for safety reasons. R. Kelly's considered a "high profile individual," and if he doesn't bond out tonight he'll be placed in his own cell.

TMZ's also obtained video of Joycelyn and Azriel leaving the courthouse. Neither woman had anything to say about Kelly's case or their relationship with their parents.

1:15 PM PT -- As we told you ... Joycelyn Savage and Azriel Clary were both in the courtroom for R. Kelly, and were reportedly sitting in the first row reserved for friends and family during his hearing. The women are allegedly the singer's "sex slaves," but both have denied that. They were seen holding hands entering court together.

12:25 PM PT -- TMZ's obtained a courtroom sketch of R. Kelly and his lawyer, along with the State's Attorney, in front of Judge John Fitzgerald Lyke Jr.

12:00 PM PT -- R. Kelly's lawyer just had a heated exchange with a reporter, who called him out for allegedly misquoting one of the victims. The lawyer shot back and accused the guy of trying to sell books, and that's when it got really testy ... and an F-bomb was dropped.

Greenberg also says R. Kelly should be able to bond out, but it might take a while because his financial situation is complicated ... and it's Saturday. As far as R. Kelly's defense, Greenberg says he's not ready to divulge info about that yet because he's in the process of reviewing all the evidence.

He did raise eyebrows at the end of his Q&A, though, when he said about R. Kelly -- "He's a rock star, he doesn't have to have nonconsensual sex."

11:35 AM PT -- Cook County District Attorney Kim Foxx just gave more details of the alleged sex crimes to the press outside the courtroom, and says 2 of the 4 alleged victims turned in physical evidence -- shirts with R. Kelly's semen on them -- to prosecutors.

Avenatti also spoke to reporters and started by blasting R. Kelly's lawyer, Steven Greenberg. Avenatti says Greenberg has referred to all of the alleged victims as "liars" and insists the new sex tape is the same as the one from 2008, which Avenatti says is a lie.

He also claims R. Kelly's handlers were at the courthouse to keep Azriel Clary's parents away from her and believes Azriel has been brainwashed.

R. Kelly just appeared before the judge, who set his bail at $1 million ... meaning the singer can be released -- but only if he can afford it.

Prosecutors laid out the details of R. Kelly's 4 separate indictments Saturday at the Leighton Criminal Court Building in Cook County, and requested the R&B singer not be granted bail ... but the judge disagreed and set bail at $250k for each indictment.

The judge also ordered Kelly to surrender his passport.

R. Kelly's lawyer reportedly said the singer's finances are a mess, so he can't bond out just yet. However, a source close to Kelly tells us he'll be able to gather up $100k soon and post bail. If he does, he'll be released from jail ahead of his trial.

As we reported ... R. Kelly surrendered to police in Chicago Friday night, turning himself in at a police station after being charged with sexual abuse of 4 girls, at least 3 of whom were minors.

Prosecutors hit R. Kelly with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse Friday morning, and 9 of the 10 counts involve alleged victims ranging in age from 13 to 16 years old. There are 4 alleged victims in total, and according to the criminal complaint ... the graphic allegations include oral and vaginal sex with a girl between the ages of 13 and 17.

Attorney Michael Avenatti -- says he's representing at least 1 of the alleged victims in the R. Kelly indictment -- was on hand for Saturday's court hearing. He arrived with the parents of Azriel Clary, one of R. Kelly's alleged sex slaves.

Both Azriel and Joycelyn Savage -- another one of R. Kelly's alleged sex slaves -- were inside the courtroom for the hearing ... but it's unclear if they had any contact with their parents.

As we reported ... Avenatti also claims the new sex tape he turned over to prosecutors shows R. Kelly engaging in sex acts with a 14-year-old girl. He released images from the video Friday, showing what appears to be R. Kelly.

Lil Pump's shouting match with Miami cops moments before they arrested him has caught the attention of the police department's honchos ... who are reviewing the incident to make sure everything's on the up and up.

We broke the story ... body cam footage captured an intense showdown between the rapper and police officers in December before his flight out of Miami. Pump's seen growing increasingly frustrated as he tells cops a bag that allegedly smelled like weed is NOT his ... when a cop gets right in his face and shouts back.

Pump responded to the vid's release Friday, pointing out the "dirty ass" police officer shouted, "It's your bag now," and added ... "THIS RACIST S**T NEEDA STOP LAWSUIT ON DA WAY."

Miami-Dade PD apparently took notice, because it tells TMZ while there has been no formal complaint filed by Lil Pump ... "command staff members are aware of the Body Worn Camera footage and are reviewing it to ensure compliance with our established policies and procedures."

The statement adds ... "We take pride in a professional level of service and fairness to all and hold ourselves accountable for our actions."

Pump doesn't seem to be letting the situation bother him too much, though. The rapper was out at 1OAK in Weho Friday night for the release party for his new album, "Harverd Dropout" ... and had a good time with his mob of fans.

Tee Grizzley's done some hard time, so he speaks from experience when he explains what R. Kelly and Jussie Smollett should expect behind bars ... if they end up getting locked up.

We got the Detroit rapper at LAX Friday afternoon ... he tells us there's a big difference between what he went to prison for and what the singer and actor have been charged with -- it all comes down to honor.

Tee says R. Kelly and Jussie are the kind of guys who might get preyed upon, not just because of what they're accused of ... but because they have money.

Watch the clip ... Grizzley makes their outlook seem pretty bleak, and he doesn't have any good advice for them either.

R. Kelly just surrendered to police in Chicago ... turning himself in after being charged with sexual abuse of 4 girls, at least 3 of whom were minors.

The embattled R&B singer turned himself in Friday night at a Chicago police station.

As we reported ... prosecutors in Chicago hit Kelly with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse Friday morning, and 9 of the 10 counts involve alleged victims ranging in age from 13 to 16 years old. There are 4 alleged victims in total, and one of them is the subject of 4 different counts.

According to the criminal complaint, the allegations include oral and vaginal sex with a girl between the ages of 13 and 17 ... and the allegations are extremely graphic.

Michael Avenatti says he's representing at least 1 of the alleged victims in the Kelly indictment ... and he says the new sex tape he turned over to prosecutors shows R. Kelly engaging in sex acts with a 14-year-old girl -- vaginal sex, oral sex, anal sex and urination.

Avenatti says he's planning to go after R. Kelly's enablers -- lawyers, managers, agents and others whom he says stood idly by and protected the singer as he sexually abused young girls. Avenatti's mission ... bringing them to justice.

Avenatti also claims Kelly's 2008 trial -- in which he was found not guilty -- was rigged by threats and payoffs.

Jussie Smollett might have gotten the idea to stage his own attack after Lee Daniels talked about his cousin getting assaulted because he's gay ... at least that's what some members of the "Empire" cast think.

Sources close to the "Empire" production tell TMZ ... some cast members think Jussie's gears started grinding in his head days after Lee posted a video on Instagram on January 10 calling out homophobia. In that same post, the "Empire" creator captioned it, "This past week my cousin was beat up for being gay and I am sick of hearing these stories."

Our sources say Lee then showed up to the set and shared more about the story. Everyone was visibly upset that Lee's family had gone through this horrific ordeal. The sources now say this might have been where Jussie got the idea to take matters into his own hands ... and become an LGBT hero.

The Chicago PD Superintendent says Jussie's motive was money -- he felt he was underpaid on the show. Interesting ... because Lee Daniels is the guy in charge of the cash register.

As you know by now ... cops say Jussie's "attack" was a hoax and allege the actor paid 2 Nigerian brothers $3,500 with a personal check. Jussie's been charged with felony disorderly conduct for filing a false police report.

3:45 PM PT -- Jerry Springer disagrees about R. Kelly having no shot at a fair trial, and for a case in point ... he says look no further than the O.J. Simpson trial.

Springer admits it might be difficult to find 12 impartial jurors -- and R. Kelly's lawyers will probably push for a change in venue -- but says the judicial system is set up the way it is for a reason.

R. Kelly's maintaining his innocence despite being charged with 10 counts of sexual abuse, but he thinks he's screwed anyway ... because he's already lost in the court of public opinion.

Sources close to the singer tell TMZ ... he believes it will be impossible for him to get a fair trial in the aftermath of Lifetime's docuseries, "Surviving R. Kelly," and nonstop media coverage -- especially in Chicago.

As one source put it ... "There isn't a person in Cook County who hasn't heard all the hateful things said about him."

We're told R. Kelly believes ... even if he presents evidence proving his innocence, the jury will still find him guilty. Our sources say he's moved on from panic attacks and has been in a depressed meltdown for days.

As we reported ... Cook County prosecutors hit R. Kelly with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse Friday morning. There are a total of 4 alleged victims, 3 of whom were between the ages of 13 to 16.

Attorney Michael Avenatti also released images from the video he submitted to the State's Attorney, showing what appears to be R. Kelly. He says the video shows the singer having sex with a 14-year-old girl.

Avenatti blasted R. Kelly's enablers as well -- lawyers, agents, managers and others whom he says stood idly by as the singer sexually abused girls -- and says he won't stop until they're all brought to justice.

The Jussie Smollett "attack" has enraged millions of Americans, but for Killer Mike, it's no big deal.

We got the rapper Friday at LAX, and his take is very different from most. He says, after all, Jussie's an actor and actors assume roles. Here, he just allegedly assumed the role of a liar.

Killer Mike acknowledges Jussie screwed up but says a mea culpa will do, and after that, we all need to get a life and move on.