Crime & Arrests

Jon Stewart is the guy everyone wants to hear from these days ... what he thinks of the Donald Trump indictment, how it will affect the country and the 2024 presidential election, yada yada yada -- or in this case ... Yoda Yoda Yoda.

Stewart made a surprise appearance on his old stomping grounds, "The Daily Show" ... coming hours after Trump's arrest, you'd think he and guest host Roy Wood Jr. were going to dig into the case -- but Jon's wardrobe stole the show.

He came out dressed as Obi-Wan Kenobi, the wise Jedi master of all things 'Daily Show' ... sent to give Roy some guidance. Well, at least, that was the setup for the bit.

One hilarious moment came as Jon reminded Roy he once hosted the show ... to which Roy replied, "The Daily Show" had a white host? Why are you dressed like Obi-Wan Kenobi?"

Now, you knew Trump had to eventually come up, and he did, but it wasn't about his arrest. You just gotta see it, but it involved Jon -- in his Obi-Wan robe -- and Trump playing the role of Vader.

They went back and forth about who was playing which "Star Wars" character ... and THEN Stewart finally attempted to make a point about the Trump indictment.

It didn't go smoothly, but it was funny as hell.

Donald Trump certainly enjoyed the support of some of his family during his big speech Tuesday night following his historic criminal arraignment -- but there was one very important person missing in action: his wife, Melania.

Indeed, Melania was noticeably absent from the mob of supporters who crowded into Mar-a-Lago to listen to the former president rail against the justice system hours after he was arraigned in a Manhattan courtroom.

Three of his five children -- Eric, Don Jr. and Tiffany -- showed up for Trump's defiant speech in which he blasted Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg who charged him with 34 felonies and attacked Judge Juan Merchan who presided over his arraignment.

Trump's two other children -- Ivanka and Barron -- were no-shows. According to the NY Post, Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, were celebrating Passover in Wyoming.

It's not clear why Barron wasn't there, but he's rarely seen at these events because Melania has shielded him from the spotlight over the years.

Melania's absence, though, caught the eye of many observers who wondered why she wasn't present to support her husband after what may be the worst day of his life.

It seemed even more mystifying considering that Melania was at Trump's side during a dinner last Thursday after a Manhattan grand jury had indicted him on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

During Tuesday's arraignment, Judge Merchan threatened to impose a gag order if Trump didn't stop all of his vitriol over the case.

But, as in true Trump fashion, the words went in one ear and out the other. He attacked the D.A., the judge, the judge's wife and his daughter.

Todd Chrisley is in a great place during his prison stint -- and we don't just mean a jail cell ... apparently, he's quite the social butterfly, according to one of his daughters.

Lindsie Chrisley made the revelations about her old man in a new episode of PodcastOne's 'Southern Tea,' and says not only does Todd look really good with longer, grayer hair ... but she says his spirits are up too.

In the snippet People obtained, LC adds ... "He is really just embracing the process there and making the best of the process there with the people that are also there serving time with him."

There's more ... Lindsie says he's made "great friends" in the pokey, and he's probably in such a great mood because "reform has happened," and that "more reform is coming."

Unclear when last Lindsie went to see Todd in person, but it sounds like she visits regularly. He's serving out his 12-year sentence in a federal prison in Florida, while his wife Julie is doing her time at a facility in Kentucky. The family is usually based in Georgia.

As we reported ... the couple was convicted in their bank fraud and tax evasion case, which had been ongoing for years.

The judge warned Donald Trump if he continued attacking individuals and institutions a gag order might be in order ... well Tuesday night, Trump gave that judge the middle finger.

The former President reacted to his historic indictment with a vengeful speech at Mar-a-Lago ... railing on not only the lead prosecutor, Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg, but also the judge who fired off the gag order warning.

Trump took shots at Bragg throughout his address ... calling on Bragg to resign and accusing Bragg of leaking grand jury info. Trump says it's Bragg who should be facing prosecution, not him, and he says the indictment is light on specifics and Bragg has absolutely no case.

As for the judge, Juan Merchan, well, Trump went after him too ... and the judge's family ... something Trump's son did earlier on social media.

Trump called out Merchan as a "Trump-hating judge" who has it out for him ... and he blasted the judge's wife and fam, even going after the judge's daughter for working with the Kamala Harris campaign.

The evening's tone was set from the moment Trump arrived in the room ... walking out to "Rebel Rebel." He shook hands with supporters as he approached the dais, then started venting.

Outside Mar-a-Lago, throngs of Trump fans lined the streets ... waving flags and showing him love. Inside, his fans booed and cheered, depending on the subject.

When Trump wasn't going nuclear on the judge or prosecution, he was patting himself on the back for his time in office and, naturally, dragging Joe Biden.

As you know ... Trump was in New York City earlier Tuesday, showing up at a Manhattan courthouse to turn himself in to the NYPD. He was fingerprinted and ultimately pled not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

After he was done in court, Trump left in his motorcade for the airport ... hopping in his private jet and flying back down to Florida.

Stormy Daniels is just one slice of the pie for Donald Trump's alleged hush money payments ... according to the 34-count indictment, which Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg just unsealed.

As expected, the indictment details the $130,000 Trump allegedly paid Daniels in exchange for her silence about what she describes as their affair. Trump has denied the affair, but according to the docs Trump's former attorney, Michael Cohen, negotiated the amount with Daniels' lawyer, and then he wired the money from a shell company to Stormy's lawyer on October 26, 2016.

The D.A. says Trump directed Cohen to delay making the payment as long as possible, in hopes they could wait until after the election and then stiff her.

The indictment also raises what the D.A. calls Trump's "catch-and-kill" scheme with AMI, the National Enquirer's parent company. That alleged scheme involves a $150,000 payment to a second woman.

Although, the docs don't mention the woman's name ... it's been widely reported AMI paid that amount to silence Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal, who also claimed she and Trump had an affair.

According to the docs, Trump and Cohen discussed reimbursing AMI -- again, a shell company was created on Sept. 30, 2016, and prosecutors alleged Trump and AMI agreed he would pay $125K. However, that deal was never consummated ... AMI told Cohen the deal was off.

Lastly, the indictment alleges a $30,000 payment was made from AMI to former Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have information about a child Trump fathered out of wedlock. AMI later found out the story wasn't true, and wanted to release the doorman from the NDA he'd signed ... but prosecutors allege Cohen advised them to keep it in place until after the election.

That's it ... those three incidents are the meat of the D.A.'s case against Trump. The 34 counts are related to smaller payments made by the Trump Organization and Trump personally to reimburse Cohen -- however, the D.A. says they were characterized as legal services under a retainer agreement with Cohen.

According to the D.A. that's the felony falsifying of business records .... and Trump's alleged motive was preventing the release of damaging stories, and covering up his involvement in doing so.

One more thing ... according to the docs, after Trump won the 2016 election, prosecutors say Trump invited AMI CEO David Pecker to the Inauguration, and then, in the summer of 2017, he was invited to dinner at the White House to thank him for his help.

After Tuesday's arraignment, Trump hightailed it for his jet at LaGuardia Airport and flew back to Mar-a-Lago. His attorney Joe Tacopina spoke outside the courthouse, and blasted D.A. Bragg's indictment as a big nothing sandwich.

Prosecutors say Cohen pleaded guilty in exchange for a lighter sentence. As you know, he served more than a year in federal prison, and another 18 months on home confinement.

Donald Trump is now officially an alleged felon -- he's turned himself in to NYPD for booking and will be arraigned in the Stormy Daniels' hush money case.

The former President and his massive motorcade arrived at the front door of The Manhattan Criminal Court Tuesday, and surrendered just a few short minutes later.

He waved to the crowd on his way in.

As we reported, Trump was indicted last week after months of a grand jury hearing testimony from multiple witnesses like his former attorney Michael Cohen.

Trump allegedly brokered a $130K payment to Stormy amid the 2016 election in an attempt to keep her quiet about an alleged affair ... and he's facing more than 30 counts in this case.

Trump's attorneys, Susan Necheles and Joe Tacopina told TMZ ... "[Trump] did not commit any crime. We will vigorously fight this political prosecution in Court."

Eric Trump also shared his thoughts, saying "This is third world prosecutorial misconduct. It is the opportunistic targeting of a political opponent in a campaign year."

Trump took to Truth Social ahead of his indictment, calling for protests against Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg ... and Marjorie Taylor Greene announced she'd be hosting a rally in New York in support of the former President.

BTW -- his attorney, Alina Habba, made an interesting comparison the day he headed to New York ... saying the guy's a lot like Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls in terms of gettin' a boost in popularity from controversy.

We covered it all in the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms!

Jarryd Hayne -- a former NFL running back and professional Australian rugby league footballer -- has reportedly been convicted of rape after standing trial for a third time.

According to BBC News, Hayne, who starred as a winger for the Parramatta Eels of Australia's NRL, was found guilty ... after being accused of performing non-consensual sexual acts on a woman at her Newcastle home in Australia in 2018.

The prosecution argued that the woman told Hayne she did not want to have sex with him after she realized a taxi was waiting for her outside.

35-year-old Hayne and his legal team, however, insisted their encounter was consensual.

In 2020, Hayne's first trial in the case resulted in a hung jury. Hayne was then convicted in 2021 and sentenced to five years and nine months in prison, but he appealed, and a three-panel judge ordered a new trial.

A sentencing date has not yet been revealed.

Hayne transitioned from the NRL to the NFL in 2015 ... where he spent one season with the San Francisco 49ers, rushing for 52 yards on 17 carries in eight games.

While Jarryd was playing for the 49ers ... police investigated another accusation of sexual assault but ultimately did not charge Hayne with any crime.

The woman claimed she had been heavily intoxicated during their alleged encounter ... and filed a lawsuit against Hayne in 2017.

Former Ohio State star Darron Lee -- who was picked by the Jets in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft -- was arrested Monday ... after he was accused of beating the hell out of both his mom and the mother of his child.

The disturbing allegations are all spelled out in court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports.

According to the docs, police were called out to a residence in Dublin, Ohio at around 5:30 PM on Monday after the mother of Lee's 2-year-old son, Lindsey McGlone, said Lee had attacked his mom, Candice Lee, at the home.

McGlone claimed she was downstairs in the kitchen when she heard Candice yelling at the top of the stairs. She said when she ran up, she saw Candice "lying on her back with Mr. Lee overtop of her with a raised fist."

In the docs, cops say Candice told them she had shown up to the residence after McGlone told her she wasn't feeling safe around Darron. According to cops, Candice said she went upstairs, found Darron lying on the floor of a bedroom, and told him he needed to leave.

That's when she claims the former football player snapped, began yelling at her, and then grabbed her by her shirt and pushed her into a wall twice. Candice said Darron then threw her to the ground and punched her in the face and the back of her head repeatedly. She claimed Darron also pulled her hair. She said it was all broken up when McGlone ran upstairs and pulled Darron off of her.

According to the docs, police said Candice had swelling injuries on her left cheek -- as well as head pain. She was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

Following the incident, cops say McGlone then accused Darron of being violent with her on a different occasion back in 2022.

She said it all happened on Oct. 17, when Darron believed McGlone was cheating on him. In the docs, cops say McGlone told them Darron got on top of her while she was in bed, and said "that he would kill her and their child." She then claimed he punched the pillow next to her head multiple time,s before he squeezed her throat.

Police say the woman said when Darron eventually got off of her, he grabbed her phone and threw it at a wall. McGlone said it bounced and struck her in the head, causing her ear to bleed.

According to the docs, she said that she then went downstairs -- but Darron followed her, and continued his attack. McGlone claimed Darron grabbed her by her neck, lifted her up, swung her around and then dropped her onto the ground. She told cops she was eventually able to grab the couple's child and leave before things escalated further.

For his part, Darron -- according to the documents -- told cops McGlone had struck him in the face during the altercation. He also denied ever throwing anything at her or putting his hands on her neck.

Cops, though, said they observed photographs of McGlone's injuries as well as pictures of her broken phone and a journal entry she had written on that date.

Darron was ultimately arrested ... and court records show he was hit with four separate charges -- two counts of misdemeanor domestic violence and two counts of misdemeanor assault.

Jail records show as of Tuesday morning, the 28-year-old was still behind bars.

Darron starred at Ohio State from 2013 to 2015 ... and was such a touted linebacker prospect, the NY Jets selected with the No. 20 overall pick in '16. He played three seasons with the team, before he was traded to the Chiefs, where he helped the KC win Super Bowl LIV.

Safe to say that Russell Crowe won't be playing Donald Trump in a movie anytime soon  -- or ever for that matter.

As the 45th President prepared for his criminal arraignment on Tuesday in Manhattan, Crowe sat down for a TV interview to talk about his lead role in the new film, "The Pope's Exorcist."

Near the end of the interview, Channel Seven Sunrise Host Natalie Barr mentioned that Trump was the story of the day and asked Crowe if he would ever play the former commander-in-chief in a movie.

Crowe's reaction was priceless. The legendary actor peered down at his wristwatch, smiled and jokingly said, "I'm really busy now. I've got lots, lots and lots of things to do."

Translation: Hell no!!!

As we reported, Trump was indicted last week by a grand jury over an alleged $130,000 hush money payment he made to porn star Stormy Daniels to silence her in the final days of the 2016 Presidential election. Daniels claimed she had an affair with Trump -- an allegation he has long denied.

New police video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows Stetson Bennett was seriously pissed at cops during his arrest back in January ... at one point accusing the officers of ruining his reputation.

Dallas Police Dept. cops initially responded to the scene in Dallas, Texas on Jan. 29 at around 6:15 a.m. ... after a 911 caller said the ex-Univ. of Georgia star quarterback had been knocking on her door, yelling, and appearing to be "very" intoxicated.

During the 911 call, the woman told dispatch that Bennett had screamed outside of her home, "I'm going to ruin your night if you don't open the g**damn door."

Body cam footage shows when police arrived, Bennett was not very cooperative. When asked to step away from one of the home's doors and show his hands, it took him several moments to comply -- and later, during questioning, Bennett didn't seem to want to answer many of the cops' inquires.

Bennett ultimately did reveal he was in the area training -- and claimed he was looking to link up with one of his former UGA teammates, Owen Condon. But he wouldn't tell cops what he had been doing prior to getting into the neighborhood, and appeared to have very little idea of where he was.

In fact, according to cops, he had someone else's ID on him.

While speaking with Bennett, one officer noted the 25-year-old reeked of booze.

Eventually, Bennett was placed in the back of a squad car, where he became extremely agitated with cops. He complained about the tightness of his cuffs -- before he unloaded on officers for stopping him.

"The door shut and somebody fell asleep," Bennett said. "And now five million people gotta see it, don't they? Thank you, boys, for looking out for me. You guys are the best."

He added, "Reputation ruined. Everything I worked for for 20 years, ruined. But ya'll boys just looking out for me, aren't ya? Thank you, sir."

Bennett was later taken to the local police station and booked for public intoxication.

Speaking about the arrest for the first time last month, he said it was all "a mistake."

"I understand why that can’t happen," he said. "I've talked to coaches about it, talked to GMs. I've apologized to my family. That’s who I felt worse about; I felt like I let them down, because no matter where I go now [people are going to know about it]. Even without all this, I've got an obligation. I'm the fourth [Stetson Bennett]. You can't do that if you're last name is Bennett. I know better."

Despite the arrest, Bennett is still expected to be picked in the NFL draft later this month.

Donald Trump's attorney drawing a parallel between the former president and the legendary Tupac Shakur does not sit well with the late rapper's sister ... who says the comparison is absurd and laughable.

Set Shakur, Tupac's sister, tells TMZ ... "My brother was measured by his integrity, his principles and personal and collective responsibility," calling the recent comments made by Trump's attorney, Alina Habba, "blasphemous."

She points out her brother took responsibility during his 1994 sexual abuse trial, and says she isn't seeing a whole lot of accountability coming from DT.

As we reported, Trump's attorney made the connection on the same day he flew to NYC for his indictment. She said his legal trouble is going to boost his poll numbers, just like Tupac's record sales went up after spending time in prison.

Set says Tupac didn't get popular because of his lockup, though -- instead claiming his popularity grew because those who listened to his music "were able to measure him by his words and actions that aligned."

She goes on to praise her late brother, calling him an honorable man who stood for those needing protection ... always having others on his mind.

Set believes DT's attorney might be invoking Tupac's name as a ploy to play to the rapper's fans ... and she's hoping they don't take the bait.

Donald Trump's lawyer thinks there's a benefit to the former President getting indicted in New York City ... she says it puts him on par with Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G.

Trump's attorney, Alina Habba, drew the comparison on "The Benny Show" podcast, claiming the indictment is going to boost Trump's profile similar to other celebs who went to jail ... like Pac and Biggie.

Personally, Alina says Trump is more like Biggie Smalls than Tupac ... but it sounds like there's an East Coast bias at play.

Anyway, the way Team Trump sees it ... Donald is his own brand and "he is everything" ... so the indictment will only make him more popular.

Trump's attorney believes the Pac and Biggie effect is already happening ... Alina says her boss is way up in the polls and she's calling on other Republican presidential candidates, like Nikki Haley, to drop out of the race now and get behind Trump.

Meanwhile, Trump just left Mar-a-Lago and is on his way to NYC, where he's facing more than 30 counts of business-related fraud ... stemming from his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, allegedly paying porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 to shut her trap about a supposed affair.

We covered it all in a recent episode of The TMZ Podcast.

Pras Michel has his game face on as his federal conspiracy case kicks into high gear in Washington D.C., with some huge names -- including Leonardo DiCaprio -- set to take the stand.

We caught The Fugees rapper just as he arrived at the courthouse with his defense lawyer ... ahead of what could be a crucial day. Leo is a key witness, and he testified Monday morning after the court allowed him to use a side entrance to avoid the media.

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story back in October ... Leo is just one of the many high-profile witnesses who could take the stand before it's all said and done.

Former U.S. Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, and ex-U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions are all named on the defense's witness list in the saga.

Pras is facing 22 years for his alleged role in a money laundering scheme with Malaysian fugitive Jho Low ... where Low's accused of acting as an agent for the Chinese government.

Leo's not a defendant, but he's been subpoenaed because the feds claim he's one of several celebs who received gifts from Low.

Bam Margera had cops at his hotel room door ahead of his recent arrest ... and police say he was booted from the ritzy hotel just hours before getting handcuffed.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... LAPD was called to the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel just before noon Wednesday ... after someone said they heard yelling from his room. We're told the caller was concerned about possible domestic violence.

Cops say they spoke to Bam and a woman with whom he was in the room ...  Bam was on the phone with his ex and things got heated.

We're told there was no sign of injury and no one was looking to make a report ... although Bam and his female friend were asked to leave the hotel, which they did.

TMZ broke the story, Burbank PD got a call around 3:45 PM for a disturbance at a Thai restaurant -- video obtained by TMZ shows the former "Jackass" star screaming at his estranged wife, Nikki Margera. Remember, she's considering a TRO because of that.

Former President Donald Trump's indictment should go down in history -- literally, as a national holiday ... at least, according to "Veep" actor Reid Scott.

We got Reid at LAX Friday, and we chatted with the former (fake) Deputy Director of Communications about Trump's legal trouble ... and he says he's on cloud 9 about the news.

Reid is concerned, however, about all the good it could do for D.T., with some speculating the attention pointed back could actually help mobilize his supporters and grab him a ton of votes. Regardless, Reid explains why he thinks Trump is more than deserving of getting indicted.

As we reported, Trump didn't look too bothered -- albeit a little preoccupied -- as he strolled out of Mar-a-Lago after dinner on Thursday following news of the indictment ... but Reid seems to think he's got reason to worry, and he tells us exactly why.

ICYMI -- Trump's facing more than 30 counts of business-related fraud -- stemming from his former lawyer Michael Cohen allegedly paying porn star Stormy Daniels $130K to keep her quiet about a supposed affair.

"Love After Lockup" stars Monique Robinson and Derek Warner are proving why they're perfect for this reality show ... telling us they're sticking together even after his latest arrest.

Monique and Derek tell TMZ ... they are stronger than ever and she even bailed him out of jail after he was busted in Ohio for felony assault.

Derek says the arrest stems from an incident he had with a fellow inmate in 2021 when he was behind bars ... claiming he was indicted after an investigation wrapped.

While there was some speculation Monique would break up with Derek, she says he's her man, and she won't leave him over his legal issues because they're in love.

Monique tells us it was a pretty easy decision to bail Derek out of jail ... and he says he'd do the same for her were their roles reversed.

Derek has a court date next week, and says the case won't stop them from remaining on the WE tv series.