Crime & Arrests

Conor McGregor is off the hook in his Miami phone smashing case -- prosecutors have dropped the charges against the UFC star after the victim stopped cooperating with authorities.

"The victim of the crime does not wish to return to the United States and prosecute this case," prosecutor Khalil Madani said during a hearing on Monday.

As we previously reported, McGregor was captured on video getting into an altercation outside the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami on March with Ahmed Abdirzak -- who was visiting from the United Kingdom.

In the footage, you can see McGregor snatch the guy's phone, stomp on it ... and leave the hotel with it.

He was arrested hours later and ultimately charged with felony robbery and misdemeanor criminal mischief.

But now, prosecutors say Abdirzak has left the country and doesn't want to come back to aid in Conor's prosecution ... which everyone saw coming from a mile away.

Here's why ... Abdirzak had filed a civil lawsuit against Conor -- which McGregor ultimately settled out of court.

Translation -- Abdirzak probably got a huge payday and wasn't exactly motivated to help put Conor behind bars.

This now clears the way for Conor to negotiate his next UFC fight without having to worry about being unavailable because of incarceration.

Kodak Black was grabbed by cops backstage at a popular Miami music festival before his scheduled performance ... and it's all because of warrants stemming back to firearms charges.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ the rapper pulled up at Rolling Loud Saturday -- where he was to take the stage -- and both local and federal agents were waiting. We're told officers from Miami Dade and ATF were armed with both state and federal warrants.

Kodak was arrested on the spot and hauled off to the police station.

Our sources say all of the warrants he was arrested on were firearm related.

It's currently unclear if Kodak was armed at the time of his arrest.

12:32 PM PT -- Darden just joined us on "TMZ Live" where he further explained his reason to back off of the case. He also said that while he's got a lot of haters ... his supporters really show out to help him as well. Darden hopes the same attention that people put into intimidating him off of the case will be used to stop violence in the streets.

Nipsey Hussle's alleged murderer is going to need a new lawyer -- Christopher Darden is quitting the case ... and it sounds like a wave of death threats to him and his family were just too much.

Darden says he's filed a motion to withdraw as Eric Holder's defense attorney. Holder happens to have a hearing scheduled for Friday in L.A. Superior Court, and Darden says it's the last time he will appear in court on the case.

Darden, who famously prosecuted O.J. Simpson in his double murder trial, says he's received death threats since taking Holder's case -- and the flood of hatred reminded him of the O.J. case. As he put it, "Just as they were in 1995-Cowards never change. These days these cowards don’t send letters instead they sit anonymously behind keyboards threatening a man’s mother and children."

Darden hinted he might reveal more in the future about exactly why he's bailing on Holder -- aka "Shitty Cuz" -- but made it clear to his haters that he won't forget ... "To those who issued those threats to my children please pay close attention so there is no misunderstanding. Later. F**K YOU!"

Truth is, Darden's been mercilessly berated ever since agreeing to defend the man accused of killing someone as beloved as Nipsey. One threatening tweet said, "Remember it was written in the book of life that the children shalt suffer from what the parents do."

But, Darden wants to make the point that under the Constitution, EVERYONE deserves a defense in court. He says, "After centuries of a history of black men hung from trees without trial, or after the thousands of cases of black men tried, convicted and executed without counsel ... I cannot understand why in 2019 some people would deny a black man his 6th Amendment right to counsel of his choice."

R. Kelly's ongoing criminal case and assortment of legal issues aren't stopping him from getting action ... at least according to several callers who want it to be known.

Sources close to the case tell TMZ ... the hotline Kim Foxx set up in January for the Cook County State's Attorney's Office -- so alleged Kelly victims could report their claims -- is being exploited by folks who want to report something else -- their sexual experiences with him.

We're told the hotline has gotten dozens of calls from mostly women, who phone in to inform prosecutors they slept with Kelly ... with some bragging about it or detailing multiple trysts.

Our sources say some men called in as well ... to gossip about women they know that allegedly banged Kelly.

We're told the volume of calls coming in from people with R. Kelly sex stories has been staggering to some involved with the case, but at the end of the day ... they are irrelevant.

Obviously, a person can have lots of consensual sex and still be guilty of sexual assault charges. Still, it's just another strange and unexpected aspect of Kelly's ongoing legal drama.

As we reported ... he just avoided another trip to jail by ponying up the back child support he owed his ex-wife Wednesday, and he's getting a do-over in a sexual abuse lawsuit he initially lost by not responding.

Of course, all of this is going down as he waits to stand trial on 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse involving underage girls.

6:58 AM PT -- TMZ Sports has obtained the 911 call placed by Smith's wife from the school ... and she says Zach was irate -- "yelling" at the principal until cops arrived.

More trouble for former Ohio State coach Zach Smith ... cops say they arrested Urban Meyer's ex-assistant after he got into an altercation with officials at his children's elementary school Thursday.

The Delaware County Sheriff's Office confirms to TMZ Sports that Smith showed up to Scioto Ridge Elementary School in Ohio to pick up his kids at around 3 PM.

The problem? They say because of a civil protection order with his wife -- who was already at the school -- Smith was NOT allowed to be there until 6 PM.

When school officials confronted Zach ... cops say an altercation took place -- and Zach was eventually arrested for violating the protection order.

Per jail records, Smith was booked at 6:24 PM and has not been released yet.

As we previously reported ... it's been a nightmare past year for Smith -- who was fired from his role as Buckeyes' receivers coach last summer when he was the centerpiece of a domestic violence scandal involving his wife, Courtney.

She accused him of abusing her on several occasions ... and while Zach denied ever getting violent, he admitted things had gotten physical during heated disputes in the past.

The 35-year-old has been out of coaching since his Ohio State departure in July.

T-minus 4 days until Anthony Weiner is back on these streets.

The disgraced ex-Congressman will finally complete his stay at a halfway house on May 14, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. As we first reported back in February ... Weiner got out of prison, but was not yet a free man. He was transferred to a residential re-entry center in NYC.

Once he's officially out, he'll be under supervised release for 3 years and he'll have to submit to DNA testing with his probation officer. He also must register as a sex offender and pay a $10k fine.

As we've reported ... Weiner started serving his 21-month prison sentence in November 2017 after pleading guilty to sexting with a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina. He was initially supposed to get out in August 2019, but good behavior slashed his sentence 3 months to May 14.

As you know by now ... Weiner resigned from Congress after his sexting scandal in 2011. His NYC mayoral run fell short in 2013 after it was uncovered he was sexting Sydney Leathers under the infamous alias, "Carlos Danger."

The guy cops busted in that MASSIVE weapons raid in a ritzy L.A. neighborhood was also detained a couple years ago for allegedly intimidating a group of people ... at gunpoint.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the suspect, Girard Saenz, held up a team of house cleaners back in 2017 when he found them on a Malibu property owned by his longtime companion, Cynthia Beck.

Beck is the real estate mogul who also owns the Holmby Hills mansion where authorities arrested Saenz Wednesday and seized more than 1,000 firearms.

Our sources say Saenz happened to be driving by the property when he noticed the team of people removing items from the house. Cops say that's when he held them at gunpoint to investigate. Cops eventually intervened and took everyone back to the station to sort it out.

It turned out a property manager hired the team to clean the pad ... unbeknownst to Saenz. Beck -- who has 3 daughters with J. Paul Getty's son, Gordon Getty -- was apparently out of the country at that time too. Our sources say the cleaners decided NOT to press charges and the case was closed.

Rick Schroder's bad month just got a lot worse ... he's been dropped by his entire team in wake of his domestic violence arrests.

Sources close to the former "NYPD Blue" star tell TMZ ... his agent, manager and PR people have severed ties with him as a result of 2 recent altercations with his girlfriend that could lead to felony charges.

We're told Schroder also got axed from his current gig, but it's unclear what he was working on. Truth is, he hasn't been seen in an acting role since 'Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors' TV movie in 2016, but he did produce the 2017 war documentary, "The Volunteers."

More bad news for Rick ... law enforcement sources tell us even though prosecutors declined charges against Schroder after his April 2 arrest -- for allegedly hitting his girlfriend in the face and grabbing her hair -- the case could still be reopened.

We broke the story ... Schroder was then arrested a second time 30 days later on May 1 for felony domestic violence for allegedly striking his girlfriend again.

We're told his second arrest looks worse now because of the first ... so prosecutors have more to work with in building their case against him.

The D.A.'s Office declined to comment.

Former "Big Brother" star Christmas Abbott struck a pretty sweet deal in her criminal mischief case -- she has a hefty bill to pay ... but won't spend any time behind bars.

Abbott -- who finished third on season 19 of 'BB' back in 2017 -- has been sentenced to 12 months probation and 25 hours of community service for a violent altercation with her baby daddy's girlfriend last year.

As we reported ... Christmas was arrested in November for the August 2018 incident, in which she drove to a Tampa gym to confront the woman and ended up flying off the handle and ramming into her car in the parking lot.

The only reason Abbott wasn't hauled in on the spot ... she was 8 months pregnant at the time. She turned herself after she gave birth to a son in October.

Mama June and her boyfriend are in the market for a new lawyer in their crack cocaine arrests ... 'cause the one they had is done trying to defend 'em since they won't even talk to him.

George B. Bulls II filed a request to be taken off the case, and the judge signed off on it. Bulls says ever since June and her BF, Geno Doak, were busted back in March ... he's made several attempts to contact his clients, but to no avail.

Bulls says aside from June and "Cracky Bear" NOT communicating with him ... he claims they've "failed to comply" with their attorney/client agreement.

You'll recall ... the couple was busted for possession of crack cocaine and paraphernalia -- including a needle and a pipe -- while at an Alabama gas station.

While they're not talking to their now ex-attorney, June and Geno still appear to be thick as thieves. Just a few days after their arrests ... they were trying to hit the jackpot at a casino ... and they've been spotted there multiple times since.

They're gonna need some winnings for a new retainer.

Rick Singer, the man who pulled all the strings in the massive college admissions bribery case, is living the Porsche lifestyle while the clients he ratted out face years in prison.

Shirtless Rick was chillin' at a public pool Tuesday in St. Petersburg, Florida ... when a staffer from C13Originals spotted him and fired off questions ... but the mastermind was impenetrable.

As we reported ... Rick copped a plea to racketeering conspiracy, tax conspiracy, money laundering and obstruction of justice. He faces a maximum of 65 years in prison, but he'll get way less for turning on those from who he richly profited.

Rick, who raked in more than $25 mil from wealthy parents like Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, has already been forced to forfeit millions ... but he's still got a fancy set of wheels.

Gucci Mane won't be left out in the cold when his upcoming tour heads North of the border ... Canada is allowing the rapper to enter the country even though he's had a checkered past.

We've learned Gucci Mane has obtained a temporary resident permit to enter Canada later this month for a string of 10 scheduled gigs across 5 provinces. This is no small feat. Canada's notoriously tough, eh, on people with prior convictions -- and Gucci's long rap sheet could've been enough for a denial.

Sources at the Canada Border Services Agency tell TMZ ... anyone crossing the border into Canada must demonstrate they meet the requirements to enter or stay in the country, and involvement in criminal activity is cause to prevent someone from entering.

As you know ... Gucci Mane's broken the law several times. He got busted in 2013 for violating probation by carrying a gun, and served 39 months before getting released in 2016. However, he's kept his nose clean since then.

As we've reported ... G-Eazy was denied entry into Canada last summer after his cocaine arrest during a trip to Sweden, Chris Brown was turned away at the border in 2015 because of his criminal past and Kodak Black had to cancel gigs after last month's border bust.

We're told Gucci locked down his golden ticket with the help of an immigration attorney, who got the rapper a temporary resident permit -- and that's why he's got the green light.

It's kinda funny ... on a track with Drake back in 2016, Gucci rapped, "I got so many felonies I might can't never go to Canada, but Drake said he gon' pull some strings, so let me check my calendar."

No word if Drake ever did ... but Guwop's good to go.

Tekashi69 might be locked up, but his girlfriend's still showing him love ... permanently.

The rapper and his GF, Jade, are going strong despite him currently being incarcerated for racketeering ... the proof's all over her chest, in the form of a brand new tattoo of 6ix9ine's mug.

Jade followed up her previous numerical "69" tattoo on her right shoulder with the massive ink homage to her boyfriend's face ... directly above her left breast.

She posted the pic with the caption, "Just got Chris brown tatted sh*t crazy." Our only reply to that would be ... um, what? That ain't Chris Brown!

Anyway, it's a very interesting placement, but judging by the look of the tattoo ... Tekashi's pretty stoked about it.

As we reported ... Jade was the first person to share a photo of Tekashi behind bars back in January, and he appeared to enjoy her company.

A lot's happened since then, though -- 6ix9ine and his former manager, Shotti, have pled guilty in their federal racketeering cases, but the rapper's awaiting the outcome of several other defendants tied to the case who are scheduled to go to trial this September.

Tekashi's hoping to get sprung from prison early and reunited with Jade on the outside soon, but on the downside ... he may be required to enter witness protection upon his release due to him being a snitch.

So, if Jade wants to go with him ... she might have to do something about her 69 tattoos.

Julian Assange won't survive extradition to the United States, because he may be a marked man ... so fears Pamela Anderson.

The former "Baywatch" star came on "TMZ Live" Tuesday hours after she visited Assange in prison and told us she's deathly afraid for his safety no matter where Assange is ... America, or otherwise.

As you know … Assange was forcibly removed from the Ecuadorean Embassy in the UK last month after the country withdrew his asylum. The United States has accused Assange of conspiring with Chelsea Manning to hack a classified Pentagon computer and wants the Wikileaks founder extradited to the U.S. to stand trial. He's currently in a maximum security facility in London.

Pam, a huge advocate for her friend Assange, believes there’s no chance he would withstand extradition … and she’s fighting like hell to make sure Julian isn’t extradited, telling us it's a matter of life and death.

Ex-UFC star Anthony "Rumble" Johnson was arrested for domestic violence Monday night after admitting he got physical during an argument with his girlfriend, TMZ Sports has learned.

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ Sports, a woman called police to report an altercation with her boyfriend, Anthony Johnson.

The woman claimed she had started to pack AJ's belongings to throw him out of the house when he forcefully picked her up -- "put her in a football hold" -- and carried her into another room.

The woman claims "she was scared due to his size and martial arts experience."

FYI, 35-year-old Johnson is a former UFC star who was 22-6 as a pro -- with wins over stars like Glover Teixeira, Ryan Bader and Alexander Gustafsson.

Cops say the woman did not have any visible injuries.

When cops spoke with Johnson that night, he admitted he had grabbed the woman and carried her during the argument -- but says his intention was never to hurt her. Johnson claimed he simply didn't want to argue anymore.

Cops determined Johnson's actions warranted a domestic violence arrest -- so they took him into custody and hauled him to a nearby station where he was booked on a misdemeanor domestic violence charge.

Johnson retired from the UFC back in 2017 -- after losing to Daniel Cormier. His profession on the police report is listed as "body building."

9:55 AM PT -- R. Kelly's publicist, Darrell Johnson, tells us, "Mr. Kelly steadfastly proclaims his innocence and looks forward to a speedy trial. Again, the state has failed to bring forth any proof concerning the sex tape, while claiming there was wrong doing!"

7:55 AM PT -- R. Kelly's lawyers were told it's not enough to insinuate something rotten was going on between Michael Avenatti and State's Attorney Kim Foxx ... the judge just told the singer's lawyers they gotta say what they mean.

The lawyers asked the judge to order prosecutors to preserve all communications between Avenatti and Foxx, but they didn't say why. The judge wants to know why these communications are so important, and what it might prove. So, the lawyers were sent back to the drawing board to tell the judge why these communications could affect the case.

For his part, Avenatti states they have already uncovered texts and emails between himself and Foxx, and they were published by the Chicago Tribune weeks ago. It's unclear what more may exist, but Avenatti is claiming they have it all, and he came up clean.

7:14 AM PT -- R. Kelly just made his way inside the courthouse suited and booted with a huge entourage behind him. He kept it moving though, not stopping for questions or photos.

The judge still deciding whether there will be a live feed inside the courtroom -- we're waiting to see what the ruling is. Fingers crossed.

R. Kelly is on a collision course with another famous defendant -- Michael Avenatti -- and it could all come to a head Tuesday morning when the singer appears in court to possibly challenge the authenticity of a sex tape.

The embattled singer is trying to blow up the sex tape by suggesting something fishy was going on between Avenatti and Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx. In R. Kelly's legal docs, he notes Avenatti has publicly claimed to have had repeated conversations with Foxx, and based on what happened in the Jussie Smollett case, he describes the prosecutor as someone who is "able to be influenced and wowed."

He goes on to allege there are questions to suggest Foxx was "bullied or just simply manipulated by Avenatti."

Avenatti previously came forward with 2 sex tapes he claims show Kelly having sex with a 14-year-old girl ... and Kelly's legal team wanted to know more about Avenatti's relationship with Foxx, saying they were concerned Avenatti might have "bullied or simply manipulated" Foxx.

As we've reported ... the tapes are part of the new evidence that prompted prosecutors to hit R. Kelly with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.