Crime & Arrests

The argument between Cash App founder Bob Lee and the man accused of stabbing him to death allegedly centered around the suspect's sister ... according to prosecutors.

In court docs, obtained by TMZ, prosecutors say Lee and Tech start-up owner Nima Momeni had a spat before the stabbing ... and a witness says it was about whether Momeni's sister, Khazar, was doing drugs or anything inappropriate.

Prosecutors say the witness claims Lee tried to talk Momeni down and reassure him about Khazar. According to the witness that convo happened at some point in the afternoon or evening of April 3.

From there, investigators have pieced together the events leading up to Bob's death using videos. According to the docs, Bob left his apartment at 12:31 AM on April 4 ... and took an 8-minute walk to Khazar's apartment. Around 2 AM, Nima shows up at Khazar's apartment, and, a few minutes later, he and Bob leave together in Nima's car and drive to a secluded area.

When they get out of the car, Nima allegedly uses a kitchen knife to stab Bob 3 times ... once directly in the heart. Again, prosecutors say they have video of the stabbing. As we've reported, surveillance video -- obtained by Daily Mail -- shows Bob at 2:35 AM, injured and bleeding and desperately looking for help.

The docs say Khazar even texted Lee after the argument, making sure he was ok -- writing "Nima came wayyyyyy down hard on you."

She added, "Thank you for being such a classy man handling it with class Love you Selfish pricks."

As we reported, Momeni was arrested Thursday for the murder of Lee ... and it turns out Momeni has a history of arrests -- including a DUI in 2004 and illegal possession of a switchblade in 2011.

NBA star Miles Bridges has been suspended 30 games by the NBA ... for a domestic violence incident involving the mother of his kids last summer.

But, because 25-year-old Bridges missed the entire season (he was unsigned), the NBA has credited him with serving 20 games, meaning he only will have to sit out 10 more games next season.

"The incident occurred on June 27, 2022, in Los Angeles, after which Mr. Bridges was arrested and charged with multiple offenses."

"On November 3, 2022, Mr. Bridges entered a plea of no contest to a felony domestic violence charge and the remaining counts against him were dismissed," the league announced Friday afternoon.

Shortly after the incident, Mychelle Johnson claimed she suffered injuries to her face, arms, legs and back.

The NBA says they conducted their own investigation and conferred with D.V. experts, and that's how they arrived at the penalty.

"The 30-game suspension is based on all facts and circumstances of this matter and considers the conduct and its result, as well as the outcome of the criminal matter, among other factors."

Bridges was arrested on June 29 and ultimately charged with felony domestic violence ... and while he always maintained his innocence (Miles claims his ex has incessantly harassed him), he pleaded no contest to the charge in court.

The NBA star was sentenced to 3 years probation and 100 hours of community service, as well as requiring he take parenting classes.

Miles was the 12th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, after starring under Tom Izzo and Michigan State. Bridges has averaged 13.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists over the course of his career.

Jeremy Meeks says going from the mean streets to jail to fashion runways and movie sets has been one wild ride, which is why he's written an autobiography ... but he's not stopping there.

We got the actor/model at LAX and he was beaming as he told our photog about his Hollywood success ... telling us he just got back from shooting a Christmas movie and is excited about his upcoming book release.

Jeremy, who first became famous as the "hot felon," says it's surreal to see his life story in book form, and his goal is to get the publication made into a TV series.

We asked why not a feature film, and he said it would be impossible to chop his life down to a couple hours or less ... so, a series makes more sense.

Jeremy's book is called "Model Citizen" and it's coming out October 10 ... and it tells the story of his meteoric rise from poverty to global fame.

Remember ... Jeremy had a long rap sheet before his 2014 arrest and mug shot earned him the "hot felon" and "prison bae" monikers.

Jeremy's mug went viral, sparking a modeling career that blossomed into acting gigs and led to him dating and having a child with Topshop heiress Chloe Green.

The man charged with fatally stabbing Cash App founder Bob Lee has a history of brushes with the law, and was once arrested for illegal possession of a knife, according to court docs obtained by TMZ.

Nima Momeni was busted Thursday for the April 4 murder of Lee, which cops say happened after they got into a heated argument while driving in Momeni’s car in San Francisco. Cops say the men knew each other, although no motive's been disclosed yet.

Momeni, the owner of a Tech start-up company called ExpandIT, was previously arrested in 2011 for allegedly carrying a switchblade, again while driving in his car.

Momeni ended up pleading no contest to driving on a suspended license in exchange for a dismissal of the knife charge.

In a separate incident from 2004, Momeni was arrested for DUI.

In the less violent/criminal department ... Momeni's also, apparently, a liar.

On his LinkedIn page, he claims he attended UC Berkeley, but a University spokesperson denies that, asserting the alleged killer never attended the prestigious school.

Momeni is scheduled to be arraigned Friday afternoon for Lee's murder.

It's been four months since Brittney Griner was released from a Russian penal camp, but the WNBA star hasn't forgotten about the Americans left behind, vowing to continue to fight for the release of U.S. citizens being held captive in Russia.

32-year-old Griner made a surprise cameo at Al Sharpton's National Action Network's Women's Empowerment Luncheon in NYC on Thursday, where she addressed the crowd.

“I want to continue to fight to bring home every American detained overseas. That means everything to me,” Griner said, flanked by her wife Cherelle Griner and Sharpton.

Of course, Brittney was sentenced to 9 years behind Russian bars after being found guilty on a drug charge. After 10 months spent in a jail cell and penal colony, she returned home on December 8 in a high-profile prisoner exchange.

After months of negotiations, the U.S. agreed to send Viktor Bout, known as the "Merchant of Death," serving a lengthy prison sentence in the States, back to Russia as part of a trade.

At the time of her release, the government was criticized for not getting back U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who has been locked up in Russia since late December 2018.

On Thursday, Griner made it clear she hasn't forgotten about Whelan and several other Americans who are still overseas.

Everything really is bigger in Texas ... including prison sentences, because a man is potentially going to spend the rest of his life behind bars for spitting at police officers during his arrest.

A Lubbock jury handed down the headline-grabbing punishment Wednesday for 36-year-old Larry Pearson ... who was found guilty of 2 counts of harassment of a public servant.

Prosecutors say Pearson spit at 2 Lubbock PD officers who arrested him in May 2022 on domestic violence charges after a woman told cops Pearson hit her in the face.

According to prosecutors, Pearson was upset the alleged victim was not arrested instead, and started kicking at the doors in the cop car where he was being held ... and he spit at the officers when they opened the car door.

Prosecutors say the spitting didn't end there ... claiming Pearson kept hocking loogies upon arrival at the Lubbock County Detention Center.

During the trial's closing arguments, prosecutor Jessica Gorman asked jurors to consider a sentence that would "send a message" to not only Pearson, but also society ... and he ended up getting 70 years.

Pearson also had prior convictions for family violence and aggravated robbery, and, as a result, the minimum sentence the jury could impose was 25 years.

The guy's no angel, for sure, but there's a huge gap between 25 and 70 years! And, for a crime like spitting ... that seems extreme. Even in Texas.

Courtney Clenney's lawyer, Frank Prieto, tells TMZ ... "Courtney will defend this civil matter as vigorously as the pending criminal case. It is important to note that the Plaintiff (Estate of Obumseli) filed suit against the security company, building management company, and the owner's of the apartment that Courtney rented."

"The Estate is seeking wrongful death damages in hopes of getting a huge payout because these companies have very high limits on their insurance policies. Courtney has no assets that the Estate can collect on."

Prieto adds ... "Courtney was a victim of domestic violence and her actions the evening of April 3, 2022 were taken to save her life. Once she is vindicated in the criminal matter, the civil case will also fall apart."

Courtney Clenney, the OnlyFans model accused of murdering Christian Obusmeli, is being dragged to court by her slain boyfriend's family ... they want her to pay for his funeral.

According to a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Christian's estate is suing Courtney and others for negligence related to his brutal stabbing death.

In the docs, the estate says it racked up a ton of expenses for Christian's medical care and funeral arrangements ... and they want Courtney to help foot the bill.

What's more, the estate is demanding damages from Courtney to cover past and future mental pain and suffering for Christian's family ... plus past and future loss of his future support and services to his fam.

Remember ... Courtney is charged with second-degree murder for Christian's April 2022 stabbing death.

She was arrested 4 months after the fatal incident, and while she admits stabbing him ... she claims it was done in self-defense.

All along, Christian's family has believed Courtney killed him in cold blood ... and the family has previously told us they hope she's convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

We reached out to Courtney's camp about the lawsuit ... so far, no word back.

Cops have arrested a man in the stabbing murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee, and the alleged suspect is a fellow tech exec.

The arrest went down early Thursday in Emeryville, CA ... near San Francisco where Lee was stabbed, this according to Mission Local, which broke the story. The outlet reported the man arrested is Nima Momeni, the founder of ExpandIT, a Silicon Valley tech start-up. TMZ has confirmed, Momeni was arrested and booked in San Francisco Thursday morning.

Law enforcement sources told the outlet, Lee and the suspect were driving together in San Francisco, in the early hours of April 4. The car was registered to the suspect, according to M.L., adding some sort of confrontation ensued in the car and continued after Lee left the vehicle.

Lee was stabbed at least twice ... and the outlet says the knife has now been recovered near the area where Lee was fatally wounded.

Cops say this was not a robbery or random crime.

Fans might be happy, but Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Matt Strahm is pissed off at MLB teams for extending beer sales into the 8th inning ... saying it's a decision that's not in their best interest.

Some baseball clubs have elected to forgo their usual 7th-inning cutoff in light of the quicker games this season ... with many serving up booze until the final 6 outs to help increase revenue.

Strahm thinks those teams went in the wrong direction ... saying they should actually stop serving earlier in the game so fans have enough time to get the alcohol out of their system before going behind the wheel.

"The reason we stopped in the seventh before was to give our fans time to sober up and drive home safe, correct?" the pitcher asked on the "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast.

"So now, with a faster-pace game -- and me just being a man of common sense -- if the game is going to finish quicker, would we not move the beer sales back to the sixth inning to give our fans time to sober up and drive home?"

"Instead, we're going to the eighth, and now you're putting our fans and our family at risk driving home with people who have just drank beers 22 minutes ago."

Strahm says he's not surprised by the move, though ... because at the end of the day -- it's all about money.

"My thing is, when you're looking at the safety of your fans, that's probably not the smartest decision to extend it into the eighth."

"But, just using common sense -- we stopped it in the seventh for the safety of fans and people getting home. Like, it just, it makes no sense to me that you're going to allow it to the eighth inning."

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who infamously survived a nerve agent 3 years ago, has reportedly fallen ill while behind bars ... and some on his team believe he's slowly being poisoned to death.

The Vladimir Putin nemesis was met with an ambulance over the weekend due to stomach pains, but his lawyer Vadim Kobzez tweeted that there was no diagnosis given after medics assessed him.

Anna Veduta, Vice President of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation, told The Associated Press, "We believe he is slowly being administered low doses of poison” due to unidentified pills he's been given.

Veduta added ... Navalny lost 18 pounds in 15 days, and first became ill last week when he was let out of a punishment cell and into a regular one. He's reportedly been moved back into a punishment cell for 15 more days for unknown reasons.

Kira Yarmysh, Navalny's spokesperson, echoed the potential poisoning claims ... saying, "We do not rule out that all this time in prison he could have been poisoned with something to make his health deteriorate slowly but steadily."

As you know, the documentary "Navalny" won the Oscar for Best Documentary this year -- it followed the freedom fighter and former lawyer pushing back against Vladimir Putin and political corruption in Russia.

One of the frightening moments in the doc showed a near-fatal poisoning with a Soviet-era nerve agent in 2020 ... an incident for which Navalny squarely blames Putin.

Jeff Hardy is back ... The Charismatic Enigma made his first AEW appearance Wednesday night since the company suspended him for his DUI arrest in Florida last June.

Hardy surprised wrestling fans at the Milwaukee Panther Arena in Wisconsin ... coming to the rescue of his brother, Matt Hardy, who had been getting beaten up in the ring.

Big Bill and Lee Moriarty blindsided Matt, Hook, and Isiah Kassidy ... but Jeff's music hit out of nowhere, and he ran out from backstage with a steel chair in hand, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

Jeff whooped everyone in the ring ... and then threw the chair at Lee's face. He later hit the wrestler with his signature twist of fate maneuver and a legendary Swanton Bomb.

"I am unbelievably proud of my brother @JEFFHARDYBRAND," Matt tweeted about Jeff's emotional comeback afterward.

Of course, Matt said earlier this week that Jeff's return was imminent following the legend's recent eye surgery -- though he expected it to be about 6-8 weeks from now ... not days!!

Matt reassured fans that Jeff's been caring for himself during his time away from the squared circle ... and his appearance in the ring on Wednesday night proved he has been doing just that.

Jorge Masvidal says he ain't getting a fair shake in his aggravated battery case ... claiming in new court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, that Colby Covington received preferential treatment from cops during their altercation in Miami last year.

In the docs, Masvidal says he has evidence that on several occasions during their confrontation on March 21, 2022, outside of a popular restaurant ... Covington was treated with "favoritism" by the Miami Beach Police Department.

Specifically, Masvidal says after the alleged attack ... Covington did not call 911 -- but instead phoned a high-ranking MBPD sergeant who was the UFC star's "pal and training partner ... so he could receive concierge police intervention."

Masvidal claims after Covington called the sergeant, the officer then radioed the matter into the station as a "Code 3" -- which, according to Masvidal, is "reserved for shooting and active dangerous felonies." Masvidal also says the sergeant "made additional calls to individual officers to 'get over immediately' to the scene" -- while also diverting "over 20 officers from their duties and responsibilities" to make sure they got Covington help.

In addition, Masvidal says Covington made a statement during a podcast interview prior to the street encounter that he "rolls with the Miami Beach Police Department" -- which Masvidal claims further proves he may have gotten special treatment on the night of the alleged attack.

Masvidal's attorney, Bradford Cohen, now wants several things -- including Covington's podcast comment -- to be admitted into evidence for the UFC fighter's impending trial in the case ... believing it will help prove his client is getting a raw deal.

"From our investigation and witness depositions it's clear that protocol was not followed that evening and Mr. Covington received preferential treatment," Cohen said in a statement this week. "Sadly, the people of Miami Beach that needed an officer that night, at that time probably suffered due to over 15 officers responding to a misdemeanor offense."

We've reached out to the Miami Beach Police Department for comment -- but so far no word back yet.

As we previously reported, Masvidal is facing serious jail time in the case after he was hit with charges of felony aggravated battery and felony criminal mischief following allegations that he punched Covington twice in an ambush outside of Papi Steak.

Meanwhile, Covington -- who claims to have suffered a brain injury, a chipped tooth, and a damaged Rolex watch in the attack -- appears to have recovered from the altercation ... as he's been rumored to be the next opponent for UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards.

The daughter of late soap star Kristoff St. John and professional boxer Mia St. John got arrested in Idaho after allegedly stripping down in a supermarket ... and cops say she later tried to escape from jail.

According to the arrest affidavit, obtained by TMZ, cops in Boise were called to a WinCo around 8 PM Monday night for a report of indecent exposure, with a store employee telling police Paris St. John was naked in the store, praying and meditating.

When cops arrived, they say Kristoff's daughter was naked in the store's front office. The woman who called police ultimately convinced Paris to put her clothes back on.

Police say Paris was arrested for indecent exposure and transported to Ada County Jail ... where cops claim she stood up and ran out of the jail's sally port when the door opened for an entering officer.

Cops say they told Paris to stop, but she ignored them and continued fleeing ... with police running after her, grabbing her and bringing her to the ground.

Paris was booked on three misdemeanor charges ... indecent exposure, escape, and resisting or obstructing officers. We're told Paris is currently getting mental health treatment.

The St. John family has been through a ton of trauma ... Paris' dad died 3 years ago from heart disease triggered by alcohol abuse ... and in November 2014, her brother Julian died by suicide.

Cleveland Browns defensive lineman Perrion Winfrey -- a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft -- was arrested on Monday ... following allegations he got physical with his girlfriend during an argument.

According to court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, prosecutors say the incident happened at around 7 PM in Harris County, Texas ... after Winfrey and his GF quarreled "over a dog and keys to a rental car."

Prosecutors allege that at one point during their argument, Winfrey grabbed the woman ... causing her bodily injury. According to the docs, bystanders actually had to intervene to break up the dispute.

Prosecutors say the woman told authorities Winfrey had assaulted her before during a previous incident.

Winfrey was arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault-family member, records show. He's due for a hearing in the case next week.

Winfrey, who starred at the Univ. of Oklahoma in 2020 and 2021, played in 13 games for the Browns as a rookie last season, recording .5 a sack and 22 combined tackles.

Dramatic new video shows a white male security guard delivering a knockout punch to a black woman, who demanded reparations to cover her $1,000 grocery bill at Target -- and compared herself to Rosa Parks.

Surveillance video and body cam footage, first posted by the Daily Mail, showed security officer Zach Cotter clashing with customer Karen Ivery inside the store in Blue Ash, OH, last October.

As you can see, Cotter got into the middle of a heated argument between a store manager and Ivery, who allegedly asked for reparations to pay her eye-popping bill. Cops say Ivery told the manager she was "owed this" ... referring to the slavery reparations.

Police say Cotter told Ivery she needed to chill or leave the store because she was acting aggressively. Instead, she charged at him, backing him into his office.

That's when Cotter hauled off and socked Ivery in the face, knocking her to the floor. Cotter then called police, who determined he acted in self-defense and Ivery was the instigator.

Ivery was cited for disorderly conduct, served one day in jail and paid a $110 fine.

Ivery told police she wanted to have a larger conversation about "how money works" and "how it's been working in our community in a very wrong way."

Loads of homes connected to infamous names have been demolished over the years ... so take a look at some pads with dark, dark clouds that have been met with a wrecking ball.

Jeffrey Epstein's Florida mansion was razed in 2021 -- while other infamous names like Whitey Bulger and Jeffrey Dahmer had properties surrounding their names torn down, too.

Harvey Weinstein recently had his massive Connecticut house torn down -- it's located on one of the most expensive streets in Westport, CT and he decided to sell the place in 2018, just as he started catching heat over his misdeeds.

The redwood home where Sharon Tate and 5 others were murdered was turned into dust back in '94 ... eventually replaced with an enormous mansion.

Speaking of '94 ... O.J. Simpson's Brentwood mansion got bulldozed in the late '90s, only a few years after he was acquitted for the 1994 murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.

Pablo Escobar had a MASSIVE Miami compound smack on the water during his drug reign, but it was seized by the feds in the '80s ... getting razed in 2016.