Crime & Arrests

Michael Jordan's $15 million mansion was broken into this week ... and now, an 18-year-old faces several charges, including criminal damage to the property.

Highland Park Police Department responded to a robbery in progress call from neighbors at the 2700 block of Point Lane around 4:10 PM on Tuesday, April 4th, according to Lake & McHenry County Scanner.

The home belongs to the Chicago Bulls legend ... and when police arrived, they found Raiden Hagedorn still inside the 56,000-square-foot home.

Hagedorn was arrested and charged with criminal trespass to an occupied residence and two counts of criminal damage to property -- all misdemeanors.

Thankfully, Jordan was not there at the time of the incident. In fact, MJ hasn't lived at this address since he placed the mansion on the market in 2012.

The property comes with 9 bedrooms, 19 baths, an indoor basketball gymnasium, an infinity pool, a tennis court and a cigar room.

It also has the famous personalized gate with Jordan's #23.

It was also the scene of a recent Travis Scott song featuring Young Thug and M.I.A. called "FRANCHISE." The video was shot on the grounds.

The Jordan estate was initially listed for $29 million but has been dropped to $14,855,000 ... but Michael has still been unable to unload the property.

It took a total of FIVE cops to subdue Ben Gordon during his arrest outside a Connecticut juice shop on Tuesday morning ... new video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows.

In the clip, you can see three officers were trying to get Gordon onto the ground after he had allegedly threatened employees with a knife inside of the Stamford store moments earlier -- but they struggled to wrestle him to the pavement.

The footage shows they were eventually able to push him into a storefront sign -- causing him to fall -- but they still couldn't get cuffs on him.

Finally, two other officers raced in -- and Gordon was ultimately taken under control.

As we reported, cops say after they placed the former NBA star into custody ... they found a folding knife clipped to his front pants pocket. They also say they found a stun gun and a pair of brass knuckles in his bag as well.

Gordon was arrested ... and booked on several charges. Following a mental health evaluation at a local hospital, he was released on $10,000 bond.

Court records show the 40-year-old has since been hit with eight total criminal charges -- including three felony counts of carrying a dangerous weapon and one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct.

Gordon briefly addressed his latest run-in with the law during an Instagram Live session on Thursday ... sharing his side of the incident.

Ben Gordon has been arrested again ... TMZ Sports has confirmed this time he was taken into custody on Tuesday after he allegedly threatened juice shop employees with a knife.

Cops in Stamford, Conn. tell us ... they got a call at around 9:15 AM that the former NBA star was inside of a downtown-area Juice Kings acting aggressively and bizarrely while wielding a blade.

Authorities say officers arrived on the scene quickly ... and were able to coax the 40-year-old out of the establishment without incident.

They say, however, the ex-Chicago Bulls guard became aggressive when they attempted to pat him down outside. They claim it then took several officers to subdue him and put him in cuffs.

Cops say an ensuing search of his person showed he had a folding knife clipped to his front pants pocket. They say when they searched his bag, he also had a stun gun and a pair of brass knuckles in his possession.

Gordon was arrested and transported to a local police station ... but according to cops, he began acting so aggressively and so bizarrely, he was taken to a nearby hospital for a mental health evaluation.

Gordon was released back to cops a short time later, but authorities say he continued to act erratically. They claim a behavioral unit and some of Gordon's family and friends were ultimately able to calm him down -- and he was then processed.

Gordon was booked on several charges -- including three felony counts of carrying a dangerous weapon and one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct. Cops say his family posted his $10,000 bond, and he was released at around 7 PM.

He's due in court for a hearing on the matter later this month.

Donald Trump may be public enemy No.1 in the eyes of some ... but not to Jorge Masvidal -- the UFC star visited the former President at a rally in Florida Tuesday evening hours after 45 was arraigned in NYC.

Masvidal says he was invited to Mar-a-Lago ... the same night Trump returned from the northeast aboard his private jet, where he appeared before a judge in a Manhattan courtroom, pleading not guilty to 34 felony charges.

"I didn't even sneak in here," Masvidal can be heard saying before he enters Trump's event. "This is Trump Nation."

During the packed rally, Trump ripped Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg for what DT says is a politically motivated attack.

“This fake case was brought only to interfere with the upcoming 2024 election and it should be dropped immediately,” Trump told the crowd, which included Jorge.

Of course, the charges relate to a $130k hush money payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels during his first presidential campaign.

DT also sounded off on Judge Juan Merchan, calling him a "Trump-hating judge."

It's unclear if Masvidal got any FaceTime with Trump -- the resort was packed.

The visit shows Jorge is still rockin' with his friend, despite the world's most polarizing man now facing criminal charges ... though it's not really surprising.

Trump and Masvidal have a friendship. Jorge even stumped for the former prez as he ran his re-election campaign in 2020.

Now, the question is, might Donald make an appearance this Saturday in Miami ... where Jorge Masvidal is fighting Gilbert Burns in the co-main event at UFC 287.

Jen Shah isn't lettin' prison bars keep her out of showbiz -- she's developing a stage play similar to her 'Housewives' Bravo series, and some of her fellow inmates are all-in too!

Yeah, if you were wondering what the 'RHOSLC' star's been up to at the Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, TX -- Jen's manager, Chris Giovanni, tells us she's working on a production aptly titled "The Real Housewives of Bryan."

Chris says it's still in the early phases, as Jen's taking time to teach some of her crew how to read and write. Regardless, we're told the script revolves around the real-life housewives residing at FPC Bryan ... but the personalities are cranked up to 11.

Aside from her directorial debut, Jen's been making strong friendships ... even mentoring other ladies and keeping them encouraged during their sentences. Chris says she's been working in the prison's educational department and the library since going in almost two months ago.

We're told she's lost about 15 pounds, and has been working out daily -- she's also not eating much. Shocker, she doesn't find the food all that good.

Chris adds ... Jen hasn't lost touch with her faith. It's currently Ramadan and Jen and about five other ladies in her unit are fasting and praying daily.

TMZ broke the story ... Jen surrendered herself to FPC Bryan in February to begin serving her 6.5-year sentence (which has reportedly been reduced by a year according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ inmate database) after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Jeff Hardy has maintained a low profile since resolving his DUI case in late February -- but now the suspended AEW star has finally resurfaced after his most recent legal troubles, chatting up a wrestling fan, and even posing for a pic.

A fan posted a photo of him and Hardy in Oak Island, NC, ... with the caption, "Met @JEFFHARDYBRAND while vacationing today. Could not have been more generous and likable. He just had eye surgery, get well soon!"

We talked to the fan who told us Hardy told him he recently had eye surgery ... and you can see what looks like a scar under his right eye.

The fan told us he didn't want to ask too many questions, as Hardy was with his family.

You'll recall ... Hardy submitted a written no-contest plea for the DUI he got last summer -- meaning he accepted a conviction and punishment for the crime but didn't admit guilt.

Hardy -- one-half of the famed Hardy Boyz tag team -- was sentenced to two years probation, court-mandated DUI school or drug rehab program and community service.

Jeff -- who reportedly had his license suspended for ten years by the judge -- will have to wear an interlock device for two years and pay $4,586 in fines and court fees.

The man whom prosecutors claim caused Michael K. Williams' death by giving him dirty drugs has pled guilty in a plea deal ... and could see serious prison time.

39-year-old Irvin Cartagena pleaded guilty Wednesday in NYC to one count of conspiring to distribute drugs in connection to the late actor's fatal overdose from 2021. He now faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison ... and could even see as many as 40.

Cartagena was facing additional charges and potentially life in prison ... but ultimately pled guilty to just one.

Federal prosecutors slammed Cartagena after securing the guilty plea -- as well as others who were arrested -- by saying the sale of fentanyl-laced heroin brazenly happened in broad daylight ... and that Cartagena and co. were preying on victims like Williams in Brooklyn.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams also claimed that the dealers continued to peddle drugs on the streets without a second thought ... even after Williams died. A second defendant who was also arrested and charged last year reportedly pled guilty too.

As we reported ... Williams' body was found in his home, and his official cause of death ended up being an accidental overdose. His passing came as a shock to Hollywood. The actor was mostly known for his portrayal of Omar Little on "The Wire" -- but his work went well beyond that, and he was acclaimed for his craft. He had publicly battled drug addiction.

Pete Davidson's alleged stalker has been deemed unfit to stand trial after cops say the woman trespassed on Pete's property and claimed to be his wife ... TMZ has learned.

The Staten Island District Attorney tells TMZ, "Ms. [Michelle] Mootreddy is unfit to stand trial. She has been placed in the custody of a psychiatric facility where she will receive treatment and regular evaluations to determine whether or not she is able to return and participate in her defense."

TMZ broke the story ... Mootreddy allegedly snuck into Pete's Staten Island home through an open side door a couple years ago. According to law enforcement sources, Pete wasn't home at the time, but a relative was -- and promptly called the cops.

Mootreddy was charged with burglary in the second and third degree -- both felonies -- as well as 2 misdemeanor counts of stalking, and 2 misdemeanor counts of criminal trespass and harassment ... but now it looks like she won't stand trial until she receives treatment and is ready to participate in her defense.

Former Nebraska interim head coach Mickey Joseph's assault case was dismissed Wednesday ... after the woman who accused him of strangling her reportedly refused to testify.

The Lancaster County Attorney's Office confirmed the dismissal to TMZ Sports ... explaining the case has now been sealed.

According to the Associated Press, Erica Pruess, a prosecutor in Lancaster County, told a judge that she received an email from the accuser in Joseph's case in February stating she would not testify.

Additionally, Pruess said law enforcement authorities in Arizona, where the woman allegedly lives, tried to serve her a summons requiring her to appear before a judge -- but their attempts were unsuccessful.

55-year-old Joseph was initially arrested for assault by strangulation back in November ... after police responded to his home, where he and his wife, Priscilla Joseph, live, to investigate a domestic dispute.

According to legal documents, Joseph had been embroiled in an argument with a woman who told police Joseph "pushed me on the couch and strangled me."

The woman, who's yet to be identified, told police that Joseph -- who took over the reins for the Cornhuskers after the program fired Scott Frost in Sept. 2022 -- punched her in the face during the alleged assault.

When police interviewed the accuser ... they observed visible injuries and swelling around the woman's left eye.

Nebraska placed Joseph on administrative leave following his arrest ... but the program fired him two weeks later.

Donald Trump just can't get enough of himself -- the guy was listening to his own voice featured on a new rendition of our National Anthem ... sung by the Jan. 6 insurrectionists.

The ex-Prez -- who was just rung up on 34 felony counts in NYC Tuesday -- flew back to Mar-a-Lago following his eventful outing in the Big Apple ... where he fired up his supporters with a speech, and engaged in an odd display.

Check out this video, obtained by TMZ, which we're told was recorded not too long after DT's diatribe from the podium -- where he condemned Manhattan's D.A. Alvin Bragg and others involved in his criminal case.

You can see Trump put his hand over his heart along with the rest of the room as they blast "Justice for All" over the speakers -- a song released by a handful of men currently in prison for their participation in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots ... now known as the J6 Choir.

The song is basically them singing the "Star Spangled Banner" interlaced with Trump reciting the Pledge of Allegiance ... which created the awkward sight of Trump standing at attention as he listens to himself.

Patriotic to some, a threat to democracy for others.

The song was put out into the world back in early March and had success on certain charts, believe it or not.

Donald Trump might have had his worst day ever ... but Stormy Daniels had her best day on a popular pornography website.

The good folks over at Pornhub tell TMZ ... Donald's arrest has been a boom for Stormy's adult videos, with searches for her pornos spiking while Trump was getting booked.

We're told Pornhub users searched "Stormy" more than 650,000 times Tuesday ... it's a staggering figure on its own, but when it's compared to her daily search average over the first three months of the year, it works out to a whopping 32,400% increase.

Seems like there's a lot of interest out there as to why Trump allegedly had an affair with her.

Diving deeper into the numbers ... by 1:00 PM ET, as folks were waiting for Trump's motorcade to arrive at Manhattan Criminal Court, Pornhub says "Stormy" searches were six times their normal level ... which usually isn't peak horny hours.

Trump flew back to Mar-a-Lago on his private jet after his first day in court ... but some folks still have "jail" and "prison" on the brain ... Pornhub says searches with those two keywords this week are more popular than normal.

Trump's accused of paying Stormy $130,000 to shut up about the alleged affair. As for how much Stormy is making off the recent spike in her videos ... Pornhub is mum.

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.