Crime & Arrests

R. Kelly isn't admitting a damn thing when it comes to the "I Admit It" album that dropped Friday -- speaking from jail, he calls the recording a plot to screw him over in court.

TMZ obtained this audio Kelly's attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, says he recorded Friday shortly after they'd met. The disgraced singer immediately shuts down the notion he'd put out any music right now, much less something with the lyrics, "I Admit It," because he's trying to appeal his latest federal conviction.

Even more mysterious ... Kelly seems to insinuate the album recordings aren't even his voice. He says, "I hope people recognized my voice and know that" he wouldn't be recording in the middle of a legal battle.

As we reported, it certainly looked and sounded like he'd release a 13-track album, with the title track addressing many of the allegations leveled against him.

After just a few hours, though, the project was pulled from Spotify and Apple Music -- as Kelly's label, Sony Music, denied any involvement in the recording or in distributing it to the streamers.

His legal team later told us, they were investigating to figure out who may have released the music. BTW, we know it was uploaded by Ingrooves, a distributor owned by Universal Music Group ... with no ties to Sony Music.

Also, the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed R. Kelly didn't produce any songs using equipment in prison.

During this voice recording, he seemed to want to prove it's not his voice on "I Admit It" -- so, he broke into a few bars of his song, “When A Woman's Fed Up."

He thinks there's a clear difference, but listen for yourself.

Courtney Clenney, the OnlyFans model accused of murdering her boyfriend, has been denied bond ... mostly because the court doesn't buy her claim that she killed him in self-defense.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, a Florida judge isn't allowing Clenney to be released on bond while she awaits trial -- saying her description of how her BF, Christian Obumseli, got his fatal stab wound "is not supported by the evidence."

Specifically, the judge didn't buy Clenney's claim that she threw a knife at Obumseli from more than 10 feet away ... noting the medical examiner's testimony indicated the wound was too deep and required more pressure than could have been applied from throwing the blade.

The judge also ruled that releasing Clenney was not warranted because there are worries Clenney could leave the country ... noting she's got a ton of cash to do so if she wanted.

A man has been arrested in connection to the brutal baseball bat attack in NYC last week -- and cops say it appears to be totally random ... because the suspect and victim were total strangers.

36-year-old Karim Azizi was hauled in by the NYPD Wednesday morning on three different charges -- assault, attempted assault and criminal possession of a weapon. Of course, Azizi is the man cops suspect was behind the brutal attack that was captured on camera.

Law enforcement sources tell us the perp and victim were total strangers, and that the beating seems to have come out of nowhere, despite some believing it may have been targeted at first. A warrant squad, we're told, picked Azizi up at his Hamilton Heights home.

Our sources also say ... the video of the incident assisted in capturing him.

As we reported ... the victim was walking on the sidewalk minding their own business, when suddenly -- the attacker pulls a bat out and hits the victim in the back of the head.

Takeoff's alleged murderer, Patrick Xavier Clark, is asking a judge for money ... because he says he can't afford a private investigator, but needs one to build his defense.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Clark's asking for an initial sum of $5,000 to hire a P.I. ... adding he's financially unable to cover the costs on his own.

The docs say Clark's family has already spent all its money on his attorney who agreed to work at a reduced rate for him. He says it's necessary to add a private investigator to his defense in order to "properly investigate [Clark's] case and to prepare effectively for trial."

Clark says he's already identified a P.I. who will work on the case for the reduced rate of $85/hour.

As we reported, Houston PD announced last week Clark had been arrested and charged with the murder of the rapper. He's currently being held on a $2 million bond.

The docs say Clark will be put under house arrest if released ... and he'll be prohibited from possessing firearms or any deadly weapons, and must refrain from using marijuana or any controlled substance without a prescription.

Big break for Israel Adesanya ... TMZ Sports has learned the UFC star's brass knuckles case will be dismissed if he stays out of trouble for the foreseeable future.

According to a spokesperson for the Queens District Attorney's Office, Adesanya's case was called on Tuesday -- and he was issued an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal (ACD).

Per the spokesperson, that means if Adesanya keeps his nose clean for the next six months, he will no longer be facing criminal charges.

We broke the story, Adesanya was initially arrested back on Nov. 16 -- just four days after his loss to Alex Pereira -- after authorities say he went through security at JFK airport with metal knuckles.

He was ultimately issued a desk appearance ticket -- a written notice from a police officer -- and ordered to appear in court on Tuesday.

Adesanya's manager, Tim Simpson, told us at the time of the arrest that "Israel was handed a gift by a fan, which he put in his luggage. When flagged at the airport, Israel quickly disposed of the item, and cooperated with authorities."

Trap rapper Hoodrich Pablo Juan is going to do some hard time in prison as part of a plea deal he made, and once he gets out ... he'll have to be on his best behavior for an even longer stretch.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, HPJ pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act -- aka a RICO case -- and got 5 years in prison. He'll get credit for time already served, which is substantial ... he's been in custody for more than 2 years.

The Jersey-born, Atlanta-bred rapper was arrested back in October 2020 along with 45 other people as part of a sweep that targeted the local Rollin 20 Neighborhood Bloods.

His plea deal calls for 10 years of probation after he gets out of prison. During that time, HPJ must avoid any contact with members or associates of a criminal gang ... and he's also barred from possessing firearms and ammo.

A woman apparently wasn't taking any crap from a police department in Texas, she was allegedly dropping it off ... in buckets.

46-year-old Mindy Stephens, the wife of an assistant fire chief, is allegedly the stinky delivery woman in question ... according to KAXN, she pulled up in front of the Electra Police Department last month and made the drop-off.

Cops say an officer went out front to investigate, and found 3 5-gallon buckets -- weighing a total of 50 pounds -- filled with what appeared to be feces. He also observed Stephens in a hazmat suit walking towards an SUV with a trailer attached.

The officer reportedly asked her what she was doing ... and she allegedly told the cop she was dropping off the buckets of "human s***," and then drove off. A Lieutenant reportedly reviewed security footage and recognized Stephens' voice as the suspect.

Police say they contacted city officials about the issue, and said they'd call Stephens about picking the buckets up, but she allegedly refused -- telling officials it wasn't her problem.

Stephens was then charged with illegal dumping -- a Class B misdemeanor ... as well as a violation of the Texas health safety code. She was booked last week and was released the following day, after posting her $2K bond.

Believe it or not, this isn't Stephens' first run-in with the law, she reportedly got charged with aggravated assault back in 2020 after allegedly puncturing a man's hand and arm with a set of keys.

St. Louis Cardinals announcer Dan McLaughlin was busted for driving while intoxicated in Missouri on Sunday ... marking his third DWI arrest.

Creve Coeur PD says 48-year-old McLaughlin's white sedan was failing to stay in one lane before conducting a traffic stop ... and once he was pulled over, there were several clues to indicate he was under the influence.

Police added there were two separate reports phoned in regarding McLaughlin's driving ... with the tipsters believing he was impaired.

During the stop, McLaughlin underwent a field sobriety test ... and based on the results, he was arrested for DWI.

This is McLaughlin's third DWI arrest -- he was also busted in 2010 and 2011.

On Monday, McLaughlin was charged with "Persistent Offender of Driving While Intoxicated" ... a Class E felony offense that carries a maximum potential penalty of four years behind bars.

McLaughlin -- who has called Cardinals games since 2000 -- was transferred to the St. Louis Justice Center, where he was held on a $25,000 cash only bond. He was released on Monday.

The Cardinals and Bally Sports addressed McLaughlin's arrest ... saying, "We have been made aware that Dan McLaughlin was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated on Sunday night."

The mother of Todd and Julie Chrisley's granddaughter is vowing to get her daughter back ... and the path could be clear now that Todd and Julie are headed for prison.

Angela Johnson, the mother of 10-year-old Chloe, tells TMZ ... she's in the process of getting the gears turning to regain full custody of her daughter. Todd currently has full custody of Chloe.

She says she's been working with a legal team for years to get Chloe back, but concedes it's been super tough to gain traction. Chloe and the Chrisleys lived in Atlanta before the Chrisleys moved to Tennessee. Angela, who currently lives in South Carolina, tells us all the moves have created a jurisdictional nightmare in her custody battle.

Angela had Chloe with Kyle, Todd & Julie's son, back in 2012. Kyle lost custody in 2016 because of his drug addiction, leaving Angela to share custody with Todd.

Angela was arrested that same year for allegedly filing a false application for Medicaid assistance ... leaving Todd with sole custody.

Angela has copped a plea to put the case behind her ... and now she wants her daughter back. Something's gotta give, since Todd was just sentenced to 12 years in prison for bank fraud and tax evasion.

As we reported, Savannah Chrisley vowed last month she'd be getting custody of Chloe once her parents are locked up, but clearly Angela is not down with that.

Stay tuned ...

The combat sports world welcomed back Cain Velasquez with open arms on Saturday night ... loudly cheering on the ex-UFC star in his first event since his February arrest.

The action all went down in Tempe, AZ ... where a masked Velasquez participated in a three-on-three wrestling match at Lucha Libre AAA -- and won.

The 40-year-old looked sharp -- an impressive feat, considering he was locked behind bars for nearly nine months this year -- throwing around bodies and eventually hitting a crazy finishing move to win it for his team.

Velasquez was exceptionally well received by the audience, getting standing ovations and rounds of applause throughout the night.

The former UFC champ grabbed the mic at one point during the festivities and addressed the crowd ... saying it was "a dream come true" to be back in the squared circle.

"I truly appreciate it all, what you guys have always done, supporting me, my family," he said. "Thank you, guys!"

Velasquez is currently out of jail on $1 million bond. A judge last month allowed him to participate in the weekend event, requiring that he return to California on Sunday.

Houston PD says they've made an arrest in the shooting death of Takeoff.

The department's chief addressed the media Friday, announcing they arrested 33-year-old Patrick Xavier Clark and charged him with the murder of Takeoff.

As we reported, Takeoff was killed early morning November 1 after he and Quavo were partying at a local bowling alley. At some point, the celebration turned into an argument, which led to a physical altercation and a shooting.

Cops say Takeoff was not part of the argument and he was not armed, he was an innocent bystander who was hit by gunfire. What's more, investigators say nearly 30 people were at the scene when the shooting happened -- and almost everyone left without giving a statement to police. They still ask those who were in attendance come in and talk.

Takeoff was shot in the head and torso according to the coroner's report -- and was pronounced dead at the scene. Two others suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

TMZ obtained video of the incident from 2:30 AM -- you can see and hear Quavo arguing with someone, and Takeoff is a few feet behind him. There's some sort of a discussion about basketball before shots start to ring out.

Another angle -- also obtained by TMZ -- showed a man dressed in black with a handgun in his right pocket just seconds before the gunfire, showing multiple people were armed at the event.

San Francisco is heading down a dangerous, slippery slope with its proposal to deploy robots that can use lethal force ... that's according to the President of the city's board of supervisors.

Shamann Walton joined us Friday on "TMZ Live," and ran down a list of ways he feels the armed police robots could backfire, and he says hacking is a huge concern.

In case you missed it, San Fran's board of supervisors approved the robots in an 8-3 vote ... with Shamann being one of the few opposing. After the approval, he said voting against the policy didn't make him anti-cop, just pro-people of color.

Critics are concerned innocent POC could be disproportionately harmed when these robots are deployed at city crime scenes.

To be clear, San Fran's not talking about "Robocop"-like androids -- they're talking about remote-controlled machines, similar to ones already used by bomb squads. The difference is these would be armed with bullets and explosives.

Shamann says the department's reasons for using robots just don't track for him, and he gives several examples where they wouldn't be practical.

Proponents say the robots could be valuable in mass shooter situations -- like Uvalde, TX, for instance -- but Shamman says he, and many parents, wouldn't be comfortable sending in a robot when kids could be hurt or killed.

Jalen Kitna will not play at the Univ. of Florida again following his child porn arrest this week ... the school just dismissed the quarterback from the team.

The Gators made the decision on Friday morning -- two days after authorities said the 19-year-old sent child exploitation material over Discord, a popular social media messaging platform, in June.

After initially suspending the signal-caller following his arrest, the school called the allegations against Kitna "extremely serious charges" and behavior that it has "zero tolerance for."

UF officials have yet to make a public comment on the dismissal.

Kitna was in custody for roughly 24 hours following his arrest on Wednesday afternoon, but was released from jail on $80,000 bond on Thursday evening.

His famous father, ex-NFL star Jon Kitna, promised during testimony at Jalen's court hearing Thursday morning that he would take his son back to live with him in Texas during the pre-trial process. Jalen must not use the Internet and must not have unsupervised contact with minors as part of the conditions of his release.

Former Nebraska Cornhuskers interim head coach Mickey Joseph was arrested for strangulation and domestic assault after an alleged altercation on Wednesday ... Lincoln Police announced.

LPD says officers responded to a domestic service call from Joseph's home in Lincoln around 2 PM ... and after an investigation, the 54-year-old was arrested at a separate location and taken to jail.

Nebraska's athletic director Trev Alberts released a statement on Joseph's arrest ... announcing he has been placed on administrative leave.

"I was made aware of the charges against Coach Joseph and given the nature of the allegations and based on University policy he has been placed on administrative leave," Alberts said. "We will have no additional comment at this time."

Joseph took the reins for the Cornhuskers after Scott Frost's firing in September 2022 ... going 3-6 as interim head coach.

Matt Rhule was announced as Frost's replacement on Saturday ... and had high praise for Joseph, who's slated to be Nebraska's wide receivers coach and associate head coach under the new regime.

Before he got into coaching, Joseph was a standout running back. He was Louisiana's Gatorade Player of the Year in 1987 and a First Team Parade All-American.

He played for legendary Nebraska coach Tom Osborne in Lincoln ... where he started 9 games, rushing for 1,091 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Florida Gators quarterback Jalen Kitna shared an image on a popular social media messaging platform of an adult male having sex with a pre-pubescent female ... this according to cops.

The Gainesville Police Department spelled out the highly disturbing allegations in an arrest report, obtained by TMZ Sports, on Thursday.

In the docs, cops say they received a tip back on June 23, claiming that a Discord user with the account name "jjkit7#8147" had uploaded the image just two days prior, on June 21.

Cops say after launching a thorough investigation, they found out the account belonged to Kitna -- and claim he had also shared another image on June 21 of a pubescent juvenile female exposing herself as well.

According to the docs, Kitna shared the photos during a chat with two separate Discord users.

During one of the alleged conversations, after sharing the image, the person on the receiving end wrote to Kitna, "Wait what. Dude. Are they under 18. Bruh. Nooo."

The docs do not say whether or not Kitna replied.

Police say they eventually executed a search warrant over it all at Kitna's Florida residence on Wednesday ... and seized his phone. According to the documents, an ensuing search of the device revealed he was in possession of three more child sexual abuse images, depicting two nude pubescent juveniles in different poses.

As we reported, Kitna was arrested and booked on five separate child pornography charges. He was granted bail on Thursday at a hearing, after his famous father -- former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna -- testified in court.

The Univ. of Florida, meanwhile, has suspended the 19-year-old from the football team in wake of the arrest, calling the allegations "extremely serious" and ones that the school has "zero tolerance" for.

Jon Kitna was in a Florida court room on Thursday morning ... guaranteeing a judge that if his son was granted bail in his child pornography case, the former NFL star would make sure the 19-year-old returned for every required hearing going forward.

Jon wore a tie and a checkered suit for the proceedings -- which went down less than 24 hours after Jalen Kitna was arrested in Gainesville for possession of child porn -- and he ensured over and over again that he and his wife would follow every rule and regulation imposed on their son if he was released from custody Thursday.

Jon, along with his wife, emphatically told the judge that Jalen would live with them in Texas ... as long as the Florida Gators quarterback was out on pre-trial release.

The former Dallas Cowboys signal-caller's testimony apparently helped his son ... as the judge ultimately set the younger Kitna's bond at $80,000. In making the ruling, the judge ordered that Jalen must not use the Internet and must not have unsupervised contact with minors.

Jalen appeared very somber during the hearing ... at times burying his head in his hands. He said little, except for when acknowledging questions from the judge.

Court records show the teenager has been formally hit with five felony charges in the case.

As we reported, Jalen has been suspended from the Florida football team following his arrest ... with the school saying in a statement, "These are extremely serious charges and the University of Florida and the UAA have zero tolerance for such behavior."