Crime & Arrests

1:15 PM PT -- William H. Macy just showed up at the federal courthouse in Downtown Los Angeles. His wife, Felicity, is scheduled to appear before a judge around 2 PM PT.

12:47 PM PT -- Singer has now pled guilty to charges including racketeering conspiracy and obstruction of justice.

9:15 AM PT -- The U.S. Attorneys Office broke down the alleged scheme during a news conference ... and named William Rick Singer as the ringleader. They say he created a fake non-profit, charitable foundation which served as a front to launder the payments from parents.

The feds said most parents paid between $200k and $400k for Singer's help. Some payments apparently went as high as $6.5 million. All told, they say investigators uncovered about $25 million in bribes.

Singer allegedly instructed the parents they could write off the alleged bribes as tax-deductible "donations" ... to his non-profit.

Feds say Singer will plead guilty to racketeering charges.

Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin have been charged along with 48 others in a massive bribery scam involving some of the most elite colleges in the country.

Court records show the actresses and others allegedly paid hefty bribes -- as much as $6 MILLION -- to get their kids into various schools, including Yale, Stanford, Georgetown and the University of Southern California.

The charges include conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. We've learned Felicity has been arrested and is presently in custody. We're told she will be released on a signature bond ... which essentially is a promise to appear in court.

The alleged scam was reportedly unearthed after authorities found a California businessman who ran an operation helping students get into the college of their choice. Authorities say parents would pay the man a predetermined amount which he would funnel to an SAT or ACT administrator or a college athletic coach.

The feds say if the money went to a college coach ... the coach would arrange a fake profile that listed the student as an athlete. If the money went to an exam administrator, the administrator would either hire a proctor to take the SAT/ACT or correct the student's answers.

As for Loughlin, she and her husband -- Mossimo Giannulli, the founder of Mossimo clothing -- allegedly paid $500,000 to have their 2 daughters designated as recruits for the crew team at USC ... despite the fact they did not actually participate in crew. However, the feds say Mossimo sent action photos of their daughters on rowing machines, including one of his older daughter on an ergometer to Singer via email.

Mossimo, who was also charged, took a cheap shot at one university. According to the indictment, he wrote an email saying he wanted to "make sure we have a roadmap for success as it relates to [our daughter] and getting her into a school other than ASU!"

Loughlin's daughter caught some flak last year when she posted a video about starting college. She stated, "I don't really care about school," and explained she was excited about partying and game days mostly -- which angered viewers who commented, calling her "spoiled" and "privileged." She later apologized for her "super ignorant and stupid" comments.

As for Huffman, she and her husband, William H. Macy, allegedly made a charitable contribution of $15,000 to participate in a college entrance exam cheating scheme on behalf of their eldest daughter.  The indictment says the daughter was given twice the amount of time to take the SAT as other students and the paid proctor agreed to secretly correct her answers afterwards.

The indictment says the girl received a score of 1420 on her SAT ... an improvement of approximately 400 points over her PSAT.

Macy was not indicted.

According to the docs, the FBI recorded phone calls in which Loughlin and Huffman talked about the scheme with a witness who was cooperating with authorities.

And, the federal indictment out of Boston has a twist ... it says most of the kids admitted to the schools had no idea their parents allegedly greased the wheels to get them in.

We reached out to the reps for both Felicity and Lori ... so far no word back.

Conor McGregor went right back to business after getting released from jail Monday night ... hitting the streets of Miami for a late-night run!!!

As we previously reported ... the UFC superstar was arrested after he allegedly smashed a fan's phone for trying to take a pic of him outside the Fontainebleau hotel early Monday morning in South Beach.

He was booked for robbery/strong-arm and criminal mischief over $1,000 -- the price of the fan's phone -- and was released a few hours later, around 8 PM PT.

Now we know exactly what Conor did after getting out of the slammer ... 'cause we've obtained video of The Notorious going on a shirtless jog shortly after he posted his $12,500 bond.

Yeah, Conor (seemingly) ain't worried ... and maybe for good reason. He was initially charged with a felony after the NYC bus incident with Khabib -- but struck a deal and only ended up with 5 days of community service and an anger management course.

Conor's attorneys released a statement on Monday ... saying, "Last evening Conor McGregor was involved a minor altercation over a cell phone that resulted in a call to law enforcement.

12:32 PM PT -- The judge sided with Geragos and will allow cameras in the courtroom Thursday.

Jussie Smollett strutted confidently into a Cook County Courthouse for a hearing he did NOT have to attend.

Jussie, who's been laying low since he was arrested for filing a false police report, was rocking shades, gloves and a trench coat as he arrived Tuesday. The hearing is really for his attorney, Mark Geragos, to file the paperwork so he can rep Jussie in Illinois -- and also to determine if cameras will be allowed in court for the case.

He wasn't required to be there, but our sources say Smollett chose to attend because he intends to be an active participant in his defense ... and not just an observer. We're also told he's done hiding.

This is the first time we've seen him after the grand jury handed up the 16 count indictment last week.

After the indictment, Geragos told us, "The fact of an indictment was not unexpected. We knew that there is no way they would expose their evidence to a public airing and subject their witnesses to cross-examination. What is unexpected, however, is the prosecutorial overkill in charging 16 separate counts against Jussie."

Ex-Colts superstar Robert Mathis is not allowed to have a single sip of alcohol for the next 365 days -- per the terms of his sentence in his driving while intoxicated case, TMZ Sports has learned.

The 6-time Pro Bowler -- currently a pass rush consultant for the Colts -- was pulled over in October 2017 after cops say he was driving the wrong way on a 1-way street around 12:09 AM while failing to use his turn signals.

During the stop, officers noticed "his speech was slow and thick and he appeared lost and confused" ... and they arrested him for driving while intoxicated.

Mathis' blood alcohol level was actually below the legal limit at .052 -- but he admitted he did take a sleeping pill in addition to the booze ... so officials hit him with the OWI (operating a vehicle while intoxicated) charge anyway.

Mathis fought it in court the past year and a half ... but finally cut a deal with prosecutors Tuesday to close the case.

According to court docs, Mathis pled guilty to 1 misdemeanor count of OWI -- and in exchange got 1 year of probation and 60 days in jail ... with credit for 2 days served and the rest of the sentence suspended.

Translation -- if Mathis abides by the terms of his probation, he won't have to serve the remaining 58 days. But, if he screws up, he could be thrown behind bars.

As for the probation -- the big stipulation is NO BOOZE for 365 days. He's also ordered to stay away from bars.

Additionally, Mathis must pay court costs and fees and attend a victim impact panel.

He was facing 1 year in jail and a fine of up to $5,000.

R. Kelly has a bizarre reason for going on national TV to address the sexual abuse allegations against him ... his "spirit" wanted him to speak his truth.

Sources close to the singer tell TMZ ... R. Kelly sat down with Gayle King because he is in constant touch with his "spirit" and tends to listen to it more than the people around him. He also said he felt he owed it to himself and his fans to break his silence and tell his side.

Of course, Kelly quickly went off the rails in the CBS interview -- his first public comments since being arrested on 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse -- shouting in Gayle's face, exploding at the cameras, calling his accusers liars and wearing his emotions on his sleeve.

We're guessing his spirit didn't tell him to do all that.

After the interview aired last week, many viewers thought it was all an act, some felt he was having a mental breakdown and others used the emotional soundbites to make fun of Kelly on social media.

But, we're told R. Kelly gives "zero f***s" about how he's being portrayed, and he can't be bothered by the public's reaction ... that's not, however, apparent from the CBS interview.

Kim Kardashian West is making sure one man recently released from jail will have a roof over his head for the next 5 years -- she's picking up his rent bills -- TMZ has confirmed.

Matthew Charles -- who had served 20 of his 35-year sentence for a non-violent drug and weapons charges -- was the first to be released under new prison reform laws. Charles recently had his housing application denied because of his background.

Sources familiar with the situation tell us Kardashian heard about Charles' story and wanted to do what she could to help ... so she's going to pay his rent for the next 5 years.

Kim first heard of Charles' story through an article posted on Twitter -- Charles was first granted early release in May 2016 by mistake -- and two years later was ordered to finish out the rest of his sentence. Charles was able to start to get back on his feet by purchasing a vehicle and staying with friends ... but had a hard time landing a place to live.

We're told Kim reached out to Charles and his friend privately Sunday and generously offered to pay his rent and to help him find a stable place to live.

Charles posted about the good news Sunday, saying, "I just received the most wonderful news tonight that I just had to share with everyone. Kim Kardashian-West heard about my situation. Was moved and has decided to help me."

8:00 PM PT -- Conor posted bail and strolled out of the Miami-Dade County Jail a little while ago. He was totally reserved as someone escorted him to a waiting SUV.

No billionaire strut tonight.

5:16 PM PT -- Conor's attorneys just released a statement on the arrest.

"Last evening Conor McGregor was involved a minor altercation over a cell phone that resulted in a call to law enforcement. Mr. McGregor appreciates the response of law enforcement and pledges his full cooperation."

Conor McGregor has been arrested again ... this time for allegedly smashing the phone of a fan outside the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami Beach.

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ Sports, at around 5 AM Monday, the owner of the phone was walking out of the hotel at the same time as Conor and as the fan attempted to take a photo, Conor slapped the victim's phone out of his hand, causing it to fall to the ground. McGregor then allegedly stomped on the phone several times, damaging it.

According to cops, McGregor then picked up the phone and walked away with it.

It appears the incident was captured on surveillance video.

He's been booked for robbery/strong-arm and criminal mischief over $1,000. He is currently being held on $12,500 bail.

It's unclear why Conor was outside the hotel at 5 AM, but it seems he and the fan were leaving LIV nightclub, which is inside the hotel. LIV closes at 5 AM.

It appears Conor went back to the Miami home where he was staying. The alleged victim subsequently filed a police report. Cops went to Conor's home and arrested him just before 6 PM ET.

He's been in South Florida over the last few days with his girlfriend, Dee Devlin, and their son, Conor Jr., along with other family members. Conor and his family were in Miami to celebrate his mother's birthday. He had rented out the Versace Mansion for the blowout.

The timing of the new arrest is interesting ... TMZ Sports broke the story Conor just completed his sentence in the dolly attack case. He completed 5 days of community service at churches in Brooklyn as well as completing an anger management class.

If Conor is convicted in the phone smashing case, the Florida can take Conor's previous transgressions into consideration during sentencing.

Michael Blackson says Conor McGregor is a menace to America and should be kicked out of the country already -- telling TMZ Sports, "If it was me, I'd be deported by now."

"Somebody should call Donald Trump and get I.C.E. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and get him deported. He needs to be deported."

Blackson is originally from Ghana, but the comedian/actor moved to the U.S. in 1987 and he's been here ever since.

Of course, Blackson is all fired up about McGregor's latest arrest for allegedly stealing and smashing a cell phone in Miami. It's the 2nd time Conor's been arrested in the U.S. following the dolly incident in 2018, when he threw a steel hand truck at a UFC bus, injuring multiple people.

"He's a very violent man," Blackson tells us ... "If it was me, I'd be deported by now. I.C.E., forget 21 Savage, go get Conor McGregor right now."

"Send him back to his raggedy country right now."

As for McGregor, he was released from police custody late Monday night and strolled into a waiting SUV. He didn't say a word but posted a statement on Instagram Tuesday morning, saying:

Jussie Smollett's case could cost him way more than just his gig on "Empire" ... many on the show fear his situation could bring the whole show down in the process.

Production sources tell TMZ ... anxiety is high among the "Empire" cast and crew, because Fox has yet to renew the show for a sixth season. We're told people who've been working on the show for years are griping they should've heard the news one way or another by now, and expected to get word on the fate of the show around 2 weeks ago.

For the record ... Fox has typically renewed the show in January ... 5 months ahead of the season finale. The exception ... this past season. Fox waited until a few weeks before the season 4 finale was set to air ... in May.

We're told folks involved in the production feel like Jussie and his case will be a big factor in how things shake out.

As for how Jussie's character is being handled on the show now ... Lee Daniels and co. have already announced Jamal is being removed from the final two episodes of season 5, which is set to return from a hiatus on Wednesday night.

Our sources say Jussie's character will be "out of the country."

Here's the kicker ... our production sources tell us even if Fox does renew the show, higher-ups have expressed serious reservations about Jussie returning ... as have many folks on the cast and crew ... even some who have publicly supported him.

If it seems like R. Kelly is on the verge of coming unhinged that's because he is -- and his music might be the only thing standing between him and a full mental breakdown.

Sources close to the embattled singer tell TMZ ... Kelly has been focusing on producing new music. We're told he sees the writing process as a form of therapy, but maybe more importantly for him at this point ... it's a distraction from his mounting legal battles.

As you know ... R. Kelly was released Saturday from Cook County Jail after finally coughing up his unpaid child support. Actually, he didn't even pay ... he says a "benefactor" covered the tab.

He's still facing 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse in Chicago, new sexual conduct allegations in Detroit and multiple federal investigations -- and we're told it's all wearing on him.

After the CBS interview aired last week -- showing Kelly ranting and crying -- many viewers thought he was faking it, or having a very real breakdown.

We're told people close to Kelly think that's exactly what will happen if he stops working on music.

BTW, the new content isn't for public consumption -- we're told he doesn't have any plans to release the music. Besides, he doesn't have a distributor since his longtime label Sony/RCA recently kicked him to the curb.

Kelly's not even recording in a proper studio -- remember, he got booted out of his infamous Chicago recording studio, so he's doing it from his Trump Tower apartment.

Point is ... the walls are closing, and we're told Kelly's on the edge.

R. Kelly is rationalizing his decision to stop paying child support -- claiming his ex-wife set the ball in motion by turning their children against him.

Sources close to R. Kelly tell us the singer was absolutely lashing out at Drea Kelly when he quit writing child support checks ... a move that ultimately landed him in Cook County jail.

We're told Kelly feels like he tried to maintain a relationship with his 3 kids, but he blames Drea for ruining any chance of that. He's said he thinks she brainwashed them.

Of course, Kelly's revenge move is incredibly warped logic -- punishing your ex by cutting off the money needed to help your kids.

We broke the story ... Kelly owes Drea over $160k in back child support, and he was begging the court for a reduction so he could get out of jail. Of course, Kelly coughed up the bare minimum -- $161,633 -- on Saturday and walked out of jail a free man again.

Sources close to the singer tell us he scraped the cash together with the help of a "benefactor." He assured his fans Saturday that "we're gonna straighten all this out."

As we've reported ... Kelly was supposed to be paying Drea $20,833 per month as of January 2009 -- but he fell way off schedule last year.

R. Kelly's camp says the singer got into a huge fight when he last saw Drea back in 2017 ... and after that, we're told she changed her phone number and didn't allow their daughter and 2 sons to talk to him.

Drea paints a much different picture. She told us Kelly cut her off as a means of controlling her when she first spoke publicly about him allegedly abusing her. She also insists he's the one who changed his phone number.

R. Kelly's back on the streets after finally covering his unpaid child support.

The singer forked over the $161,633 he owes to ex-wife, Drea Kelly, and was released Saturday morning from Cook County Jail. As he walked out, Kelly said, "I promise we're gonna straighten all this out. That's all I can say right now. I love my fans."

Interestingly, he did have fans screaming for him outside ... including one woman who yelled, "Please touch my hand!"

Sources connected to Kelly tell us he scraped together the money with help from a "benefactor."

As we reported ... R. Kelly was arrested Wednesday when he missed the deadline to settle up his back child support. During his CBS interview, he blamed his ex for his failure to pay her ... claiming her "lies" about abuse are the reason he can't make any money.

He also claims he's trying to reconnect with his 3 kids, but sources close to the situation say that's BS ... he hasn't even reached out to his family in nearly 2 years.

Kelly's legal woes are just getting started. As you know, he's still facing 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse in Chicago, multiple federal investigations ... and new sexual misconduct allegations in Detroit.

As we've reported ... the feds are looking into whether R. Kelly violated the Mann Act, which prohibits transportation of minors across state lines for purpose of sex or debauchery. Attorney Michael Avenatti now says he has evidence to nail R. Kelly for that too.

Jussie Smollett's career is just like an awesome script ... complete with a major plot twist, then a climax and now the aftermath -- and it ain't pretty.

Sources familiar with Jussie's current situation tell TMZ ... he was living a pretty good Hollywood life before claiming he was viciously attacked in Chicago. He was getting entertainment biz offers every other week, if not weekly.

We're told Smollett's star actually skyrocketed right after the alleged attack was initially reported. Our sources say he was getting hit up nonstop for movies, TV gigs, commercials and, of course, interviews and appearances.

When his story went off the rails and he was arrested and charged with a felony for filing a false police report ... the well ran dry. We're told Smollett's getting zero calls for new work, and is being treated like a pariah.

Makes sense. Hollywood's waiting to see how his case plays out, but the 16-count indictment the grand jury handed up Friday can't help.

As we reported ... "Empire" also removed Jussie's character from the final 2 episodes of the season in order to keep peace on the set ... where some of his co-stars are butting heads over whether to support him.

On the bright side -- if there is one -- Chicago PD launched an internal investigation out of concerns the force was leaking information, and some of the claims by the Police Superintendent have been called into question.

That might help him in court, but it won't do jack to help him land any roles.

Trump campaign manager-turned federal con Paul Manafort's incredibly light prison sentence isn't as outrageous as many think ... at least according to Jordan Belfort, who knows plenty about prison.

We got the real-life "Wolf of Wall Street" Friday at LAX and he weighed in on a couple of big crime and punishment stories. Jordan, who himself was sentenced to almost 4 years, says it's pretty clear Manafort caught a break because he's an old man.

As Belfort put it ... 3 years and 11 months makes sense because "how many years does he have left?"

Manafort is 69, BTW ... and could get more years tacked on next week when he's sentenced in his conspiracy case.

The 'Wolf' also has an opinion on Jussie Smollett, who just got indicted for a staggering 16 counts in Chicago. He says what the "Empire" star allegedly did is awful, but check out what kinda sentenced he'd give him.

Ex-MLB All-Star pitcher Esteban Loaiza just got sentenced to 36 months in prison after officials found him hiding 44 pounds of cocaine ... and he'll surrender next month.

As we previously reported, Loaiza -- who made more than $40 MILLION during his 14-year MLB career -- was arrested last year after cops say he was trying to move more than $500,000 in cocaine from a house located near a school.

Officials say Loaiza was using "sophisticated" smuggling devices to hide the 22 kilos of coke.

On Friday, the 47-year-old appeared in court in San Diego for his sentencing. He was facing life in prison -- but seems to be getting off easy ... with just a 3-year prison sentence.

Officials say he'll be deported to his native Mexico following his release.

The story about how he was caught is crazy.

The San Diego County Sheriff's Dept. says he was busted during a drug-smuggling sting by the Border Crime Suppression Team.

Loaiza was initially stopped by police during a traffic stop for a minor traffic violation -- but a search of his car led to the discovery of a "sophisticated aftermarket compartment used to conceal contraband."

Cops then got a warrant to search a home that Loaiza had been renting since early February -- located "steps away from an area preschool" -- and found roughly 20 kilograms of suspected cocaine.

Estimated street value -- $500,000.

Loaiza was initially booked into San Diego County Jail for 3 felonies -- Possession of Cocaine Over 20 Kilograms, Possession of Cocaine for Sale, and Transportation of Cocaine.

He later pled guilty to felony cocaine possession with intent to distribute.

Loaiza, the second-winningest pitcher from Mexico in MLB history, played for 8 different teams in his career -- earning over $43 million.

5:30 PM PT -- Jussie's attorney, Mark Geragos, just released a scathing response to the indictment, telling us, "The fact of an indictment was not unexpected. We knew that there is no way they would expose their evidence to a public airing and subject their witnesses to cross-examination. What is unexpected, however, is the prosecutorial overkill in charging 16 separate counts against Jussie."

Geragos continues, "This redundant and vindictive indictment is nothing more than a desperate attempt to make headlines in order to distract from the internal investigation launched to investigate the outrageous leaking of false information by the Chicago Police Department and the shameless and illegal invasion of Jussie's privacy in tampering with his medical records. Jussie adamantly maintains his innocence even if law enforcement has robbed him of that presumption."

2:45 PM PT -- We've now read the indictment, and it appears the grand jury hit Jussie with one count for EACH allegedly false statement he made during the 2 interviews with cops.

Jussie Smollett just got slammed by a Cook County grand jury, which has returned a 16-count felony indictment against him for filing a false police report.

Smollett was originally charged by the State Attorney's Office with a felony of disorderly conduct for filing a false police report. The new indictments obviously take the case to another level.

As for why there are so many counts ... the grand jury reportedly handed up 2 sets of charges -- one for Smollett's initial report to Chicago PD, and the other charges are for Jussie's second interview with cops.

We're told Ola and Abel Osundairo told grand jurors Jussie hired them to stage the so-called "attack." The brothers were caught on camera buying a bunch of supplies before the incident ... including ski masks, gloves, bandanas, sunglasses and red hats.

Chicago PD has come out strong against Jussie ... making it clear they had a lot of issues with his version of events -- including the fact he took them to the scene and immediately pointed to a camera which he said captured the incident. Turns out, the camera was pointed in the wrong direction.

Abel and Ola told police they drove with Jussie in the days prior to the incident scouting a location and even rehearsed the "attack."

As for the hate mail sent to Jussie at Fox Studios in Chicago ... police say they believe the "Empire" star is behind that too. However, we know the FBI hadn't confirmed that when Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson blasted Jussie in his news conference.

We also know the brothers told police they had nothing to do with the letter, and only saw it in a photo on Jussie's phone.

Originally published -- 2:11 PM PT