Crime & Arrests

Diddy's hotel reservations came with a few warnings ... because his booking profile carried a few notes attached to it -- mainly about messes he and his companions made in the room.

Frédéric Zemmour -- general manager of L’Ermitage Beverly Hills -- took the stand in Diddy's federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial in NYC Thursday, and he was asked about how Diddy booked rooms in the fashionable hotel over the years.

Zemmour explained the hotel uses a system called OPERA -- a software hotels can use to aggregate reservations, create loyalty programs and more -- and, he said one feature on it allows hotel employees to enter notes about specific guests.

Kid Cudi detailed the damage his Porsche sustained from a Molotov cocktail during his testimony in the Diddy trial -- an incident he thinks Diddy was involved in -- and now we're seeing some of what jurors were shown in court.

Photos of Kid Cudi's car fire aftermath were just entered as exhibits in the case ... and they appear to show what Kid Cudi testified about in terms of fire damage from a Molotov cocktail.

Cudi told jurors someone cut a hole in his Porsche's convertible top and dropped in the fire bomb ... and photos show a large opening in the soft top that appears to have been slashed open, and there looks to be some melted fabric.

Jussie Smollett's stuck a pretty sweet deal with the Windy City -- instead of paying 6-figures in restitution for the hate crime hoax investigation, he's donating $50,000 to charity ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct involvement in the negotiations tell us the agreement between Jussie and Chicago calls for him to pay the $50K to a charity of the actor's choice ... and we're told he's opted to support the Building Better Futures Center for the Arts in Chicago.

The org focuses on mental health, art, music and acting training for underprivileged youth in Chicago.

Kid Cudi says Cassie played him like a fiddle during their 2011 fling.

The "Pursuit of Happiness" rapper testified Thursday in Diddy's federal criminal trial in NYC, and he talked a lot about his brief relationship with Cassie.

Cudi admitted he felt like he was played by Cassie when she told him things were over with Diddy ... only for her to get back with Diddy after they broke up.

Kid Cudi is testifying about his infamous car fire-bombing ... and he says he knows Diddy had something to do with it, even though Diddy denied it to his face during a meeting where Diddy came off like a Marvel supervillain.

The rapper testified Thursday in Diddy's criminal ... telling the jury his Porsche went up in flames outside his house in January 2012, shortly after he broke things off with Cassie.

Kid Cudi says he wasn't at home when he got a call from his dog's babysitter, informing him his car was on fire. He says he rushed home and found his car damaged.

Tory Lanez is currently on the mend after surviving a brutal prison attack, and now has a change of scenery -- after being moved to a completely different facility!!!

As of Thursday morning, we've confirmed Tory was shipped out to California Men’s Colony (CMC) to ensure his safety ... 3 hours away from the California Correctional Institution (CCI) where he was stabbed 14 times, resulting in both lungs collapsing.

Tory’s attorney Crystal Morgan tells TMZ Hip Hop the "Color Violet" artist is doing fine, considering the severity of his injuries ... but isn't necessarily happy he had to move to CMC, near San Luis Obispo.

Kid Cudi says Diddy broke into his Los Angeles home after finding out he was dating Cassie ... and he says Diddy screwed with his pooch.

The rapper took the stand Thursday in Diddy's federal criminal trial in NYC and told the jury about some of the drama that unfolded between him, Diddy and Cassie back in 2011 ... when she was on a break from Diddy and they started dating.

Kid Cudi testified there was a break-in at his home in December 2011 after Cassie called him early in the morning and told him Diddy found out about them. He says cops were called, too.

Sherri Papini is shrugging off the lies she told in her alleged kidnapping ... she says she can't be the only person who has ever fibbed, and her case is deeper than most folks realize.

TMZ obtained a clip from the upcoming documentary "Sherri Papini: Caught In The Lie" ... and she asks the audience, "Haven't you ever lied? Have you ever lied in your history of existence? And then has that lie been blown up and broadcast around the world?"

Sherri went missing for three weeks back in 2016 ... resurfacing on the side of a road in California after claiming her captors let her go.

Two Israeli Embassy workers were shot to death Wednesday by a gunman at the Jewish Museum in Washington D.C. — and the arrest of the suspect was caught on dramatic video.

Check it out ... The alleged shooter — identified as Elias Rodriguez from Chicago, Illinois — is grabbed by a couple of cops inside a building on Wednesday night.

One of the officers slaps the cuffs on Elias, who starts screaming, "Free free Palestine." Both officers then escort him through an exit door as witnesses stare in shock, with one horrified woman seen covering her mouth.

The 8th day of testimony in the Diddy trial is in the books and prosecutors are still trying to gain headway on the racketeering charges against the mogul ... and one of their witnesses even thinks he helped Diddy's defense.

Wednesday opened with Homeland Security Investigations agent Gerard Gannon detailing more about a raid on Diddy's home on Star Island ... a search that turned up guns, ammo, drugs, lube, baby oil, sex toys and lingerie.

Interesting stuff ... and maybe the guns help prosecutors prove a RICO case against Diddy ... 'cause some of the serial numbers on the magazines were scratched off.

Diddy's former employee George Kaplan says part of his work as an executive assistant at Combs Enterprises called for him to set up hotel rooms for his boss ... complete with some staples for a "freak-off" -- like lube, baby oil and candles.

Kaplan testified Wednesday in Diddy's federal criminal trial in NYC, telling the jury he booked rooms for Diddy at hotels in New York, Miami and Los Angeles -- including at the InterContinental Hotel, where Diddy was later seen on video beating Cassie in March 2016 -- although Kaplan said he only worked for Diddy from 2013 to 2015.

He told jurors he would book rooms for Diddy using the alias Frank Black ... which he says was derived from one of The Notorious B.I.G.'s nicknames, Frank White.

Sharay Hayes, an exotic male dancer known as "The Punisher," tells us he's unsure why federal prosecutors called him as a witness in the Diddy trial ... because he says he never saw Diddy do anything that seemed illegal and thinks his testimony may have actually helped the defense.

"The Punisher" joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and we asked him if prosecutors gave him any indication why they wanted to get him on the stand, because his testimony Tuesday left many people wondering how prosecutors thought it related to any of the charges against Diddy.

Hayes says he is still confused as to why his testimony was necessary ... telling us he let prosecutors know from the jump he didn't see anything that looked criminal during his sexual interactions with Diddy and Cassie.

3:53 AM PT -- Kneecap has slammed the UK government after band member Liam O'Hanna -- stage name Mo Chara -- was charged with a terrorism offense, calling the move "political policing."

The band as a whole says they vehemently deny any "offense" and question the Metropolitan Police's motives.

They claim the "carnival of distraction" takes away from the real story -- genocide -- and accuse the UK of abetting "slaughter and famine in Gaza."

The post wraps ... "We stand proudly with the people. You stand complicit with the war criminals. We are on the right side of history. You are not. We will fight you in your court. We will win. Free Palestine."

Liam O'Hanna -- a member of the Irish-language rap group Kneecap -- has been charged with a terrorism offense ... according to the Metropolitan Police in London.

The rapper -- who goes by his Irish name Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh online -- was charged with displaying a flag in support of the terrorist organization Hezbollah.

The incident in question appears to be related to a November 2024 concert, where Liam held out a bright yellow flag with green lettering ... which appears to be a flag of the terrorist group.

Tory Lanez never said "dance, b****" to Megan Thee Stallion, but he did catch a raw deal in his shooting trial that got him 10 years in prison ... according to Florida congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna.

The Sunshine State's first Mexican-American woman elected to Congress joined Harvey and Charles on "TMZ Live" on Tuesday ... claiming there's never-before-seen evidence that proves Tory did NOT shoot Megan after a Hollywood Hills party back in 2020.

As to why a Florida politician is interested in a California case -- Luna says she became hip to Tory's plight through their mutual friend Amber Rose ... and as she began to dig deeper, she claims she's found several inconsistencies in the prosecution's arguments.

Kid Kypree's dramatic arrest was caught on camera ... not traditional body cam footage, but from high in the sky -- because a drone captured the moment law enforcement caught him.

TMZ has obtained footage taken from an infrared camera of the incident ... where a heat signature -- which we're told is Kypree -- is slowly making its way through the woods.

Check out the clip ... Kid Kypree's creeping through the trees, looking for a way out -- but, seeing none, he returns to the property, where he's arrested by cops.

Prosecutors are calling an expert witness in the Diddy trial, a clinical and forensic psychologist who is telling the jury about why victims stay in abusive relationships, how they cope, the obstacles they face in leaving, and how their memories are affected by trauma.

Dawn Hughes took the stand Wednesday morning as the 11th witness called by the feds.  Prosecutors are presenting her as an expert witness who specializes in trauma and traumatic stress.

Hughes told jurors it's quite common for victims to remain in abusive relationships ... explaining there's all sorts of mechanisms that make victims feel trapped, and it's not just reserved to physical violence.