Crime & Arrests

Warren Jeffs, the subject of a popular new Netflix documentary, just posed for a new mug shot ... and he doesn't look happy about his streaming service fame.

The infamous president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is behind bars in Texas, where he's serving a life sentence for child sexual assault.

We're told Warren took his new mug shot Thursday ... as his Netflix doc continues to do big numbers. He's locked up at the Louis C. Powledge Unit ... a prison in Palestine, Texas.

The super-popular Netflix documentary, "Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey," takes a look at Warren and his controversial church ... where polygamy reigned supreme.

Warren reportedly had 78 wives when he was arrested back in 2006 ... and his rap sheet includes time on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List plus a separate conviction for rape as an accomplice.

Jussie Smollett still insists he did not lie about the homophobic and racist attack, because IF he did he would be a total piece of s**t -- and he claims everyone knows he's not that.

The actor dug in his heels Wednesday morning on Sway's SiriusXM show, talking about why he feels he got screwed in court. As Jussie sees it, if you buy what the jury said -- that he flat out lied -- that would mean we all found out "someone is exactly the opposite of who they claim to be."

No argument there.

However, he went on to explain that committing such a nefarious lie would mean he'd exploited the pain and fears of both Black people and the LGBTQ community -- and Jussie says, "I'm not that motherf***er."

Of course, his stunning statement flies in the face of all the evidence presented in Cook County court before he was convicted and sentenced, back in March, to 150 days.

Speaking of which, Jussie also talked about his time behind bars ... explaining why he stopped eating the whole time he was in Cook County Jail.

He says fasting is something his family always does to gain clarity, and he was uncertain about how long he'd be in jail. Remember, despite the 150-day sentence, Jussie had immediately asked the judge to let him out on bail while he filed an appeal.

Jussie says, "I have never in my life, at least in my adult life, been as clear of mind as I was for those 6-and-a-half days."

What's unclear about Jussie's clarity is how long he would have continued fasting if the judge hadn't let him out, and also ... what exactly he gained clarity about during that time.

Joe Exotic is back in the dating game, after just splitting with his prison fiancé ... we've learned he's rekindled things with a former boyfriend.

Joe and his ex-boyfriend, Seth, are back together after Joe's would-be-husband John Graham got sprung from prison and moved on ... this according to Joe's lawyer Autumn Blackledge.

Seth and Joe met over the Internet back in 2021, when Seth found out Dillon Passage and Joe were splitting. Later that year Joe held an online 'Bachelor King' competition, accepting applications to be Joe's new boyfriend, and Seth was the lucky winner.

They dated for a few months but grew apart and fell out of touch. Joe then met fellow inmate John Graham at the FMC in Fort Worth.

As we reported, Joe and John called it quits earlier this month ... ending their 'Twilight'-esque relationship. Autumn told us ... John quickly ended his relationship with Joe after he got released, and almost immediately Joe reconnected with Seth.

We're told Joe and Seth communicate through letters and talk on the phone daily. Joe says he got back together with Seth because he got his "head out of his own a**" and realized he really liked Seth.

Joe says, "Seth is an amazing human being, wants the best for me and we understand each other," ... adding he's taking this one slowly.

As for seeing each other face-to-face ... Seth has yet to get the approval from prison staff, but he plans to see him as soon as he gets the green light.

Actress Caylee Cowan, the girlfriend of Casey Affleck, had the scariest wake-up call of all time ... cops say she opened her eyes to find an intruder staring down at her.

LAPD sources tell TMZ ... Caylee was all alone early Tuesday morning in the bedroom of their L.A. home ... when she opened her eyes and saw a man in her bedroom. We're told the intruder broke in sometime around 3 AM.

Caylee let out a scream ... and that was enough to scare the guy right out of the house.

Caylee then called 911 and somehow had the presence of mind to give the dispatcher a description of the guy. Police then raced to the scene with sirens blaring ... and spotted him running down the street. He was arrested and taken to the station.

Apparently, before entering Caylee's room, he rifled through some of her stuff in another room. As a result, he was booked for burglary. It's possible the D.A.'s office could add charges when they get the case.

It's unclear how the guy got inside the house, but cops tell us there was no sign of forced entry.

We're told Casey was not home at the time and Caylee was unharmed. But it was one hell of a scare.

It's reminiscent of a terrifying incident involving Sandra Bullock back in 2014, when an intruder entered her Bel Air home and got to her bedroom door ... she ended up face-to-face with him and was able to lock the door before he entered.

Bill Cosby was just found liable in a civil suit filed by Judy Huth against the disgraced comedian, who claimed he sexually assaulted her at the Playboy Mansion back in 1975.

The Santa Monica jury awarded Huth $500,000.

Huth was 16 years old when she and a 17-year-old friend met Cosby on a film set in a park. She claimed Cosby invited them to accompany him to the Playboy Mansion a few days later.

Huth testified Cosby was alone with her in a bedroom at the mansion, where he attempted to put his hand down her pants. She says she lied to Cosby about being on her period to get him to stop, but claimed Cosby exposed himself and forced her hand on his erect penis and used it to masturbate until climax.

Cosby did not attend the trial ... the jury was, however, shown Cosby's 2015 video deposition, during which he denied Huth's allegations and said he didn't even remember meeting. Huth's lawyer, however, showed the jury a photo of Cosby and Huth at the Playboy Mansion.

Cosby's defense team insisted the allegations were nothing more than Huth attempting to cash in.

As for why Huth waited until December 2014 to file the lawsuit, she claimed the alleged assault resulted in anxiety attacks and flashbacks, beginning in 2014 ... lasting through 2018 when Cosby was sent to prison after being convicted in a separate criminal sexual assault case involving Andrea Constand.

Black folks are pissed off and deeply traumatized by Nipsey Hussle's murder, with a new wave of emotions coming back up during his alleged murderer's trial ... so says Luenell.

The comedy vet chatted with Raquel Harper Tuesday on the 'It's Tricky' podcast. Luenell says she lives near the area where Nipsey was shot, and to drive by the spot almost daily feels like some sort of post-traumatic stress.

She also addressed Nip's alleged killer, Eric Holder, who is currently on trial, saying, "The Black community don't hate nobody as much as they hate Eric Holder's bitch ass."

She also says there are a lot of people praying, if convicted, Holder's placed in general population. Luenell doesn't spell it out, but her insinuation's clear ... inmates are ready to get revenge.

Holder's trial kicked off in L.A. last week, 3 years after Nipsey was killed, and we've already heard the grisly details from the day Holder allegedly pulled the trigger -- including his final words to Nipsey before the rapper died.

Luenell says she's at the point where she feels she needs to move away from Crenshaw, as the reminders throughout the neighborhood of what happened to Nip have become too much to handle.

She also sends her love to Lauren London, who has a son with Nipsey and was dating the rapper when he died. Luenell believes a part of Lauren died with Nipsey.

Stephen Colbert totally gets why his staffers, including Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, now have rap sheets with Capitol Police ... but he's really amused they're being compared to the Jan. 6th insurrectionists.

Colbert dove into the big story around his office during Monday night's episode of 'The Late Show' ... explaining everything that led up to the big bust in Washington. As we reported, cops busted 9 of his staffers -- including Robert Smigel, who typically has his hand up Triumph's ass -- while they were recording bits Thursday evening in the hallways of Congressional offices.

Doesn't sound like SC holds any grudges ... as he put it, the CPD officers were just doing their jobs, and so were my staff -- and he even acknowledged the fact Capitol Police have to be a bit more on edge since Jan. 6, 2021.

But, he says the whole story went haywire for him when he started seeing headlines about Triumph pulling off a Capitol insurrection 2.0!

While laughing, but also genuinely shocked, he points out ... "An insurrection involves interrupting the lawful action of Congress and howling for the blood of elected leaders, all to prevent the peaceful transfer of power."

He added all Triumph and co. were doing was "First-degree puppetry!!! This was hijinks with intent to goof." Hilariously, he admits cops should ring them up on charges for "Misappropriation of an old Conan [O'Brien] bit."

The 'Late Show' staff had been shooting outside the offices of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Rep. Lauren Boebert -- and cops say they didn't have proper ID to be there on their own.

Rapper Obie Trice was busted in Michigan for allegedly threatening an ex-girlfriend ... and cops say he told her family he was going to harm them too.

The "Got Some Teeth" rapper was booked Thursday afternoon in West Bloomfield for using a telephone to harass or threaten someone ... according to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.

Curt Lawson, the deputy chief at the West Bloomfield Police Department, tells TMZ ... Obie was dating a woman, and after they split he allegedly sent threatening messages to her and also started texting threats to some of her relatives.

Police say they were told Obie showed up uninvited to his ex's family home on multiple occasions ... and cops got involved and told him to stop.

But, we're told Obie didn't listen and allegedly continued with the threats, so police got a misdemeanor warrant ... leading to his Thursday arrest.

Paul Haggis -- famous for writing/directing 2006's Best Picture, "Crash" -- has been arrested in Italy for sexual assault ... this according to multiple reports.

Local media say the Oscar-winning filmmaker -- who also wrote "Million Dollar Baby," among other hit films over the years -- was busted Sunday in the city of Ostuni, where he's been accused of forcing an unidentified young woman to have sex with him over the course of 2 days. He's in town for a new film festival happening this week, called Allora Fest.

The woman, who's not of Italian descent, was taken to an airport by Haggis after the alleged assault and left in a state of confusion ... per law enforcement quoted by Italian reports.

The alleged victim is said to have been attended to by airport staff, who took her to a hospital ... where she eventually pressed charges against Haggis, naming him as the alleged culprit. He remains in custody, and his events have been nixed from the AF lineup.

Allora Fest honchos say, "The themes chosen for the festival are, among others, those of equality, gender equality, and solidarity. As professionals and women, they are dismayed and hope that the festival will help foster more information and awareness on such a topical and increasingly pressing issue." The authorities are investigating the incident further.

We've reached out to Haggis' reps, no word back yet. He's been accused of sexual misconduct by several other women over the past few years ... all of which he's denied.

The son of ex-"Real Housewives of Orange County" star Lauri Peterson is allegedly dealing drugs ... at least according to prosecutors who claim he was angling to sell fentanyl.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Josh Waring is facing criminal charges from an arrest back in January, including felony possession and the sale of fentanyl, plus a misdemeanor charge of methamphetamine possession.

Orange County Sheriff's Dept. sources tell TMZ ... a deputy saw Josh in the passenger seat of a car, recognizing him from a prior drug arrest. The deputy was aware Josh was on parole for an assault, which meant the cop could conduct a random search, which he did, and allegedly found drugs right on Josh's lap.

Our sources say the deputy saw Josh brush the drugs onto the car's floorboard ... drugs later identified as fentanyl and meth. We're told Josh was arrested on the spot and taken to jail.  As for why he was charged with the sale of fentanyl ... it's because of the amount found.

As you know, Josh has a history of legal troubles ... he was arrested back in 2016 when he was accused of shooting a man outside a sober living home. Josh spent 4 years in jail, where he was once ambushed and assaulted by another inmate who was wielding razors wrapped in towels -- the attack was caught on video. He was later released on parole.

A naked man showed off his moves in Hollywood Friday night, much to the dismay of LAPD cops who watched as he showed his moves on top of a patrol car ... naked.

It actually became a big thing ... LAPD cops requested backup when they spotted the man on top of the squad car next to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The man was jumping up and down, presumably doing some damage to the roof of the car. It looks like the cops weren't exactly sure how to put an end to it.

Officers tried to talk him down, to no avail. He eventually smashed the rear window of the car. He was eventually taken into custody without force.

Several staffers from Stephen Colbert's late night CBS talk show got busted at the U.S. Capitol ... after they allegedly made an unlawful entry into the building.

Robert Smigel, the voice of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, was among the 9 people arrested by U.S. Capitol Police and charged with illegal entry ... according to Fox News.

The "Late Show With Stephen Colbert" staffers were arrested after taking pictures and videos near the offices of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Rep. Lauren Boebert.

Capitol police say the building was closed to visitors Thursday night, and the staffers were there without the proper ID and were on their own.

What's more, USCP says the same group was booted from Capitol earlier in the day during the Jan. 6 committee hearings.

The incident remains under investigations and USCP says the 'Colbert' staffers could face additional criminal charges.

Nipsey Hussle's murder trial continued with testimony from another man who was allegedly shot by Eric Holder the day Nipsey was killed -- though he remained pretty tight-lipped on the stand.

Kerry Lathan was shot in the back during the same incident where Nipsey died. While prosecutors asked Lathan a variety of questions, he didn't seem to want to get into specifics -- especially when it came to identifying who was present and naming names.

At one point, prosecutors played a video purportedly showing Lathan arriving at Marathon Clothing that day, but Lathan wouldn't confirm it was him in the clip, saying, "I don't know nothing, don't see nothing."

He testified when the shooting started, he heard "a lot" of shots, but wouldn't identify who he thought pulled the trigger.

Prosecutors asked Lathan, "You don't want to testify about what happened?" to which Lathan responded, "That's right."

As we reported, Holder allegedly told Nipsey, "You're through" before killing the rapper. Lathan was asked if he heard anything said during the shooting, but replied with, "He wasn't talking to me."

During opening statements Wednesday, prosecutors warned Lathan may not be very cooperative because of the involvement of Rolling 60's gang members in the case ... so his hesitation to be totally open about the events isn't totally surprising.

Two white men in Florida are facing criminal charges for allegedly attacking a Black teen who claims he was racially profiled in the same town where Trayvon Martin was killed.

The men, Howard Hughes and Donald Corsi, are accused of throwing a large rock through a rear window in the car the teen was driving in and striking the teen with a large cone.

Footage from the incident's aftermath, posted on social media by the boy's father, appears to show the men angrily shouting at the teen ... using profanities and telling him he doesn't belong in their Sanford, FL neighborhood.

The video also appears to show the damage to the teen's car, which he told cops was from a large rock hurled into the back seat. You can see the busted out window and broken glass all over the seat. There are also accusations about someone having a gun overheard in the video and on the 911 audio from the incident.

Police were called to the scene and the two men were arrested and booked on criminal charges.

The police report, obtained by TMZ, says the teen told cops the men were making verbal threats as they approached the car with a large road cone, using the cone to smash a rear door, causing damage and leaving a large dent under the window.

Cops say the teen also told them one of the men threw a large stone with sharp edges through a car window while the teen was behind the wheel.

Hughes is charged with damaging property and battery. Corsi is charged with damaging property and for allegedly throwing the stone at the car.

While the folks from the video who live in the area told the teen they didn't like how he was driving on their street ... the kid says he was just there to visit a friend.

Country singer Kata Hay, a former contestant on "The Voice," has been arrested for allegedly having sexual contact with her friend's son ... TMZ has learned.

Hay was taken into custody Tuesday in Sumner County, TN ... and according to legal docs obtained by TMZ, the alleged incident started with the 35-year-old singer making sexual comments about a 16-year-old boy in front of his parents. Cops say Hay had been staying at the family's home for a short period.

Those comments allegedly led to physical contact ... with the teen claiming Kata made out with him and forced him to touch her inappropriately multiple times against his wishes.

The 16-year-old's mother told authorities she confronted Kata, and recorded their convo before ordering her to leave the home. According to the docs, the mother's recording includes Hay acknowledging the incident had occurred.

It's noted Hay seemed to be under the influence during the confrontation, at least according to the mother.

The singer -- who made the 'Voice' top 20 back in 2016 -- was arrested, and also processed for a probation violation related to a separate DUI case.

Hip hop mogul J Prince is sounding the alarm on an alleged Houston gang member who cops say executed his ex's daughter as revenge for a breakup ... Prince says the guy needs to be held accountable

Prince -- the Rap-A-Lot Records honcho who has a reputation for getting things done in Houston -- put the alleged killer on blast Wednesday, telling his 756k Instagram followers ... "We can't have clowns like this running around purposely killing our babies and be ok with it."

Houston police say 22-year-old Jeremiah Jones is the triggerman in a child's fatal shooting, and he's been arrested following a manhunt and booked on counts of capital murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Cops say Jones "executed" 9-year-old Khylie Sorrells as possible "revenge" over the girl's mother breaking up with him several months ago and allegedly seeing other men.

Police say Jones went to his ex-girlfriend's home Monday night and got into an argument with her before shooting the woman's child in the head.

J Prince appears to be making a call to action, saying ... "Stand with me on preventing this sick individual from harming another baby. I'm not advocating violence, but we have to protect our kids."

Prince also has this to say about Jones ... "I don't care what gang he's with they are no match for us."