Crime & Arrests

Law enforcement officials arrested longtime Seattle Seahawks employee Aaron Miyasato on Tuesday after they claim he was found in possession of child pornography.

According to jail records, 41-year-old Miyasato, who had been working as the Hawks' security manager, was booked at 11:07 a.m. Tuesday on three charges of possessing and dealing child porn.

According to legal documents, obtained by KING 5, authorities claim they confiscated around 25,000 images of child porn during a raid at Miyasato's home.

According to the report, they also "confiscated videos of children as young as the age of one being sexually exploited in extremely graphic ways."

Miyasato had reportedly been employed by the Seahawks since 2011 ... and recently took the team's security manager position back in 2018.

Seahawks officials, though, said in a statement Wednesday that Miyasato is no longer an employee with the team after his arrest.

"We are aware of the situation and in accordance with the NFL personal conduct policy, we have notified the league of his arrest," the Seahawks said. "This individual is no longer employed by our organization."

If the insurrectionists had a bite to eat, a rental car or a pillow to lay on while in D.C. last week before storming the Capitol, the feds just might find out about it ... because they're digging through a laundry list of receipts to track down the culprits.

Federal law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the FBI has gone well beyond just resorting to flight manifests to find the people they suspect took part in Wednesday's siege -- they're looking at any and everything the rioters might've put their name to while in town.

That includes sifting through restaurant bills, hotel ledgers and rental car records in the days leading up to and following the attack on the Capitol ... and linking that up with intel of their own.

Here's another thing ... our sources say much of the legwork for this comprehensive approach is being done by the FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force ... a group founded in NYC in the '80s.

Of course, there have been several high-profile arrests all over the country since last week's insurrection. Law enforcement says they nabbed the horn guy, the shield guy, the feet-on-desk guy, the two zip tie guys, the Auschwitz sweater guy, the lectern guy ... and others.

Granted ... there are literally hundreds more who didn't stick out so clearly ... so there's a lot more work to be done in the weeks and months to come as law enforcement attempts to bring all these people to justice.

TMZ broke the story ... they're investigating certain Capitol police officers and others who work at the Capitol, because there's evidence this could be an inside job. Our sources say 10 to 15 cops are under the microscope and the investigation is far along.

We've seen law enforcement in D.C. mobilized like never before -- the Capitol swarmed by thousands of National Guard members, FBI, Secret Service, Capitol Police and on and on.

Nancy Pelosi's lectern is back at the U.S. Capitol ... a week after a Florida man gleefully carried it out during a failed coup.

The House Speaker's lectern was wheeled into the building Wednesday and, as we reported, it did not suffer any damage. Still, pretty sure the lectern was or will be sanitized like hell. No word yet if the gavel was also returned.

As you know by now ... Adam Johnson is the man picked up last week on a federal warrant in Florida for his role in the Capitol riots, which, of course, included him taking the lectern. Images of the 36-year-old were plastered online and on TV during and after the insurrection. Goes without saying, it wasn't hard to ID him.

Johnson, a married man and stay-at-home father of 5, is slated to appear later this month in D.C. but already Johnson's lawyer told reporters earlier this week the case is going to be an uphill battle 'cause, ya know, there are pictures of the guy taking the lectern!

Johnson's attorneys, Dan Eckhart and David Bigney, acknowledged as much during a news conference this week outside a Tampa courthouse. Eckhart said, "You have a photograph of our client in a building, unauthorized to be there, with what appears to be a podium or a lectern."

When a reporter told Eckhart how the photo will be problematic, he said, "Yeah, I don't know how to explain that. But, that would be a problem. I'm not a magician."

The guy who authorities say was the one wearing a "Camp Auschwitz" hoodie during the Capitol riots has been arrested ... TMZ has confirmed

Robert Keith Packer was busted Wednesday morning in Newport News, VA and he's been charged with knowingly entering restricted grounds and disorderly conduct. He'd already drawn outrage for his hoodie, flippantly referencing the Nazi concentration camp where more than 1 million Jews were killed during World War II.

As if that wasn't disturbing enough ... the back of the hoodie also had the word "Staff" emblazoned on it. The bottom of his hoodie had the words, "Work brings freedom" ... a rough translation of "Arbeit macht frei" ... words inscribed on the concentration camp gates.

This apparently is not the first time Packer's run into trouble with the law. According to CNN, Packer's criminal history includes 3 convictions for driving under the influence and a felony conviction for forging public records.

The authorities say Parker was among hundreds who stormed the Capitol in a failed coup last week.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, arrests are expected as early as today.

The FBI is honing in on 10 to 15 members of the Capitol Police, investigating whether they facilitated the insurrection by assisting in the planning of the riot and/or clearing the path for the rioters to overtake the Capitol.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, the FBI has made "considerable headway" in its investigation of the officers in question, and -- as it was put to us -- the conduct of the cops in question "ranges from getting out of the way of the rioters to something much more nefarious."

As for what's "more nefarious," as TMZ reported, the FBI believes some of the officers and other staffers in the building may have facilitated the takeover by helping the rioters navigate the building. The FBI believes certain moves were extremely suspicious, like almost instantly finding Nancy Pelosi's office even though a member of the public would probably have to search for an hour or more to find it. Something else suspicious ... how did rioters beeline for Rep. Jim Clyburn's office when the door does not even have a nameplate?

Our sources say the FBI looked at all the video and honed in on cops who were not blocking the path of the rioters. That isn't in itself a criminal offense, but the FBI believes people who didn't block the rioters may have more involvement. Two officers have already been suspended by the Department, but the FBI's conducting a criminal investigation.

To be fair to the officers ... as one source put it, some of them who stepped back from the riot may have done so because members of Congress had already been moved to a secure location, and the cops felt they would have gotten killed if they tried protecting property.

Our sources say the FBI investigation is far along, and they're not just looking at Capitol cops. They're looking at other staffers in the building as well.

Miya Ponsetto was allegedly wreaking havoc at a vacant NYC apartment before her notorious hotel incident ... and TMZ's got photos of the damage.

As we reported ... when "SoHo Karen" was charged Saturday in her attack of 14-year-old Keyon Harrold Jr. at the Arlo Hotel, prosecutors briefly detailed another incident from earlier that day in which she allegedly damaged an apartment door.

Sources familiar with the apartment incident tell TMZ ... Ponsetto entered the building by using a fire extinguisher she found to destroy the doorknob and smash her way in.

We're told a tenant of the building confronted her, and Ponsetto allegedly claimed she rented the vacant unit through Airbnb and locked her keys inside. Our sources say Airbnb isn’t allowed to operate in the building, and we're told Miya never contacted management about renting it.

Once she got in ... Ponsetto allegedly stayed for several hours, did damage to the curtains, left mail scattered on the floor and dirtied up the bathroom. We're told she also left debris in the hallway outside the apartment.

Our sources say police were called, but when they arrived they could not access the vacant apartment because the door was so badly damaged it wouldn't open ... and Miya was long gone.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... a police report was filed, and Ponsetto is currently under investigation for criminal mischief. We're told there was at least $250 in damage.

We reached out to Miya's NYC attorney, Paul D'Emilia, who declined to comment.

Of course, this bizarre incident might be the least of her worries. As you know ... Ponsetto was arrested last week in SoCal, flown back to NYC where she was charged with attempted assault, attempted robbery, grand larceny and endangering the welfare of a child for her altercation with the teenager at the Arlo Hotel.

Las Vegas Raiders star Josh Jacobs is breathing easier today ... he won’t be hit with a DUI charge stemming from his car crash in Las Vegas last week -- according to his attorneys.

David Z. Chesnoff and Richard A. Schonfeld, who are repping Jacobs in the case, say the 22-year-old running back was only charged with failure to exercise due care by the district attorney on Monday.

"Josh appreciates the district attorney's thorough and complete review of the accident," Jacobs' attorneys said, "and we would like to thank the EMS and law enforcement at the scene."

FYI, failure to exercise due care is generally regarded as a minor offense ... usually punished with fines and community service.

It's obviously great news for Jacobs and his attorneys -- they clearly were effective in convincing the DA not to charge Josh with DUI after he wrecked his car near the airport at around 4:42 AM in Vegas on Jan. 4.

As we previously reported, cops say they had suspected Jacobs of drinking before getting behind the wheel ... claiming the NFL star smelled like alcohol when they questioned him shortly after the crash.

Jacobs and his attorneys, though, were adamant Josh did NOT drink and drive, saying at the time, "there are no blood test results to support a suggestion of impairment."

As for the injuries Jacobs suffered in the crash, his mug shot showed he suffered a huge gash on his forehead ... but it appears the running back will be fine going forward.

Larry Rendell Brock -- the retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who's one of the Capitol insurrectionists last week -- can thank his ex-wife for his arrest.

As we reported -- Brock was the guy photographed holding zip ties inside the Senate chamber and was pretty easy to ID as he was decked out in body armor, a military helmet and a tag with a Punisher skull ... but his former spouse provided further intel to law enforcement.

According to a federal affidavit ... Brock's ex-wife of 18 years called the FBI National Threat Operations Center (NTOC) on Friday to turn him in.

The woman told the feds she recognized him from his military getup, adding ... "I just know that when I saw this was happening I was afraid he would be there. I think you already know he was there. It is such a good picture of him and I recognize his patch."

The affidavit says a second witness also reported Brock to the FBI the same day, telling the authorities ... "It looks like him and he has pilot wings on his chest in this picture. He was an A-10 pilot. Worked at L3, and he still has contacts that work with L3 that knew he was flying to Washington DC."

Brock was arrested shortly afterward and is facing one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

As for why he did what he did, he says it's because "The President asked for his supporters to be there to attend, and I felt like it was important."

He has denied any nefarious intentions with the zip ties though, claiming he found them inside the Capitol and planned to return them to police.

Of course, another man was seen with zip ties, and coupled with explosives being found near the area of the attempted coup ... it sure seems like the riots could have been much worse.

Miya Ponsetto is the symbol of white privilege, and her falsely accusing 14-year-old Keyon Harrold Jr. of stealing her phone is a modern-day reflection of what happened to Emmett Till … according to the Black teenager's mother.

Kat Harrold sounded off on Ponsetto for her actions during and since the December 26 incident at the Arlo Hotel in NYC, specifically, Miya’s denial of racism being a factor … and using her ethnicity and her age as an apparent shield for being held accountable.

According to Kat ... Miya being Puerto Rican doesn’t mean she's not racist, and being 22 years old doesn’t mean she’s too young to be excused for it. She points out that Emmett Till was killed as a result of false allegations made by a white woman who was 21 … and Kat believes that racial injustice is reflected in her son’s case.

Kat says the proof is in how the hotel reacted to the situation when Miya accused her son of stealing her phone. She claims the Arlo defaulted to questioning the Black teenager but did NOT question Miya. Kat says the hotel immediately sided with her instead and calls this a clear example of white privilege.

As for the Arlo … attorney Ben Crump and Keyon’s parents are calling for a ban until the hotel condemns the individual racism allegedly shown by Ponsetto, and takes responsibility for the racial profiling they believe it demonstrated.

They lay a lot of the blame on the hotel manager for not de-escalating the situation, and accuse him of treating the Black teen like he was guilty from the jump … forcing him to prove he did nothing wrong. Even worse, they point out that Miya was not even a patron of the hotel … yet she was treated with more respect than Keyon and his father, Keyon Sr. -- who were actually staying there.

Their rallying cry -- "No more, Arlo!"

As we've reported ... Ponsetto was arrested last week in SoCal, flown back to NYC where she was charged with attempted assault, attempted robbery, grand larceny and endangering the welfare of a child for her altercation with the teenager.

However, Miya was NOT charged with a hate crime, and the prosecutor never even mentioned any racial components to the case in court Saturday. Keyon Jr.'s parents -- Keyon and Kat -- previously told us they believe the ordeal is reflective of racial injustices as a whole.

First Lady Melania Trump's first public reaction to the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol is to call for peace and unity -- but her remarks might feel a tad ... too little, too late.

FLOTUS published a statement Monday on the White House's website titled, "Our Path Forward." She starts out by talking about COVID and eventually builds to the siege a few graphs in ... after sending condolences to people who died during the attempted coup -- including Ashli Babbit, Officer Brian Sicknick and others.

Finally, Melania says this ... "I am disappointed and disheartened with what happened last week." Rather than go straight into condemning the violence and illegal actions of the rioters, she first shames folks for "salacious gossip, unwarranted personal attacks, and false misleading accusations on me."

After prefacing her comments and then saying the country must heal in a civil manner ... MT, at last, gets to these crucial words ... "Make no mistake about it, I absolutely condemn the violence that has occurred on our Nation’s Capitol. Violence is never acceptable."

She goes on to explain she values the right of free speech, adding with that in mind ... folks should pause and look at things from all perspectives. Melania then says she implores for people to stop the violence and to come together as Americans.

Melania also uses her letter as a farewell, saying that it's been an honor to serve as First Lady -- and that she's grateful for those who supported her and Donald these past 4 years.

Our nation's capital will be swarming with National Guard forces ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration ... after being absent for much of the failed coup.

The National Guard says it's increasing boots on the ground in D.C. to at least 10,000 troops by Saturday, drastically beefing up security 4 days before Biden moves into the White House.

National Guard troops made their presence known Monday, assembling in front of the Capitol ... 5 days after a mob overwhelmed the grossly under-deployed U.S. Capitol Police and stormed the building where Congress was voting to certify the election results.

Monday was a small show of force compared to what's to come by this weekend, and, additionally, protective fencing is going up all around the Capitol.

"Ink Master" star Daniel Silva has responded to Corey La Barrie's wrongful death lawsuit ... claiming Corey's death was partly his own doing.

Daniel filed legal docs responding to claims from the YouTuber's parents -- Simon La Barrie and Lissa Burton. The docs say the car crash that led to Corey's death was due to his own negligence, and he assumed the risk of death when he jumped into Daniel's car that fateful night back in May.

TMZ broke the story ... Corey's parents believe Daniel and his company, Daniel Silva Tattoos, were negligent in the moments leading up to Corey's death on his 25th birthday. Daniel wrecked a black McLaren sports car after leaving a party with Corey.

Corey's parents say excessive speed caused the crash ... and Daniel was the one with his foot on the pedal.

The parents also claim Daniel was under the influence ... something a source close to Daniel disputes.

As we first reported ... Daniel was arrested and later charged with murder ... with the L.A. County D.A.'s Office saying Daniel acted with malice the night of the crash.

Daniel pled no contest to vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. He was sentenced to 4 years in state prison, but that sentence was suspended. Instead, he got 365 days in county jail. He also got 5 years probation and 250 hours of community service.

Casey Anthony is the owner of a new private investigation company but she's not legally allowed to privately investigate.

Here's the deal ... Anthony just opened her own P.I. company in West Palm Beach --- Case Research & Consulting Services, LLC -- but state officials tell us she hasn't even filed for a P.I. license in Florida, so she can't legally do any investigating herself.

It's possible Casey's intention was to hire legit private eyes to work for her ... but if she wants to put in her own work as a P.I., she's got to navigate some hoops and hurdles.

Casey's gotta get a Class C license to work as a private eye in Florida, a lengthy process requiring 2 years of training, a background check and a state exam.

As you know, it's been nearly a decade since Casey was acquitted in the death of her daughter, Caylee ... and state officials tell us they would need to review her criminal history to determine if she's even eligible for the Class C license.

An Indigenous man who's being prosecuted for a Mount Rushmore protest believes he's been grossly over-charged ... but the white insurrectionists at the Capitol won't get the same treatment.

Nick Tilsen tells TMZ ... what we all witnessed in Washington D.C. was the "epitome of white supremacy and white privilege in society." He adds that he doesn't expect many of the culprits will be slapped with the same legal consequences he's faced since last summer.

If you don't know ... Nick's the President of NDN Collective, which protested President Trump's July 3 visit to Mt. Rushmore after calling for the national monument to be closed and the land returned to the Lakota people.

Nick was one of 20 Land Defenders arrested and facing criminal charges ... but his are steep. Nick's accused of taking a shield from a National Guard soldier and threatening to use it against the Guard.

He's been charged with second-degree robbery, grand theft in the alternative and 2 counts of simple assault against law enforcement. He could get 16 years in prison if convicted.

In contrast, one notable Capitol rioter -- who's been identified as Aaron Mostofsky, the son of a Brooklyn Supreme Court judge -- was photographed inside the building Wednesday holding a Capitol Police shield ... seemingly with no qualms about it.

Aaron was later interviewed and claimed he found the shield on the ground. As of now, there's no record of him even getting arrested ... much less charged.

Nick wants to point out ... he's not in favor of people of any race, orientation or religion being met with over-prosecution for expressing their right to protest. In fact, he supports the opposite.

The man who mugged for the camera while gleefully carrying House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's lectern has been arrested.

Adam Johnson was picked up Friday night on a federal warrant in Florida, where he lives. The images of the 36-year-old were plastered online and on TV during and after the insurrection, so it wasn't particularly hard to find him.

Johnson reportedly has a wife and 5 kids and is a stay-at-home dad.

BTW ... the lectern and gavel that were initially reported stolen were found ... neither object was damaged. As you know, there was extensive damage inside the Capitol. Pelosi's laptop was stolen after her offices were stormed by the rioters.

The founder and lead guitarist of heavy metal band Iced Earth is popular with the FBI these days, because he's now a wanted man.

Jon Schaffer was one of the rioters who stormed the Capitol Wednesday, and it's not like his presence was a big surprise. He's a die-hard Trumper who warned last month during a protest he and others like him were ready for violence if it came to that, and also warned the opposition ... "You're goin' down."

Schaffer is wanted for "unrest-related offenses" in connection with the failed coup attempt.

Schaffer’s involvement in the Capitol riot came a few months after he attended a D.C. Trump rally in November to protest against the election results.

Hansi Kursch, who's also in the band, Demons & Wizards, with Schaffer, was appalled at what he saw, saying ... "We are deeply shocked and our thoughts are with the relatives of the deceased. We expressly distance ourselves from any kind of violence irrespective if applied against institutions or persons. The incidents will be thoroughly investigated and the responsible will be brought to justice. We ask for your understanding that in view of the hourly news situation we will not make any further comments at present."

Schaffer's one of the more high-profile rioters, what with being in 3 popular bands and authorities know where he lives ... so it seems the FBI should find him with ease.