Crime & Arrests

Ex-49ers star Dana Stubblefield believes Santa Clara prosecutors are so afraid of looking soft on sexual assault cases in the wake of the Brock Turner debacle, they're gonna go extra hard on him instead.

Stubblefield is accused of raping a mentally disabled woman back in 2015 -- though he's pled not guilty to all 5 felony counts and vows to prove his innocence.

Now, the 47-year-old has filed new court docs saying he's worried he'll be treated unfairly by Northern California prosecutors looking to protect their reputation after the crap they took from the Stanford swimmer rape case.

Remember, the judge in the Brock Turner rape case was recalled from office back in June after only sentencing Turner to 6 months in jail for sexually assaulting a drunk woman outside of a Stanford frat party. He could have faced up to 14 years.

Stubblefield's attorney just filed court docs saying prosecutors are essentially lying in wait -- looking for another high-profile case to prove how tough they can be ... despite the facts.

"Since the public outcry about the lenient sentence in the sexual assault case of the 'Stanford swimmer,' and the judge in the matter being voted off the bench, it is common knowledge, and a matter of frequent discussion among the defense bar, that the prosecutors and judges in this country are taking an unusually hard line on sexual assault cases."

Stubblefield's attorney, Kenneth Rosenfeld, believes the NFL star's case is the most high-profile sexual assault case since Turner -- putting Dana in real danger of being the victim of an overreaction.

So, what does Stubblefield want?

He wants all of the pertinent documents unsealed so the media and the public can have access to all the evidence in the case ... which Stubblefield believes will cut in his favor.

Kim Kardashian West's tweet advocating for DNA testing that could possibly free a death row prisoner is completely disrespectful to the family of those he murdered ... so says the prosecutor on the case.

San Bernardino County D.A. Mike Ramos tells TMZ ... his office firmly stands behind the conviction of Kevin Cooper, who was found guilty of 4 murders in 1983. Cooper has maintained his innocence and even suggested he was framed.

Ramos says he has no doubt Cooper committed the horrendous killings, and claims the case against him only gets stronger each time he appeals.

As for Kim's tweet -- in which she urges California Gov. Jerry Brown to order advanced DNA testing that could settle the case once and for all -- Ramos says ... "It’s time that we start talking and 'tweeting' about the victims who were brutally murdered in the sanctity of their home."

Ramos adds ... "This latest attempt to free Kevin Cooper is nothing more than a red herring and another slap in the face of the victims and their family members who were forced to suffer a lifetime of pain."

This is creepy, even for Charles Manson -- the hospital gown the notorious murderer was wearing when he died, along with the coroner's toe tag and ALL of his bone fragments are headed to Zak Bagans' Haunted Museum ... a score he's calling the motherload of all motherloads.

The “Ghost Adventures” star tells TMZ ... Manson's grandson, Jason Freeman, gave Zak all of the items this week. They'll be front-and-center at his Vegas Haunted Museum ... which already features Manson's chompers and two paintings -- one that has his urine and another his ashes.

However, the latest cache takes the cake. Manson's hospital gown contains his body fluids ... same goes for the sheet that was draped over Manson's body while it lay in the morgue.

But, that's not all ... how about the electrodes taken off Manson's body after he died, along with his hospital bracelet? Then there are bone fragments ... we're told Freeman scraped the bones from the incinerator after Manson's body was burnt to a crisp. Zak tells us, "This is probably the most powerful possession I now own at my museum."

As for why Freeman donated the items ... Zak tells us Freeman said holding on to them at his home triggered paranormal activity, like weird noises. And then, there's this ... Zak says Freeman told him one day while pulling into his driveway he got a call on his cell from his home phone.

Antonella Barba -- known for her appearance on the 6th season of "American Idol" -- has been arrested for allegedly trying to distribute heroin ... TMZ has learned.

The singer was busted Thursday in Virginia around 11:30 AM and is facing a felony charge of heroin distribution of 100g or more ... according to the Norfolk Sheriff's Office. Details are scarce, but Barba is still being held in jail without bond and has a court date set for next week.

Antonella was eliminated right before the top 12 were chosen on Season 6 of 'Idol' in 2007, amid some notoriety for posing in a wet t-shirt in the fountain of the World War II Memorial in D.C.

She was also busted for shoplifting in NYC in 2011, but that didn't stop her from appearing on an episode of "Fear Factor" in 2012.

Her latest TV gig was in a funny 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' video that brought a bunch of past 'Idol' stars together for a musical "Where Are They Now?" segment.

We reached out to Barba's rep ... so far no word back.

Hip-hop legend Kool G Rap was charged with jacking a pair of pricey shoes -- a charge that was later dropped -- and he's claiming it all happened for one reason -- he's black.

Kool G was ordered to appear in court back in June after he was accused by an employee at a PA Finish Line store of pilfering a pair of Nike LeBron 15's -- worth $185. The employee described the thief as an African-American male in his 40's.

The rapper -- who fits the description, was shopping at the mall that day, and was tracked down in the mall's parking lot by a Finish Line employee who wrote down KGR's vehicle's registration number and immediately contacted cops. KGR was hit with misdemeanor theft.

Here's where things got interesting, his lawyers -- Donte Mills and Lennon Edwards of Mills & Edwards LLP -- claim cops jumped the gun and never reviewed the store's surveillance video. Had they looked ... they would have realized KGR never stepped foot in the joint. His attorneys say cops were just on the hunt for a black man in his 40's and that was good enough for them.

Cops belatedly determined the employee who tracked down KGR in the parking lot never eyeballed him ... and that was enough for prosecutors to drop the case.

Todd Harrell -- the former bassist of the rock band 3 Doors Down -- is going to be locked up a while after a judge hit him with the maximum penalty for a firearm charge.

Harrell's reportedly been sentenced to 10 years in a Mississippi state prison for possession of a firearm by a felon. Jackson County Judge Robert Krebs handed down the sentence Thursday.

We broke the story ... Harrell was arrested at his home in Jackson County in June after a domestic violence incident with his wife. When officers arrived they saw guns and drugs in the house and got a search warrant for the residence, which ultimately led to his arrest.

7:30 AM PT -- The judge released a letter from the D.A.'s office to Weinstein's lawyer, which says in part the witness in question said, among other things, Weinstein offered to give Evans cash if she exposed her breasts to him and that Evans told her Weinstein promised her an acting job in return for oral sex. The upshot -- the witness says Evans was not forced to perform oral sex.

According to the letter, the detective told the witness she had no obligation to cooperate with prosecutors and "less is more."

Harvey Weinstein just scored a huge victory in his sexual assault criminal case ... a judge just threw out one of the 3 cases in which he was charged.

The judge said the case involving then-actress Lucia Evans was dismissed ... this after prosecutors jumped the gun and asked the judge to 86 the charge of sexual assault.

TMZ broke the story ... the lead detective in the Weinstein cases is under investigation after allegedly tampering with a witness who claimed Evans admitted to her she voluntarily engaged in oral sex to score an acting role. Evans claims Weinstein forced himself on her, but the witness says otherwise.

The detective allegedly hid information about the witness in dealing with prosecutors and allegedly cajoled the witness into not disclosing what she knew.

Weinstein's lawyer, Ben Brafman, asked the judge to review all of the detective's work on the case. The judge did not say whether he'll do that.

There are still 5 criminal charges against Weinstein involving 2 other women.

Originally published 7:04 AM PT

WWE Hall of Famer Sunny's first order of business after being released from prison is a total Diva move ... girl went and got herself a mani-pedi!!

Less than 24 hours after getting out of the Carbon County Correctional Facility in Pennsylvania, Tammy Sytch hit up a local shop back in her New Jersey hometown Wednesday to get her nails done.

However, Sunny tells TMZ ... her first selfie as a free woman will have to wait until after her upcoming hair appointment.

The wrestling legend also tells us she feels great, and she's happy to be home with her family and the man she loves.

As for her time behind bars, she says ... "I used the time to my advantage, worked more on my recovery and got in great shape. My probation violation cost me 7.5 months of my freedom, but I met a few good people I will miss. The one thing I won’t miss is the food!"

Teresa Giudice is a cold-hearted, good-for-nothing mom who'd rather party like a rock star than sweat about her husband Joe's pending deportation to Italy ... so claims her cast mate Kim DePaola.

The 'RHONJ' star ripped into Teresa when we spoke to her just a few hours after the news broke Joe's getting deported after he finishes serving his 41-month federal prison sentence. She doesn't have much sympathy for Joe, either ... telling us he's not a citizen, and the law's the law.

Then she went off on Teresa's alleged non-stop partying lifestyle, and joked (we think) that TG's already found a way to cash in on Joe's downfall.

Kim D's attack should come as no surprise -- they have a bitter history. Teresa once accused Kim of running a prostitution ring back in Season 8.

TMZ broke the story ... Teresa has zero plans to uproot their 4 daughters and move to Italy when their dad gets the boot, because they've made a life here and she wants to keep it that way.

Pretty sure Kim won't be delivering a homemade pan of ziti to console Teresa.

A woman claims boxing star Gervonta Davis punched her in the head multiple times during an incident at a Dallas strip club ... and now intends to sue Davis for $2 MILLION, TMZ Sports has learned.

The accuser's attorney tells us ... the woman was struck in the left side of her head with a closed fist at King of Diamonds in Dallas on April 30. We're told the woman was an employee at the club.

As a result, the woman says she was hospitalized with a "traumatic head injury" and has had to seek counseling to deal with the psychological injury associated with the attack.

The woman hired Witherspoon Law Group and intends to sue Gervonta for $2 million "as compensation for her serious physical injury and emotional trauma."

We're told the woman did not file a police report -- but decided to come forward with the allegations after being inspired by the #MeToo movement.

It's not the first time Davis has been accused of getting violent -- he was arrested on Sept. 14 in Washington D.C. after cops say he was fighting in the street.

Davis -- the reigning WBA super featherweight champ -- is a rising superstar in the sport and is one of Floyd Mayweather's prodigies.

In fact, he fought on the undercard at the Mayweather vs. McGregor fight.

Stop us if you've heard this before ... Lenny Dykstra's got problems.

A grand jury in Union County, NJ just indicted the ex-MLB superstar on 3 serious crimes ... possession of cocaine, possession of meth and making terroristic threats after an alleged blowup with his Uber driver last May.

As we previously reported, Dykstra was arrested back in May after allegedly threatening his Uber driver -- who then stopped the car in front of a police station.

Cops say they found evidence of cocaine and meth -- and took Dykstra into custody.

TMZ Sports obtained police body cam video from the arrest -- in which Dykstra tells the cop he does NOT have a gun in his possession (as originally claimed by the Uber driver).

Remember, the driver claimed Dykstra put a gun to his head during the incident. Dykstra says that's just not true.

In the video, Dykstra is frantically trying to dissuade the cops from searching one of his bags -- it seems obvious why.

Dykstra argued that the Uber driver was the bad guy -- who kidnapped him and Lenny was in fear for his life.

But, the grand jury clearly believes there's enough truth behind the Uber driver's story to move forward with charges against the 55-year-old.

If convicted, Dykstra faces between 3-5 years in prison on each charge.

When Joe Giudice gets deported to Italy he'll have to get re-acclimated in his native country without his family ... 'cause Teresa Giudice ain't moving the kids.

Sources close to Teresa tell TMZ ... the 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' star has zero interest in uprooting their 4 daughters to a country where they have no friends and have never lived. We're told Teresa says moving them outta the country would be a culture shock and completely change their lives.

What's more ... the girls just started school where they've made countless friends. Gia's 17 and is in her final year in high school. 14-year-old Gabriella and 13-year-old Milania are in middle school ... and Audriana's only 9.

Our source says Teresa and the kids haven't visited Joe in prison in a while.

We also spoke with Wendy Feldman -- Teresa's former crisis manager -- who tells us, "I work with people every day to get them through the system. Now of course it's harder than ever with our new administration."

Way back in January, during the 'RHONJ' reunion show, Teresa said she was open to the idea of moving to Italy if Joe was deported.

Things change.

Jim Jones is officially facing a handful of felony drug and firearm charges for his June arrest in Georgia after a police chase ... TMZ has learned.

The rapper's been hit with 3 counts of possession of a controlled substance and 2 counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony -- so 5 felony charges total ... according to new legal docs.

Jones has also been charged with a 6th count of possession of marijuana, less than an ounce ... which is a misdemeanor.

We broke the story ... Jones was busted on June 20 in Coweta County when a car he was a passenger in led cops on a chase. When it finally stopped, cops searched the vehicle and found marijuana, oxycodone, Percocet, vape cartridges and 2 loaded pistols.

Neither Jones nor the 3 others in the car, including the driver, admitted possession of the items ... so they were all arrested.

Jones' arraignment on the charges is scheduled for later this month. If convicted on all charges, he faces up to decades in prison.

Ex-boxing champ Victor Ortiz pled not guilty to 3 felony sexual assault charges Wednesday -- including forcible rape -- and then smiled on his way out of court.

The 31-year-old former "Dancing with the Stars" contestant appeared in a courtroom in Ventura County, CA wearing a tie and a black vest ... flanked by a team of lawyers.

As we previously reported, Ortiz -- who appeared in movies like 'Expendables 3' and "Southpaw" -- was arrested last month and charged with forcible rape, forcible oral copulation and forcible digital penetration for an alleged incident that went down in an Oxnard, CA home on March 19.

During Wednesday's hearing, the judge revoked Ortiz's probation stemming from a 2016 DUI case -- which means, in theory, he could be thrown in jail for that.

That matter will be addressed at a hearing in December -- when Ortiz is due back in court for his rape case.

Outside the courtroom Wednesday, Ortiz didn't say a single word to reporters -- but laughed and joked with his legal team as he walked to his car.

The death row inmate Kim Kardashian West pushed into the spotlight says he appreciates her support, but adds he desperately needs her to get him the one thing he needs to clear his name.

California prisoner Kevin Cooper's attorney, Norman Hile, tells TMZ ... Cooper is aware Kim tweeted about him a few days ago, putting his case front and center with her 60 million followers, but says he really just needs one person's attention -- CA Governor Jerry Brown.

Cooper needs Gov. Brown to order new advanced DNA testing ... a request that Brown's office is currently reviewing.

If you're unfamiliar with his story ... Cooper was convicted of 4 murders in the 1980s. He's maintained his innocence, and even suggested he was framed. A NYT op-ed on the case concluded the same thing.

Kim's tweet was a direct plea to Gov. Brown, and Hile says Cooper is hoping Kim's legion of fans follow up, research his case and then write to Brown. For his part, Cooper is going to write a thank-you letter to Kim.

Our Kim sources tell us she has no personal connection to Cooper, and she simply stumbled across an article about him a few months ago. What's also interesting ... her push on his behalf comes just ahead of Kanye West's Thursday meeting with President Trump.

Bill Cosby's comedy is not bombing in prison ... at least not to the point where inmates are hurling food at him.

There are reports out that Cosby cracked a joke that another inmate found distasteful and reacted by removing a chicken patty from the bun and throwing it at Cosby, smacking him in the face.

An official from the Pennsylvania Dept. of Corrections tells TMZ, "This did NOT happen, and I am unhappy with anyone who is reporting such fake news."

The official says Cosby isn't even mingling with other inmates yet ... he has no contact whatsoever. That's because he's being evaluated by prison staff and, until they determine the extent to which he should interact with other inmates, he's by himself and in his own cell.