Crime & Arrests

"Mob Wives" star Drita D'Avanzo's husband just got swept up in a huge weed sting operation in New Jersey ... and he's facing two new drug charges.

Prosecutors in Jersey say they are charging Drita's hubby, Lee D'Avanzo, with fourth-degree conspiracy to possess marijuana and fourth-degree possession of marijuana in excess of 50 grams.

Lee is one of 24 people arrested as part of a yearlong investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office Narcotics and Criminal Enterprise Unit. The sting, dubbed "Operation on The Ropes," uncovered what prosecutors say was a scheme to secretly convert legit candy, like Nerds Rope and Sour Patch, into illegal THC-infused products.

Authorities in Jersey say they executed over a dozen search warrants, resulting in the seizure of 21,000 packages of candy infused with suspected THC, plus another 1,100 lbs. of suspected marijuana and over 6,000 flavored THC vape cartridges.

All told ... officials say the drugs carried a street value of $1.9 million.

This is Lee's second round of drug charges in the past two months. As we reported, Lee and Drita were busted last month on a slew of guns and drug charges after NYPD raided their Staten Island home.

Lori Loughlin's defense in her looming college admissions trial hasn't been talked about much in the media, but make no mistake about it -- she has a defense, starting with the fact the so-called incriminating photos of her daughters on a rowing machine NEVER made their way to USC.

Prosecutors have made a huge deal of the fact Olivia Jade and Isabella were photographed on a rowing machine ... saying it's proof Lori and husband Mossimo Giannulli defrauded the University.

Sources connected to USC tell TMZ, the photos were never submitted as part of the girls' admission package. As we reported, the mastermind of the scandal -- Rick Singer -- told Lori and Mossimo to get the pics taken so it would appear they had experience on a crew team.

At its core ... Lori and Mossimo's defense is they relied on Singer -- who helped "10s of thousands" other clients -- to get their daughters into USC. They gave him $500,000 -- some parents paid less and some more -- and assumed the money would end up in the hands of the University. In other words, it wasn't a bribe -- so their defense will go.

Luka Magnotta's mom is convinced her son didn't act alone when he killed kittens on camera ... she says the mysterious "Manny" was involved, and evidence is being ignored!!!

The convicted murderer's mother, Anna Yourkin, tells TMZ ... she firmly believes the third hand lurking in Luka's infamous cat-killing video belongs to none other than Emanuel "Manny" Lopez ... a position Luka has strongly maintained.

Anna says Canadian cops and Interpol are ignoring one crucial piece of evidence from Netflix's explosive docu-series on Luka, "Don't F**k With Cats" -- the third hand in the frame when Luka allows a python to devour a kitty.

Luka claims Manny forced him to kill the feline, but the Netflix doc insinuates Manny is a fictional person based on a character in "Basic Instinct." When you watch the video, the third hand does NOT move. No one knows who it belongs to, but Luka's mom says it's gotta be Manny's.

Anna also claims Luka emailed her a photo of Manny BEFORE the cat-killing video, and told her not to open it unless something happened to him. Problem is, Anna claims Interpol seized her email and the alleged Manny photo.

DaBaby is brushing off his 48 hours in Miami-Dade county jail ... he says nothing can stop him on his path to success.

The rapper just broke his silence on his brief jail stint after being arrested last week for allegedly beating up a concert promoter who allegedly shorted him $10,000 on his fee ... telling his fans he's innocent and vowing to win any lawsuit that could potentially come his way.

DaBaby calls his 48 hours behind bars "weak" and says he's still focused on making music and money. He warns his supporters not to be misled, and says he'll forgive anyone who rushed to judgment.

As we reported ... the concert promoter allegedly owed DaBaby $30,000 for a performance, but only showed up with $20k Thursday afternoon, and that's when DaBaby's crew allegedly beat him up, doused him in apple juice and stole $80, a credit card and an iPhone 7.

The L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. has almost cracked a murder case involving YG's vehicle, and now they're asking for the public's help in solving the mystery.

TMZ broke the story back in July ... his SUV was involved in a high-speed chase through the streets of L.A. that ended in a deadly police shootout.

Police were originally called to apprehend a reckless DUI suspect in YG's Escalade. While they were chasing the suspect, deputies say someone in the SUV opened fire, killing a 65-year-old man on a bike.

YG told TMZ at the time, "I was nowhere near the scene of this incident and had been in a recording studio all day in Hollywood. I was there until after midnight on the Fourth of July and didn't learn of these events until after they happened."

G Herbo just pled guilty in his battery case ... and he's avoiding time behind bars, as long as he keeps his nose clean.

TMZ broke the story ... the rapper was busted in Atlanta back in April after police said he assaulted the mother of his child, Ariana Fletcher, during an argument. He was facing one count of misdemeanor battery for allegedly dragging his baby mama by her hair and scratching the hell outta her arm.

G Herbo entered his guilty plea Monday, according to the Fulton County Solicitor's Office, and he was sentenced to 12 months of probation and 150 hours of community service. We're told he also has to attend a 24-week family violence intervention program.

G Herbo's lawyer, Tanya Miller, tells us he's "eager put this incident behind him and to move on with his life and his work—both in the studio and in the community."

DaBaby is a free man again -- of sorts -- because he's been released from jail, but he's not out of the woods.

The rapper posted $1,500 and bailed out of Miami-Dade county jail late Saturday night.

DaBaby was being held on a warrant out of Dallas for organized criminal activity -- specifically, a fight at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport where a food stand worker was attacked. Here's the weird thing, Dallas cops withdrew the warrant for some reason, but they're not saying why.

As we reported, DaBaby was arrested Thursday after allegedly beating up a concert promoter who shorted him on his fee -- DaBaby was owed $30,000 for a performance but the promoter showed up with only $20k, so DaBaby's crew allegedly pounced on him, stole $80, a credit card and an iPhone 7.

It's gone from REALLY bad to MUCH MUCH WORSE for ex-NFL QB Trevone Boykin -- who's now facing shocking new criminal charges even though he's been locked up since November.

As we previously reported, the former TCU superstar has been in SERIOUS trouble with the law after he allegedly broke his girlfriend's jaw in an altercation in March 2018.

Boykin was out on bond while he was fighting the case in court ... but he was thrown back in jail in November after cops say he failed to charge his electronic monitoring device.

But, while the 2015 2nd Team All-American has been in custody ... investigators have been working on other cases involving the 26-year-old, which have now resulted in MORE criminal charges.

Here's a brief summary of what Boykin is now accused of:

Augustus Sol Invictus -- the guy who ran for U.S. Senate and once claimed he killed a goat and drank its blood -- has been arrested in Florida on a slew of charges including kidnapping.

Invictus was busted Monday for kidnapping, aggravated domestic violence and possession of a firearm used during a crime. The 36-year-old Orlando-based lawyer had been wanted in South Carolina on a fugitive warrant. Exact details of his alleged crimes are unknown.

According to the Miami Herald, Invictus was arrested at a mall in Melbourne, Florida. The media outlet reports he's being held without bond.

Invictus first made headlines in 2016 when he ran as a Libertarian candidate and challenged for Marco Rubio's Senate seat. During his failed campaign bid, Invictus claimed he slaughtered a goat and drank its blood as part of a pagan ritual.

The failed politician made headlines again in 2017 when he spoke at the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Invictus has denied being a white nationalist.

Actress Mollie Fitzgerald -- who had a small role in "Captain America: The First Avenger" -- is accused of fatally stabbing her mother in Kansas.

Fitzgerald was arrested Tuesday by police in Olathe, Kansas and is reportedly charged with second-degree murder. She's being held on $500k bond.

The arrest comes after cops found her 68-year-old mother, Patricia, dead from an apparent stab wound inside her home on Dec. 20. Cops say they responded to a call of an armed disturbance, and Mollie was contacted on the scene and transported to a local hospital with minor injuries.

Police say the case remains under investigation, but have not provided additional details yet.

Fitzgerald played Stark girl in the 2011 Marvel film, and is also listed as a director and producer of some low-budget short films, including 2017's "The Creeps."

Miami Dolphins star defensive back Xavien Howard was arrested just hours after his team beat the New England Patriots on Sunday ... cops say he roughed up his fiancee in an argument over a purse.

According to police documents obtained by TMZ Sports, Howard -- who missed the Fins' win over the Pats because of recent knee surgery -- got into an altercation with his baby mama at their Davie, Florida home late Sunday night.

In the docs, the woman -- who has three children with Howard -- claims the NFL player began arguing with her "over a recent purchase of a purse at a store that wasn't disclosed to her."

We know what you're thinking about the purse -- we're thinking it too -- but the report doesn't explain anything more than that.

The woman says the argument turned physical, the docs say Howard "grabbed both her arms and pushed her back up against the mirrored glass wall in the hallway of their bedroom."

The woman claims after 6-foot, 200-pound Howard let her go, she landed on one of Howard's crutches.

When cops arrived, they say they noticed she had "visible scratches and redness" on her arm as well as "redness and an abrasion" on her right elbow from falling onto Howard's crutch.

A man has been arrested in connection with a vicious hate crime against Jews ... and 2 people are now fighting for their lives.

Cops say the suspect entered the home of a rabbi Saturday night to celebrate the 7th day of Hanukkah. The man then pulled out a knife -- which one eyewitness said looked like a broomstick -- and began attacking many of the 100 guests.

Five of the guests were stabbed and 2 are in critical condition. One of the victims was stabbed at least 6 times.

Most of the people who attended the party were Hasidic Jews. The home where the attack occurred is in a New York suburb which has the largest Jewish population per capita in the country.

The rabbi was not about to cower ... after the attack, he continued with the celebration.

It's the latest in a series of violent attacks against Jews.

Disney actor Devan Leos can breathe a huge sigh of relief ... he won't spend any time behind bars after striking a plea deal in his attempted murder case.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Devan pled no contest to 1 count of attempted murder back in April. He was sentenced to 5 years probation, 120 hours of volunteer work at a homeless shelter and 30 days with Caltrans. We're told the 1 count of assault with a deadly weapon was tossed.

The plea deal stems from an incident that went down in December 2018. Law enforcement sources say Devan -- who appeared in Disney Channel's "Mighty Med" -- and a friend were at a 7-Eleven convenience store in L.A. where they got into an argument with a transient.

We're told when Devan and his friend got back in their car, the transient kicked it as they were pulling away. That's when Devan allegedly drove toward the transient and accelerated several times before hopping the curb and knocking down the transient.

We reached out to Leos ... no word back yet.

A Santa look-alike pulled a Robin Hood this week by robbing a bank and then making it rain for unsuspecting pedestrians.

David Wayne Oliver sauntered into an Academy Bank in Colorado Springs, allegedly threatened a teller with a weapon and left with an undisclosed amount of cash.

The 65-year-old faux Santa then walked outside and hurled the loot in the air, screaming "Merry Christmas" all the while, to the amazement of people who happened to walk by. Most of the people who scooped up the money returned it to the bank.

Oliver then casually walked to a nearby Starbucks where he waited for cops to come and hook him up.

Oliver is being held on $10,000 bail.

Rich Homie Quan is off the hook in his seemingly endless drug case.

According to legal docs obtained by TMZ ... the drug case against the rapper has been tossed. RHQ's lawyer, Lucy Bell, tells TMZ it was dismissed due to a lack of evidence. Bell says the "tiny amount of marijuana" was in somebody else's pocket and RHQ was wrongfully accused. We've reached out to prosecutors to confirm that ... so far, no word back.

TMZ broke the story ... Rich Homie Quan and his crew were busted back in May 2017 in Wadley, GA on suspicion of a stolen gun and drugs. A few days later, the weapons charge was dropped but he was booked on felony possession of drugs with intent to distribute.

If convicted, he faced up to THIRTY YEARS in prison. But, Homie don't play that .. lucky for him, the case was officially dropped after the judge signed off.

Vanessa Cloke -- known for playing Anna on a seasons 6 and 7 of "The Walking Dead" -- went ballistic while her ex gathered up his stuff at their apartment ... and ended up getting hauled away in handcuffs.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... they were called to the actress' residence in Orange County, CA to keep the peace while someone removed their property. During the process, we're told cops witnessed her strike someone ... so she was arrested.

As you can tell by her mug shot ... she was pretty emotional about it.

Video of the incident paints a clearer picture of what happened. Cloke's heard sobbing and screaming about her ex-boyfriend and his family members. At one point, the woman recording calls her a "drama queen."

Vanessa then storms out of the apartment and appears to strike the woman ... after calling her a "f***ing c**t." She allegedly grabbed the woman's phone and threw it off the staircase onto a parked car below, causing damage.

Sources close to the situation tell us ... Cloke's boyfriend had recently broken up with her, and called police to get his belongings at the home they shared because he anticipated problems.

We're told cops tried to keep her calm during the process, but she became too unruly so they asked her to leave. After Cloke's confrontation with the woman recording video ... cops placed her under arrest.

We reached out to Cloke who told us, "Can you imagine what it takes to provoke a person to this point? (To person who took the video) 'Tis the season for exploiting and demeaning another human being without the full story"