Crime & Arrests

Two Stanford students who were rejected by Yale and USC have filed a lawsuit against the college bribery ringleader and 8 universities.

Erica Olsen and Kalea Woods are suing Rick Singer -- the man who pulled the strings in the biggest admissions bribery case ever -- along with USC, Stanford, UCLA, University of San Diego, Texas, Wake Forest, Yale and Georgetown. The students allege "unqualified students found their way into the admissions rolls of highly selective universities, while those students who played by the rules and did not have college-bribing parents were denied admissions."

The 2 students are trying to turn this into a class action lawsuit, and presumably recruit others who have been denied admission as a result of bribery and other schemes.

Olsen says she had stellar test scores and athletic talent yet was rejected by Yale. She said had she known "the system at Yale University was warped and rigged by fraud" she wouldn't have applied there. Woods was rejected by USC and said she was never informed "parents could buy their way into the university through bribery and dishonest schemes."

Though both students ultimately got into Stanford, they claim their degrees are now devalued by the criminal racketeering charges.

As we reported ... Singer -- who once shopped a reality show on the pressures of families trying to get their kids into college -- copped a plea Tuesday to racketeering conspiracy, money laundering, tax conspiracy and obstruction of justice for funneling of money to college athletic coaches and administrators in return of helping their kids gain university admissions.

Kevin Spacey's back in Hollywood after spending a lot of time -- and facing a criminal charge -- on the east coast, so it begs the question ... is he getting back to work?

The disgraced actor was seen leaving the Sunset Tower Hotel in WeHo Wednesday night, although it looks like he's still trying to keep a low profile.

As we've reported ... Spacey's mostly been hanging out on the other side of the country amid facing a felony charge for allegedly fondling a teenage boy's genitals in Massachusetts back in 2016. He appeared in a Nantucket court in early January to face the charge of indecent assault.

It's unclear if Kevin's returned to Tinseltown to get back into show business or other business, but ever since misconduct allegations began to dog him in 2017 ... he's only lost acting gigs.

Spacey was replaced in the film "All the Money in the World" and got fired from his "House of Cards" job after various stories of sexual misconduct surfaced.

In fact, the only real acting he's done recently came around Christmas time, when he posted a bizarre video defending himself ... in the character of President Frank Underwood.

Jordan Klepper is shocked undocumented students hadn't come up with the idea of having rich celebrity parents -- which now seems like a much easier way to get into schools.

We got the former 'Daily Show' correspondent at LAX Wednesday, and got his 2 cents on the explosive college admissions bribery scandal. The comedian has been pushing for Dreamers -- undocumented students brought to the U.S. when they were kids -- to have access to higher education.

He's such an advocate, Jordan got arrested last month during a protest for the cause.

So, you can see how the college bribery indictment -- which nailed Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin -- hit a nerve. Actually, it hit a funny bone because Jordan jokes Dreamers need to get on board and explore the celeb parents option.

Check out the clip ... Jordan makes fun of those who tried playing the game, but he does get serious for a min ... saying every kid has the right to be evaluated fairly and the opportunity to fail on their own.

In other words, the exact opposite of what the bribery ringleader Rick Singer was preaching.

As Lori Loughlin traveled from Vancouver to L.A. Tuesday night to surrender to federal authorities in the college bribery scandal -- which got her daughter, Olivia Jade, into USC -- Olivia spent the night on the yacht of the Chairman of USC's Board of Trustees ... but she's off the boat now, TMZ has learned.

We've learned 19-year-old Olivia was on Rick Caruso's yacht in the Bahamas. Caruso's daughter, Gianna, Olivia and several other friends were spending spring break in the area.

Gianna and Olivia have been friends for quite some time, occasionally posting photos of them together on social media.

Caruso, a billionaire who has major real estate holdings including The Grove in L.A., tells TMZ, "My daughter and a group of students left for spring break prior to the government's announcement yesterday. Once we became aware of the investigation, the young woman decided it would be in her best interests to return home." Olivia is off the yacht.

Caruso was elected Chairman of USC's Board of Trustees last year. We're told the Board will NOT decide the fate of Olivia and other students involved in the case. That decision is left squarely in the hands of the University's President.

3:15 PM PT -- Loughlin got the same treatment as her husband ... the judge set her bond at $1 million. Just like Mossimo Giannulli, she was allowed to put their home up as collateral to secure the bond.

She will be allowed to travel to Vancouver and British Columbia, Canada for purposes of work -- that's where she shoots projects for the Hallmark Channel. However, she'll have to surrender her passport in December, once all her contracted work in Canada is completed.

The judge also instructed Loughlin to avoid contact with other suspects and witnesses ... other than her daughters and husband. She'll have to appear in federal court in Boston on March 29 ... along with Mossimo and Felicity Huffman.

Lori Loughlin just surrendered to federal authorities in Los Angeles ... turning herself in after being charged in a massive bribery scam involving some of the country's most elite universities.

Law enforcement sources tell us Loughlin made prior arrangements to meet with FBI Agents Wednesday for her surrender.

As we reported ... the FBI showed up at her doorstep early Tuesday morning, but she wasn't home because she was shooting in Vancouver. FBI agents arrested her husband, Mossimo clothing founder Mossimo Giannulli, who was also indicted in the bribery scam, and made arrangements with Lori's team for her to turn herself in when she got back to L.A.

FBI agents will now take Lori to a federal building where she'll be processed by federal marshals.

As you know ... Lori and Felicity Huffman were among the 50 people indicted for conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. Lori and Mossimo allegedly paid $500,000 to have their 2 daughters designated as recruits for USC's crew team, despite the fact the girls didn't actually participate in the sport.

Huffman was arrested Tuesday -- along with Mossimo -- in an operation in Los Angeles. Both were released Tuesday night, but didn't speak with cameras.

One of the men who shot Damian Lillard's brother in a mall parking lot last year has pled guilty to attempted murder ... TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, then-20-year-old Jahrell Lillard -- the Portland Trail Blazers star's half-brother -- was shot on March 29, 2018 during an altercation with 2 men in Clackamas County, Oregon.

Cops say Lillard was shot in the Clackamas Town Center parking lot in what appeared to be a targeted attack -- with witnesses saying they heard 5 to 10 gunshots fired in the confrontation.

Jahrell suffered injuries ... but reportedly survived the attack -- with Damian saying just a day after the shooting that his brother was "stable" and "doing fine."

Now, we've learned one of the men responsible for the shooting, 20-year-old Jeffrey Jessie, cut a deal with prosecutors in the case and has pled guilty to attempted murder and one count of felon in possession of a firearm in order to avoid a jury trial.

Jessie was facing FOUR total felonies ... which added up to a possible punishment of 50 YEARS behind bars.

The man who pulled all the strings in the massive college bribery case auditioned for his own reality show back in 2010 ... a reality show on the pressures of families trying to get their kids into colleges, and he makes it clear -- traditional donations don't cut it anymore.

TMZ has obtained Rick Singer's audition tape, which was shot by a production company and submitted to a network. You hear Singer explain that even his clients with big, big money can't afford to plunk down a donation to a University that will guarantee admission. He says bluntly, $10 million isn't enough ... it won't even get noticed by the big universities.

He explains the pressures of college admission on his clients and makes it clear ... the clients are not just the students but their parents as well. He says there's so much craziness in these families, he wishes he could prescribe meds for the parents.

The reality show never sold.

As we reported, Singer copped a plea Tuesday to racketeering conspiracy, money laundering, tax conspiracy and obstruction of justice. He faces a maximum of 65 years in prison, but he'll clearly get way less by singing like a bird.

10:40 AM PT -- We just got Jay Leno out in NYC and asked him about the scandal ... Leno certainly didn't hold back, calling the whole thing "the definition of white privilege."

The 50 people who were indicted for allegedly paying bribe money to get their kids into college may just be the tip of the iceberg, and scores of very nervous and very rich parents are calling around L.A. trying to get recon.

Sources familiar with the case tell TMZ, FBI agents have seized numerous cell phones and other evidence they believe will lead them to other parents, college employees and others who might have participated in admissions bribery.

We know a number of wealthy parents from some of the most exclusive private schools in L.A. were calling around Tuesday, asking if Rick Singer, the ringleader who just copped a plea, kept lists of clients. As one source put it, "These parents are sweating bullets."

On a different front, sources at USC familiar with the scandal tell us the University has known about the investigation for around 2 months, but they did not investigate ... because they didn't want to undermine the feds. Our sources say they've dealt with the U.S. Attorney's Office before, and they know if they conducted a simultaneous investigation it could tip off witnesses and targets, and result in the destruction of evidence.

As for what USC will do with the students whose parents got them into the school via bribery, well-connected sources tell us the students will not all be evaluated the same way. We're told if the students knew they were admitted because of bribes, they will be expelled. If they were in the dark, the University will evaluate all of the circumstances and the decisions will be student-specific.

And, one final thing, as for USC ... we know officials are furious at the parents who engaged in bribery. They say it has tarnished the school, the students and the athletic programs.

8:15 AM PT -- The hearing just ended, and R. Kelly's lawyer says there's been no change in child support yet. He says they're setting a new court date to argue the matter.

R. Kelly's back in a court of law, shooting his shot with the judge in his child support case.

The singer and his legal team made their way into the Chicago court Wednesday morning, hoping to score a reduction in his monthly payments to his ex-wife, Drea Kelly.

As you know, Kelly was arrested last week, and sat in jail until he coughed up $161,633 ... the back child support he owed Drea.

Kelly was supposed to be paying Drea $20,833 per month as of January 2009 but he fell way off schedule last year. Sources close to the singer told us he scraped together the $161k with the help of a "benefactor."

As we reported ... Kelly's camp says the singer got into a huge fight with Drea back in 2017 and, after that, she didn't allow their daughter and 2 sons to talk to him.

Drea calls BS ... saying Kelly cut her off as a means of controlling her when she spoke out publicly about him allegedly abusing her.

Ultimately, the child support is the lesser of Kelly's legal issues right now -- with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse in Cook County hanging over his head.

7:58 PM PT -- We just got Felicity and Mossimo after posting bail ... and it was clear they didn't want to talk.

5:28 PM PT -- Multiple law enforcement sources tell TMZ, Lori Loughlin will turn herself in to federal authorities Wednesday morning. The FBI showed up at her doorstep early Tuesday morning, and she was going to receive the same treatment as Felicity. Turns out, Lori was shooting in Vancouver and wasn't there. FBI agents arrested her husband in the college bribery scam, and then made arrangements with Lori's people for her to surrender when she returns to L.A.

Felicity Huffman knew she was a target of the federal investigation into bribery in the college admissions process ... but she had no idea 7 feds would show up at her door Tuesday morning with guns drawn.

Sources familiar with the arrest tell TMZ, 7 FBI agents showed up at Felicity's Hollywood Hills home at 6 AM and drew their weapons as they ordered Felicity to come out and surrender.

We're told Felicity, her husband William H. Macy and their 2 daughters were asleep when the agents ordered her out. Our sources say she knew the arrest was looming and would have gladly surrendered on her own, but the feds saw it differently.

An FBI source familiar with the arrest tells TMZ guns were drawn as a precaution. It's always left to the agents' discretion whether to draw a firearm during an arrest.

The agents took Huffman to a federal building where she was processed by federal marshals.

As we reported, Huffman was indicted for conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. The indictment claims Huffman made a charitable contribution of $15,000 to participate in a college entrance exam cheating scheme on behalf of her eldest daughter. The indictment claims 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 afterward.

The docs claim the girl got a 1420 score ... approximately 400 points over her PSAT.

Originally published -- 3:40 PM PT

Lucky Whitehead was so wasted during his DUI arrest back in December ... he told cops, "I'm not alright to drive" -- and it's all in police footage obtained by TMZ Sports.

The ex-Dallas Cowboys receiver was pulled over on Dec. 23 in Gainesville, Virginia around 2:12 AM after he ran a red light ... and when cops got him out of the vehicle -- it was clear he was DRUNK.

Whitehead was slurring his words, babbling incoherently and absolutely bombing field sobriety tests. Oh, and he admitted to having beer and mixed drinks before getting behind the wheel.

Lucky ultimately refused a breathalyzer -- despite the cop's repeated warnings it would be an additional charge on his crimes ... but the officer says on video Lucky might have blown a 0.25 if he cooperated!!

26-year-old Whitehead was ultimately hit with FIVE charges for the incident, including DUI, refusing a breath sample, driving without a license, failure to obey a traffic signal and a seat belt violation.

By the way, Lucky tried to (very drunkenly) play the Do you know who I am? card at one point during the stop ... telling cops he's the same guy that was involved in that wild shoplifting arrest mix-up back in 2017.

And, yeah ... the cops didn't care.

Floyd Mayweather is finding new ways to get at Conor McGregor -- this time, he's mocking the UFC star's Miami meltdown by BEGGING paparazzi to shoot him in Beverly Hills.

Remember, McGregor was arrested this week for taking a fan's phone and smashing it because he didn't want to be shot on the way out of the Fontainebleau hotel Monday morning.

Enter Mayweather -- wearing a super bright yellow sweatshirt so everyone could see him -- instructing the photogs to "Shoot me, man! Shoot greatness!"

Floyd knew exactly what he was doing ... and so did everyone in his massive entourage -- just look at the smirks while Mayweather puts on his show in the middle of the most famous part of L.A.

Meanwhile, Conor is still in Florida where he's facing criminal charges for the cell phone incident.

Conor recently tweeted about wanting a rematch with Floyd after getting beat up in their boxing match back in 2017.

Conor says he realizes what he did wrong in that fight and believes he can make the adjustments to give Floyd his first loss.

YNW Melly was super tight with the family of one of his alleged murder victims -- so much so, he has the guy's mother's name tattooed on his neck.

Jana Thompson tells TMZ ... her son, Anthony Williams, loved YNW and the other suspect, Cortlen Henry, like brothers. She says, "We opened up our homes & our hearts to them."

Anthony is one of 2 men YNW and Henry allegedly killed ... and Jana is, understandably, shell-shocked. She says the fact that they entered not guilty pleas "feels like another stab in the heart to myself & my family."

Jana adds, "It’s inconceivable that these very people are the ones responsible for this horrifying murder. I will not stand idle and will fight vehemently for justice!”

YNW has a neck tattoo that reads "Jana" ... it's crystal clear in his mug shot. We're told it's a tribute to Mrs. Thompson and shows just how close he was to Anthony and his mother.

Jana says it's entirely possible she will file a civil suit against Melly and Henry. We're told she's hired the firm of Steinger, Iscoe & Greene to explore her options.

As we reported ... cops believe Melly and Henry killed Williams and Christopher Thomas Jr., but hatched an elaborate scheme to make it seem like the murders were the result of a drive-by shooting pulled off by unknown assailants.

Cops say after Williams and Thomas were shot, YNW and Henry drove around with the dead bodies "for a period of time" before driving to the hospital.

Felicity Huffman is free to move about the country, but that's it -- she had to hand over her passport Tuesday before she was released following her arrest in the college admissions bribery scam.

Felicity appeared in federal court in L.A. and her attorney tried to argue for her to be released on her own recognizance. Prosecutors shot that down, and the judge compromised with $250k signature bond. She didn't have to pay that amount, but her husband, William H. Macy, who was in court ... had to sign that he's good for it.

Although Macy was not indicted, prosecutors consider him a witness in the case. The judge instructed Felicity she could not travel internationally, and she has to be in Boston for a court appearance on March 29.

As we've reported, Lori Loughlin was not arrested Tuesday because she's out of town, but her husband, designer Mossimo Giannulli was and had to see the judge. His bond was set at $1 million, and he had to put up his primary residence as collateral.

3:01 PM PT -- USC has fired water polo coach Jovan Vavic and Senior Associate AD Donna Heinel.

11:08 AM PT -- The NCAA released a statement addressing the scandal ... saying, "The charges brought forth today are troubling and should be a concern for all of higher education. We are looking into these allegations to determine the extent to which NCAA rules may have been violated."

Multiple prominent members of the USC Trojans athletic department have been indicted in a far-reaching college admissions scandal ... where they allegedly took bribes to help students gain admission.

USC senior associate athletic director Dr. Donna Heinel, ex-USC women's head soccer coach Ali Khosroshahin and ex-assistant soccer coach Laura Janke are all named ... as well as current USC men's water polo head coach Jovan Vavic.

Vavic -- a 13-time national coach of the year -- has 14 national titles under his belt during his tenure at the University of Southern California.

The general allegations go something like this -- William Rick Singer, a guy who runs a college admissions prep service, would facilitate bribes to current and former USC coaches to designate prospective students as recruited athletes ... which would lower the academic standards for admission.

The problem ... officials say the students were NOT recruited athletes and the coaches and other USC officials LIED in exchange for big money donations to USC and other payments.

Here's a video of the U.S. Attorney's Office laying out the alleged scheme ...

According to court documents, USC ain't alone in this -- at least one soccer coach from UCLA is named, along with a coach from Georgetown, a sailing coach at Stanford, a tennis coach at Texas, a coach from Wake Forest and even Yale.

In regards to USC, officials say one of the parents involved in the scheme is Lori Loughlin -- whose daughters were allegedly recruited by USC's crew team, despite the fact they had no experience in crew.

You can bet your ass the NCAA has eyes on this -- especially considering USC's legendary history of bribery and scandal in their athletic department.

By the way, USC president Dr. Wanda M. Austin issued a statement saying USC is the VICTIM and not the bad guy here.

"The government has repeatedly informed us that it views USC as a victim and that these employees purposefully deceived USC."

She added, "It is immensely disappointing that individuals would abuse their position at the university in this way."

Conor McGregor duped the dude whose phone he allegedly snatched and smashed in order to get to the goods ... so claims the guy who lost his phone.

TMZ Sports spoke with Ahmed Abdirzak, a UK resident, who tells us he was vacationing in Miami before Monday's scuffle with the former UFC champ.

Ahmed says he spotted Conor on their way out of the club as he waited for the valet to bring his ride around. Once he saw Conor, Ahmed tells us he pulled out his phone to snap a pic -- and then says Conor actually approached him and appeared to be offering a handshake.

Once he had a hold of his hand, Ahmed says Conor pulled him in and grabbed the phone out of his hand ... allegedly proceeding to stomp on it while his bodyguards blocked off Ahmed. Ahmed asked for the phone back, but to no avail.

He says Conor put it in his pocket, laughed and hopped into a waiting vehicle. Ahmed's pissed about his phone, 'cause he says there's precious content on there for him that he'll never get back.

As you know, Conor was arrested and booked for robbery/strong-arm and criminal mischief, and made bail Monday night. He was calm and collected as he made his way past cameras and into his ride.