Crime & Arrests

The man who got punched by Mike Tyson on a JetBlue plane has a long criminal record ... TMZ has learned.

His name -- Melvin Townsend, III, and this isn't his first encounter with cops, by any means. He's been convicted of fraud, grand theft, burglary, possession of controlled substances and trafficking in stolen property.

As for specifics, the 36-year-old broke onto a property in 2018 and stole a trailer that he hitched to his pickup. The drug possession offense was for oxycodone. Official docs don't mention other specifics. He served time twice -- one for 20 months and another time for 15 months.

TMZ broke the story ... Townsend looks like he was harassing Tyson after they boarded the flight Wednesday from San Francisco to Miami. Before the plane took off, Townsend, who was sitting behind Tyson, was hounding him. Mike's team claims Townsend threw a water bottle at him.

The boxing champ then snapped and unloaded on him with repeated punches, leaving him bloodied. Both men got off the plane and were met by cops. Townsend said he didn't want to press charges and they both were free to go.

"The Tinder Swindler" Simon Leviev could be facing serious prison time after an arrest warrant was issued against him for an incident back in 2019, where authorities claim he used a fake driver's license and got his luxury car stuck on a beach in Spain.

Police in Tarifa say they were able to link Leviev to a 2019 accident thanks to the Netflix doc, according to The Daily Mail. Cops say after getting his $100K Maserati stuck on the beach, Leviev offered up a fake ID, with the name Michael Bilton -- one of his alleged aliases.

Police apparently realized the connection upon watching the Netflix doc and seeing the name mentioned.

Cops reportedly suspected the license wasn't legit, but no arrests were made at the time ... the rented car was towed away, and he and his unknown date were free to go. He allegedly gave police an address in Costa del Sol pending an ongoing investigation.

Things apparently came to a halt after "Bilton" failed to answer his summons ... the case is being reopened after cops now think Leviev was the man in question.

Simon Leviev tells TMZ ... he's already served time for using a fake passport in 2019 -- he believes he can't be sentenced for the same crime twice.

A$AP Rocky was arrested as he flew into LAX Wednesday morning ... TMZ has confirmed.

Eyewitnesses at the airport tell TMZ the rapper flew in to Los Angeles from Barbados on a private jet, where he was met by cops at the terminal and taken away in handcuffs. We're told he was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon with a gun.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ the arrest stems from a November 6, 2021 incident, where an alleged victim claimed Rocky shot at them 3 or 4 times -- grazing his left hand -- NBC News was first with the info.

Unclear exactly where the alleged shooting happened ... Rocky performed at Complex Con in Long Beach on November 7, Rihanna was in attendance.

As we told you, Rocky and a pregnant Rihanna have been living it up in her native country, jet skiing (while RiRi watched with binoculars) and hanging with friends and family.

TMZ broke the story ... a recent Twitter rumor that the two had split because he cheated was 100% not true -- and evidence that all is good between them was shown in the vacation pics where they're clearly having a great time.

It's unclear when Rihanna's expected to give birth, but has said she's in her third trimester. The couple announced the pregnancy back in January.

Before NFL linebacker Damien Wilson was arrested last week and took a mug shot where he appeared to have a slight smile ... he told cops he did not assault anybody -- this according to new police documents obtained by TMZ Sports.

In the docs, police say after they pulled over the 28-year-old Carolina Panther on April 16 in Frisco, Texas following allegations that he choked a female ... Wilson explained to them he wasn't violent with anyone.

According to police, Wilson said he and Ryan Sokolosky, who he said he was in a "sexual relationship with," had gotten into a tiff on April 15 after he claims she saw him with another woman.

Cops say Wilson told them he believed Sokolosky had broken into his house and taken the other woman's belongings after seeing them together ... so he went to Sokolosky's place to "confront her."

In the docs, police say Wilson told them he confronted Sokolosky and her friend ... and then took Sokolosky's keys from the friend's hands. Cops say the football player then told them "there was no additional physical altercation" and that he left immediately after.

Cops, though, say in the docs Sokolosky and her friend had a different version of what went down when Wilson confronted them -- claiming he was violent with them.

Sokolosky's friend, according to the report, told cops he grabbed her neck before taking Sokolosky's keys -- and also grabbed her phone. Cops say she added that Wilson ripped a nail off her hand when he grabbed the keys.

Meanwhile, Sokolosky said, according to the report, that following the key-grabbing incident, he then smashed her $1,500 laptop before "he pushed her away from him," breaking two of her nails in the process.

In the docs, cops say they ultimately arrested Wilson for assault causing bodily injury to a family member due to his dating relationship with Sokolosky.

Wilson -- who signed with the Panthers this offseason after playing for the Cowboys, Chiefs and Jaguars -- was booked in Frisco on the misdemeanor charge ... and the docs show he was later released on bond.

Jacqueline Avant's murderer has just learned his fate after pleading guilty to the crime -- and he'll be doing some hard time for a good long while.

Aariel Maynor -- who was arrested and subsequently convicted of murdering Mrs. Avant after entering his plea in March -- was sentenced Tuesday in L.A. County ... and the judge threw the book at him, sending him to prison for the rest of his life.

As we reported ... Maynor copped to breaking into Jacqueline and her husband Clarence's Beverly Hills home in December -- and then opened fire with an "assault long barrel pistol" when he came upon Jacqueline, who wasn't with Clarence at the time. Maynor then fled the scene.

Jacqueline was taken to a hospital, but succumbed to her injuries and died.

Photos of the crime surfaced shortly thereafter, and it looks like Maynor broke through a sliding glass door on a side of the property ... leaving behind a ton of shattered glass.

Prosecutors pushed for a lengthy sentence, telling the judge Maynor bragged and joked with his friends about the situation from a jail phone. According to court docs, he also said he expected to serve a max of 25 years because the prosecutors did not file a so-called "special circumstances" murder charge.

Jacqueline was deeply involved in her community, serving as the President of the Neighborhood of Watts, as well as serving on the Board of Directors of UCLA's International Student Center. She was 81.

Clarence, of course, is known as the Godfather of Black music -- having had a hand in a number of classic records and albums throughout the years ... with the likes of Jay-Z, Diddy, L.A. Reid and others singing his praises for his influence in the culture.

NFL linebacker Damien Wilson -- who was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 2015 -- was arrested last week ... after he reportedly threatened to kill his girlfriend with a tire iron.

Police confirmed to TMZ Sports the arrest happened in Frisco, Texas. Cops added in a statement to the Dallas Morning News that Wilson was booked on a charge of assault with bodily injury of a family member.

No further details surrounding the arrest have been released by law enforcement.

Wilson's girlfriend, Ryan Sokolosky, however, told the Dallas Morning News the arrest happened after the 28-year-old football player flew off the handle at her home after she had broken up with him.

Sokolosky reportedly said Wilson "emerged from bushes holding a tire iron" at her place and threatened to end her life.

Wilson's attorney, Toby Shook, said in a statement that Wilson "did not commit any type of assault." He added, "We look forward to all the facts coming out so his name can be cleared."

Wilson started 22 games in four seasons for Dallas from 2015 to 2018. He then played for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Jacksonville Jaguars, before signing with the Carolina Panthers in March.

One of the drug dealers who supplied fentanyl-laced pills to Mac Miller just received his sentence after copping a plea last year -- and he's going to prison for a long time.

Ryan Reavis will be behind bars for 10 years and 11 months after pleading guilty in November to one count of distributing fentanyl. The sentence is longer than what Reavis himself had asked for -- 5 years -- but shorter than the 12.5 years prosecutors were gunning for.

Remember ... the feds say Reavis supplied the deadly oxycodone pills to Mac's alleged drug dealer, Cameron Pettit ... on orders from Stephen Walter, who also recently pled guilty to distributing fentanyl. Reavis said in court Monday that he was just a middle man.

More importantly ... he claimed he had no idea that the pills he was supplying were counterfeit. Despite this, the judge seemed to have dished out an even-handed sentence -- but not before hearing a statement from MM's mother, Karen Meyers.

It read, in part ... "He would never knowingly take a pill with fentanyl, ever. He wanted to live and was excited about the future. The hole in my heart will always be there." In other words, she insisted the alleged dealers/suppliers in this case were solely responsible for his perish.

As we reported ... Reavis was first arrested back in 2019 out in Arizona -- where authorities say they found a bogus doctor's notepad, from which he presumably filled prescriptions. They also claimed they found firearms and drugs ... including prescription-only pills and marijuana.

Bankroll Freddie got himself in a pinch Thursday night when cops pulled him over for speeding, but ended up busting him on a slew of other charges.

Crittenden County Sheriff’s Office jail records show the Quality Control MC -- whose real name is Freddie Gladney — was booked for resisting arrest, drug and firearm possession, and speeding.

Arkansas State Police says they pulled over 27-year-old Freddie on an interstate 55, and during the stop officers allegedly found guns and narcotics in his pick-up truck.

We're told he's being held on $2,870 bond and, for some reason, he's now in FBI custody.

Bankroll Freddie had just released his latest single, "Pickin' Sides," last week, and it features Icewear Vezzo.

"Shahs of Sunset" star Mike Shouhed didn't let his domestic violence arrest get in the way of a Mexican vacation with his fiancée.

Mike and Paulina Ben-Cohen were spotted together at a resort in Los Cabos Monday, only a couple weeks after his arrest in Los Angeles.

The couple stayed at the Garza Blanca Resort & Spa ... they spent a few hours on the beach with Paulina's kids, hanging with another family.

It's interesting ... folks at the resort say Mike and Paulina seemed to keep some space between them at the beach and didn't show any PDA, or even talk much to each other.

We're told it felt, at least from the outside, like the couple planned the trip before Mike's arrest, with all the makings of a family vacation for spring break.

Mike was showing lots of love to Paulina's kids at the beach, we're told, carrying around her daughter and kissing the children.

As for Mike's recent arrest ... law enforcement sources tell us police got a call around 10 PM March 27 about a fight, and when cops arrived they say the woman involved had visible marks on her body. Mike was arrested for felony domestic violence.

We're told police continue to investigate and will submit the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney for possible criminal charges. Our sources say the alleged victim was not identified so it's unclear if it was Paulina.

Cash Out, the Atlanta rapper who scored a pair of Billboard and Platinum and Gold hits in the early 2010s, plus shared screen time with Adam Sandler in "Uncut Gems" is facing some hefty prison time.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis charged Cash Out and five other individuals in a 41-count indictment that includes allegations of rape, aggravated sodomy, human trafficking and even holding victims at gunpoint.

The deputy district attorney Earnelle Winfrey says the rapper, known for the songs "Cashin' Out" and "She Twerkin" is facing 25-to-life in prison.

Cash Out stands accused of using his celebrity status and social media as means to "lure" women.

According to the prosecutors, he and others used a hotel room near Fulton Industrial Boulevard and a residence in the city's Carroll Heights neighborhood to carry out the crimes.

Cash Out soon after took to his Instagram Story to clear his name with an ominous message that called for his name to be cleared.

After signing a short-lived deal with Epic Records that funneled the "Cashin' Out" record, CO would go on to collaborate with Future, Migos, and Lil Durk -- but saw his musical career stall and sputter in the past few years.

Actor Eddie Deezen found himself behind bars earlier this month ... after cops say he was arrested for forcing his way into a nursing home.

According to the Maryland State Police, Eddie -- best known for playing nerdy Eugene Felsnic in the original 'Grease' movies -- pushed his way inside a privately-owned nursing facility on April 8 and refused to leave after a woman inside told him to scram.

Cops say the woman told them Eddie almost forced his way into one of the rooms before getting the boot, but she says he refused to leave the property and got busted when officers showed up.

Police say Eddie was at the place earlier in the day and was told skedaddle ... but Eddie came back that night and that's when police were called. The alleged victim told cops ... Eddie's been by her place several times before, claiming he usually leaves behind items with accompanying notes.

A neighbor who lives a few doors down from where Eddie was busted claims his security camera shows him approaching his property as well that night. He said he was watching TV with his fiancé when he heard something outside and saw Eddie on video trying to open the front door, so he called the cops.

Cops say Eddie's charged with fourth-degree burglary, two counts of trespassing and one count of disturbing the peace.

Eddie was involved in a bizarre situation last year ... when a Maryland waitress accused him of being a creep and harassing her ...  Deezen went on social media and accused her of cyberbullying.

Eddie was also arrested last year at a Maryland restaurant, with cops saying he refused to leave after causing a scene and chucked plates at police during the incident.

People who say they're close to Eddie shared an update on Facebook, claiming he's battling issues and his family is doing all they can to help him.

Frank James, the suspect in the Brooklyn subway shooting, has been taken into custody ... according to law enforcement sources.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... James was arrested in the East Village Wednesday. Clips from the arrest show squads of cop cars surrounding the area as they load him into the back of their vehicle.

As you know, upwards of 30 people were treated for injuries Tuesday after the bloody aftermath in Brooklyn. There were also reports of smoke inhalation ... as the shooter appears to have used a flashbang of some kind to obscure people's vision.

A man named Zack Tahhan, who was working in the area where James was caught, says he recognized the suspect from news reports and called the cops ... who made the arrest.

James' YouTube page has been unearthed over the past 24 hours, and the clips are alarming ... including James going on rants left and right and one video labeled "STOP ONE COMPLETE," where it looks like James says "you oughta die."

He seems quite agitated by the state of affairs in 2022 ... and he invokes violent language to talk about much of it.

Fortunately, no fatalities yet, and none are expected. NYC Mayor Adams called for a national response to gun violence as a result of the shooting. He also said there'd be changes on the city level -- including more officers in the subway.

"Game of Thrones" actor, Joseph Gatt, has been arrested for allegedly having sexually explicit chats with a minor online ... TMZ has learned.

According to the LAPD ...  the 50-year-old actor was arrested at his Los Angeles home on April 6, after police served a search warrant. Cops got word that Gatt was allegedly engaging in online sexually explicit communication, with a minor.

He was taken into custody and booked on an outstanding felony warrant for contact with a minor for a sexual offense.

In addition to his role as a Thenn Warg in "Game of Thrones," he is also known for his roles in "Thor", "Star Trek Into Darkness" and "Dumbo."

He was released the same day on $5,000 bail.

A rep for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute tells TMZ they're "both saddened and concerned" about Hinckley's conditional release and music career. They said they "strongly oppose his release into society where he apparently seeks to make a profit from his infamy."

John Hinckley -- the man who tried killing Ronald Reagan once upon a time -- has turned a new leaf in the world of music ... and it sounds like he can get asses in the seats.

The one-time, would-be presidential assassin -- who shot Reagan in 1981 but was subsequently acquitted by reason of insanity -- has an upcoming performance in Brooklyn this summer that has apparently sold out in tickets ... this according to the venue itself.

The place is called the Market Hotel, and per their website ... there are no more seats available for Hinckley's show on July 8, where he's booked to play the guitar and sing some songs.

The ticket prices were going for $20 a pop before they all got snapped up -- and BTW, this place has somewhat of a decent-sized capacity ... 450 people can fill the joint, so ya gotta imagine at least a few hundred heads are gonna be watching come showtime.

Hinckley has been all-in on this sing-songy occupation since he cashed in on his unconditional release earlier this year ... this following being sprung from a Virginia psych ward in 2016 and fighting for less and less supervision throughout the years.

The guy has about 26k subscribers on his YouTube channel ... and he's also penned/performed a handful of original songs while strumming his instrument.

Here's another wild aspect to this ... Hinckley says he's started a record label in the past few months, which he calls Emporia Records. The first release, he explains, will be a 14-track CD of his own original songs as well as covers.

Sherri Papini, the California mom who was charged with staging her own disappearance, just copped a plea deal in her criminal case.

Papini's defense attorney, William Portanova, tells TMZ ... Sherri signed a plea deal Tuesday in which she will plead guilty to counts of lying to a federal officer and mail fraud.

Remember ... Papini made national headlines when she was reported missing in early November 2016 before eventually being found on Thanksgiving about 150 miles away from her Northern California home. She told police she was abducted by 2 Hispanic women and held at gunpoint, even working with an FBI sketch artist to come up with a sketch of her alleged kidnappers.

But, as we reported just last month, Papini was arrested and charged for allegedly making the whole thing up ... with the feds saying she was actually staying with her ex-boyfriend when she claimed she was kidnapped.

Papini was charged with making a false statement and mail fraud, and the judge said she was facing a maximum sentence of 5 years/$250,000 fine and 20 years/$250,000 fine, respectively, if convicted.

Papini's lawyer says they are taking her case "in an entirely new direction" and "everything that has happened before today stops today."

Papini tells TMZ in a statement released through her legal team ... "I am deeply ashamed of myself for my behavior and so sorry for the pain I've caused my family, my friends, all the good people who needlessly suffered because of my story and those who worked so hard to try to help me."

She adds ... "I will work the rest of my life to make amends for what I have done."

While Papini's plea deal has been delivered to prosecutors, those same prosecutors have not yet filed a sentencing memo with their recommended sentence.

Miya Ponsetto, aka "SoHo Karen", is striking a plea deal that will keep her from spending any time behind bars after committing what the D.A. deemed a hate crime.

Ponsetto accepted a deal from prosecutors which will require her to "live a law-abiding life"  for 2 years. She entered a guilty plea and has agreed to continue with therapy and follow the terms of her probation while living in California.

Miya's lawyer, Paul D'Emilia, tells TMZ ... "We are pleased that today’s proceeding brought this unfortunate misunderstanding closer to a final resolution ... We are appreciative of the District Attorney’s thoughtful and empathetic approach to finding an acceptable conclusion."

If she is able to steer clear of trouble for 2 years, she'll be able to withdraw her guilty plea to the felony and re-plead to aggravated harassment in the second degree -- which is only a misdemeanor.

If she gets in trouble again, though, she could face up to 4 years in prison.

Manhattan's DA, Alvin Bragg, says, "Ms. Ponsetto displayed outrageous behavior. As a Black man, I have personally experienced racial profiling countless times in my life and I sympathize with the young man victimized in this incident. This plea ensures appropriate accountability for Ms. Ponsetto by addressing underlying causes for her behavior and ensuring this conduct does not reoccur”.

As we've previously reported, Ponsetto was charged with a hate crime ... after she went viral for attacking a then 14-year-old, Keyon Harrold Jr. as she wrongly accused him of stealing her iPhone.

The ugly 2020 incident was caught on camera as she went after the teenager in the lobby of the Arlo Hotel in SoHo.

That wasn't Posetto's first run-in with the law either. In California, she'd also been busted twice for DUI in 2020 and got arrested for being drunk in public with her mom another time ... and remains on probation for that.