Crime & Arrests

The man who admitted to firebombing Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's home says he did it to avenge Palestinian deaths in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Pennsylvania State Police say Cody Balmer made a 911 call around 3 AM Sunday -- about an hour after he hurled Molotov cocktails into Shapiro's home -- and said he wanted the Governor to know he "will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people."

During the call, Balmer also said, "Our people have been put through too much by that monster" ... referring to Shapiro, and added, the Governor needed to stop having his friends (presumably in Gaza) killed.

Harvey Weinstein wants out of Rikers Island badly ... and into a medical center during his retrial in his New York criminal case.

The jailed movie mogul's legal team filed an emergency petition with the court to have him transferred from the notorious Rikers prison complex to Bellevue Hospital due to alleged gross mismanagement of his deteriorating health.

According to Tuesday's filing, obtained by TMZ, Weinstein accuses Rikers medical staff of failing to provide him with proper healthcare, as well as misdiagnosing at least one condition. Weinstein says this led to his health becoming wildly unstable, requiring "regular" hospitalization at Bellevue, including its ICU unit.

Weinstein says he has a laundry list of medical issues -- such as cancer, diabetes, extensive coronary artery disease, chest pain due to lowered levels of blood flowing to the heart, obstructive sleep apnea, thyroid issues, obesity, chronic lower back and leg pain, anemia, hypertension, and more.

Diddy is looking to beef up his legal defense team ... with an attorney famous for defending Young Thug in court.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Georgia attorney Brian Steel wants to be admitted to practice law in the Southern District of New York so he can help defend Diddy at trial.

Brian's known for repping Young Thug in the rapper's YSL RICO case.

"Ghost Adventures" star Aaron Goodwin's wife won't be haunting him ... in a court of law, at least -- she's struck a plea deal to avoid a lengthy murder-for-hire trial, and shorten her sentence.

Victoria Goodwin filed docs, obtained by TMZ, informing the judge in Clark County, Nevada, she intends to plead guilty to one of the 2 counts she was facing for allegedly plotting to kill her famous husband.

According to the docs, Goodwin says she's copping to conspiracy to commit murder, and in exchange prosecutors will drop the charge of solicitation to commit murder. Additionally, prosecutors have agreed to make no recommendation to the judge on Goodwin's sentence.

D.L. Hughley says he would have a lot to think about if he were a juror in Luigi Mangione's trial ... telling us he might even go so far as to find the accused United Healthcare CEO murderer innocent!!!

The comedian joined us on "TMZ Live" Tuesday and we asked him about the cult-like following Luigi has, even though the feds claim Mangione gunned down Brian Thompson in cold blood in Manhattan in December.

D.L. says he absolutely understands why Luigi has a lot of supporters out there ... he feels Americans are so fed up with the health insurance agency and are so accustomed to gun violence in their everyday lives that Mangione's alleged murder isn't a big deal to many.

The judge who reduced Karmelo Anthony's bond this week is getting some added security, TMZ Sports has learned, after law enforcement said she's been the recipient of threats following her key decision in the murder case.

The Collin County Sheriff's Office told us Tuesday it's beefed up protection around Judge Angela Tucker in the wake of her Monday choice to lower the alleged H.S. track meet killer's bail from $1 million to $250,000.

The CCSO said "court staff and concerned citizens" reported the menacing remarks made against the official ... and now, its team of investigators, as well as the FBI are probing the matter.

Diddy wants a Black woman in his corner when his federal trial begins -- in less than 3 weeks -- and that's why he's searching for a new attorney to add to his defense team.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Diddy's lawyers are searching for a Black female attorney to join his current trial team of Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos.

Keep in mind, the mogul's attorneys have already raised race as a critical part of its defense ... accusing the feds of trying to take down a rich, successful Black man.

Stevie J has been one of the few Diddy supporters who's never wavered throughout the numerous lawsuits and charges ... and he wants the world to know the embattled Bad Boy mogul is doing just fine!!!

TMZ Hip Hop bumped into Stevie in Bev. Hills on Monday full of energy, calling for Diddy's freedom.

We thought he was on a hot lunch date -- but turns out, the woman accompanying him is his new artist, Miala Doche.

Cuban-American actor William Levy is feeling the heat in Miami, but it's not the weather he's dealing with ... he was arrested Monday night for disorderly intoxication in a public place causing disturbance and trespassing.

Levy was booked in Broward County Jail. WPLG-TV reports he appeared in court Tuesday afternoon, where a judge granted him a $500 bond.

Levy was arrested in Weston, in the Miami metro area. According to the Broward County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to a report of a disturbance at Baires Grill on Monday night at about 10:10. The arresting deputy reports Levy was allegedly "highly intoxicated and causing a disturbance inside the restaurant." In the presence of the deputy, the manager told William not to return to the business ... and WL then allegedly ignored multiple verbal commands by the deputy to leave the property. He was promptly arrested and booked.

The Menendez Brothers' relatives are ripping L.A. County D.A. Nathan Hochman ... blasting his use of crime scene photos in a recent court hearing as a "grotesque spectacle" with dire consequences.

Bryan Freedman -- the attorney representing the family -- rips Hochman in a new court filing ... saying the county's top prosecutor is making a mockery of Marsy's Law, which protects the rights of crime victims.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Freedman says Hochman gratuitously and needlessly displayed crime scene photos at Friday's court hearing, which was attended by a bunch of Erik's and Lyle's relatives -- and he claims the photos caused the brothers' 85-year-old aunt, Terry Baralt, such severe emotional distress she ended up in a hospital bed.

8:23 AM PT -- Sean Kingston's attorney Zeljka Bozanic tells TMZ ... "Mr. Kingston’s bond has been posted and he is in the process of being released."

He's back to home detention, with GPS monitoring, and is required to surrender his passport.

Sean Kingston was in lockup Tuesday 'cause he couldn’t cough up the $100K cash bond tied to his federal wire fraud case.

Kingston, who got hit with a guilty verdict last month alongside his mom, Janice Turner, on all five charges, is now sitting tight at the Federal Detention Center in Miami, TMZ has learned.

Following his conviction last month, he was confined to home detention pending sentencing on the condition he could post a $100K cash bond. But now that the singer and rapper is unable to come up with the money, he's been taken into custody.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro may have saved the lives of himself and his family after a suspected arsonist set fire to his residence early Sunday morning.

Harrisburg Fire Chief Brian Enterline said Monday that Shapiro had inadvertently closed a door in a stairwell that prevented the flames from quickly spreading to the bedrooms where he and his family were sleeping.

Enterline said if the door had been left ajar, the blaze would have "put the governor at greater risk." But because the door was shut, Enterline said, the rapid movement of the flames was stymied, offering Shapiro, his wife and four children a chance to escape without injury.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman says Erik and Lyle Menendez needed to 'fess up to all their lies when talking to TMZ from prison ... but their lawyer Mark Geragos says prosecutors are focused on the wrong things.

Nathan and Mark joined us Monday on "TMZ Live" and we asked them about the upcoming resentencing hearing and the brothers' bid for freedom.

Hochman digs his heels in and argues why Erik and Lyle should remain behind bars  ... telling us the Menendez Bros missed a golden opportunity to take responsibility and apologize in their recent TMZ special.

2:23 PM PT -- Just hours after a judge in Texas agreed to drastically reduce Karmelo Anthony's bond amount, the 17-year-old is out of the local county jail.

A local reporter, Steven Dial of FOX 4 Dallas, captured the moment Anthony walked out of the facility ... where he's been since April 2.

Karmelo Anthony -- the teenager charged with the murder of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf -- had his bond drastically reduced during a court hearing Monday morning ... from $1,000,000 to $250,000.

Mike Howard, Anthony's new attorney, argued the $1 million bond was unnecessary ... as his client has no history of criminal activity.

"Give this young man a chance to get out of jail and be with his family," Howard said.

Taylor Lorenz is inserting herself into the Luigi Mangione case -- well, hypothetically -- 'cause she’s weighing in on what her verdict would be if she had a seat on that trial jury.

The ex-Washington Post columnist swung by "TMZ Live" Monday ... and we grilled her on which route she'd go on Luigi's fate -- guilty with the death penalty, guilty with prison time, or not guilty via jury nullification. Let’s just say, it wasn’t an easy call for the outspoken journo.

Check it out ... Taylor tells us she's firmly against the death penalty, so that one’s off the table -- but when it comes to the other two options, she’s torn ... because we haven't seen the potential evidence presented yet.

An alarming situation is playing out at UnitedHealthcare HQ in Minnesota -- cops say a man is in custody after reports of an intruder ... and we've learned the guy told law enforcement he had a gun, and now the FBI is involved.

Our sources tell us the man is currently being detained by authorities ... and the FBI and police are questioning him after finding a gun in his car. This comes months after Luigi Mangione allegedly shot former UHC CEO Brian Thompson to death in Manhattan.

Before being taken into custody, the guy was on the phone with law enforcement while sitting in his car ... he reportedly sounded agitated as he asked for a negotiator, admitted he had a pistol, demanded $1 million, and said he wouldn't be taken alive.