Crime & Arrests

Nick Reiner had an eventful day in court ... he's now being repped by a public defender and his outgoing defense attorney made it clear he thinks Nick is NOT guilty of murdering his parents ... but the way Alan Jackson made his statement has our antennas up.

We got into every angle of Nick's appearance in a Downtown Los Angeles courtroom Wednesday on "TMZ Live" ... the change of lawyer, an interesting statement from the D.A., a possible defense strategy, and we even had a reporter inside the courthouse who told us how Nick was acting.

The big thing here is Jackson is out, and a public defender is in ... but Jackson left some breadcrumbs that seem to indicate Nick's got a strategy ready and a new defense team may be coming in to take over.

Aldrich Ames, a former CIA agent who was convicted of spying for the Soviet Union, has died, CBS News reports.

The former counterintelligence officer died Monday while serving a life sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Cumberland, Maryland. His cause of death wasn't released.

Ames, whose father also worked for the CIA, began working for the agency in 1962 and married a fellow CIA operative in 1969. His first assignment was in Ankara, Turkey, and ended three years after his job performance began to decline.

He eventually divorced his first wife and married a cultural attaché from the Colombian Embassy in Mexico City, who was also a CIA asset. Ames later said financial pressure ended his first marriage, and said the responsibilities of his second marriage led him to start accepting payment from the Soviet Union for espionage in 1985.

Ames reportedly used the compensation -- which mounted into the millions -- to fund a lavish lifestyle.

The information Ames provided to the Soviet Union -- which dissolved in 1991 back to Russia -- reportedly led to the death of several agents, and the CIA was later criticized for missing warning signs about his activities.

Ames was arrested in February 1994. Ames and his wife pled guilty to espionage charges two months later. He received a life sentence; his wife was sentenced to five years in prison.

He later downplayed his spying activities and claimed the conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States wasn't as dire as it had been perceived.

Nicolas Maduro's gone from president in Venezuela to prisoner in the United States ... and, we've got the first clear images of him in federal custody.

TMZ has obtained two videos of the deposed Latin American leader shortly after he landed in New York City ... and, he actually looks pretty relaxed for someone facing drug charges in the U.S.

Check it out ... after unloading Maduro from a truck they walk him right past the camera -- and the former prez flashes a peace sign.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has landed in the United States after his capture by U.S. forces ... though we haven't seen a clear image of him yet since touching down.

A plane carrying the deposed Latin American leader and his wife Cilia Flores arrived at Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York Saturday afternoon, according to CNN ... and, after a long time on the tarmac, there's finally been some movement.

There's a flurry of activity on the stairs leading up to the craft ... with the group slowly making their way down to ground level.

It's hard to tell exactly where Maduro is in the clip ... but a follow-up vid clearly shows the massive law enforcement force taking him into custody.

"Uncut Gems" might just be a movie, but it looks like it nailed the volatile nature of the jewelry industry in New York ... because a couple of well-known jewelers got into a massive brawl Friday.

Here's the deal ... a jeweler named Maksud Agadjani, who owns TraxNYC -- and boasts more than 3 million Instagram followers -- confronted George and Freddy Akay of Akay Diamonds. He accused them of using his name to rip people off.

In the clip he posted, he goes crazy at the Akay booth ... screaming in a man's face and calling him a thief while shouting curses and other NSFW words at him.

10:30 AM PST --  President Donald Trump said Venezuela VP Delcy Rodríguez has been sworn in as the president of Venezuela -- when asked about her, Trump said, "She’s, I guess, the president" and said she was "picked by Maduro."

He claimed she will work with the U.S., adding ... "She had a long conversation with Marco [Rubio] and said we’ll do what you need. She had no choice."

She previously denounced America's military involvement and Maduro’s capture.

9:16 AM PST --  President Donald Trump has announced that he plans to "run" the country of Venezuela “until such time that we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” in a press briefing Saturday morning. His announcement comes after the U.S. military captured the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, who are being transported to America on drug and weapons charges.

Trump did not offer how the United States would oversee Venezuela but noted he has his eyes set on Venezuela’s vast oil reserves. He suggested American oil companies can rebuild the country’s energy infrastructure and consequently regaining rights to the oil there, adding ... "It’s going to make a lot of money."

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted on drug and weapons charges following their overnight capture by the United States military.

As you know, President Donald Trump said Saturday the pair was taken by U.S. troops and is currently on a warship en route to New York to face charges, which can carry a hefty prison sentence if found guilty.

The commander-in-chief also shared a photo of him in custody on the USS Iwo Jima looking quite comfy in a matching sweatsuit and a bottle of water in his hand.

In the indictment unsealed Saturday, Maduro and his co-conspirators have been charged with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machineguns and destructive devices and conspiracy to possess machineguns and destructive devices.

Tommy Lee Jones' daughter Victoria had multiple run-ins with the law, which allegedly involved drugs before her death -- and she even admitted to police she used cocaine -- TMZ has learned.

Napa County Sheriff's spokesperson Henry Wofford tells TMZ ... police were called to a residence in Napa on April 26, 2025 ... where they claim they found Victoria with white residue on her tongue and dried blood coming from her right nostril.

According to the police report, cops say Victoria admitted to using cocaine on the day of the arrest ... and, they say she displayed rapid speech and was fighting with her body movements.

Stefon Diggs' former personal chef claims the Patriots star slapped her and tried to choke her out over a salary dispute ... with the bombshell allegations being laid out in a newly released incident report.

According to the narrative, the female employee first went to police on Dec. 16 and stated she was working as a private chef on Dec. 2 when Diggs entered her unlocked bedroom to discuss an ongoing text exchange between the two over money she believed she was owed.

The woman claims during the conversation, Diggs became angry and smacked her across the face. She said she attempted to push him away, but he then "tried to choke her using the crook of his elbow around her neck."

She claims Diggs was behind her with his arm wrapped around her ... and she felt like she had trouble breathing and "could have blacked out" -- when she tried to pry herself away, she claims Diggs tightened his grip.

9:48 AM PT -- Attorney David Meier released a statement on the Diggs allegations ... saying they "are unsubstantiated, uncorroborated, and were never investigated -- because they did not occur."

"The timing and motivation for making the allegations is crystal clear: they are the direct result of an employee-employer financial dispute that was not resolved to the employee's satisfaction."

"Stefon looks forward to establishing the truth in a court of law."

New England Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs has a lot more than the playoffs to worry about -- the NFL star is facing strangulation and assault charges in connection to an alleged incident earlier this month ... but he is denying any wrongdoing.

Diggs has been charged with felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery stemming from an altercation in Dedham, Massachusetts on Dec. 2.

The Patriots beat the New York Giants on "Monday Night Football" a day prior on Dec. 1. Diggs had three catches for 26 yards in the 33-15 win.

The man accused of planting two pipe bombs outside of the headquarters of the Republican and the Democratic National Committees in Washington, D.C. in 2021 reportedly told investigators recently "something just snapped" inside him prior to his alleged actions.

Prosecutors said Brian Cole, who was arrested at his home in Virginia on December 4th, told investigators about how he built, transported, and planted the improvised explosive devices at the RNC and DNC headquarters in Washington, D.C. on January 5th, 2021, reports ABC News.

Cole allegedly told investigators he wasn't interested in politics prior to the 2020 election, after which he began to feel as if most Americans' political views were being ignored by higher-ups in the government.

Prosecutors said Cole came up with the idea of using pipe bombs after researching The Troubles in Northern Ireland, during which pipe bombs were frequently utilized.

Tony McCollister -- the former A&E personality arrested on charges of pandering obscenity involving a minor and sexual conduct with an animal in Ohio -- had his pets confiscated from him, TMZ has learned.

Warren County Sheriff Barry Riley tells TMZ ... the animals were seized from McCollister during the investigation and "are being well cared for." He did not reveal what type of animals McCollister had sexual contact with; however ... WLWT5 reports it was 2 dogs.

As we reported, McCollister was arrested on Tuesday ... but satisfied his $250,000 bail after his court hearing this week. He was ordered to have no contact with any children or pets and is due back in court next Tuesday.

A Florida man spent his Christmas in the clink after stripping naked and breaking into multi-million dollar mansions to party, police said.

Vladimir Demidovich was slapped with two felony burglary charges on Christmas night and booked into the Miami-Dade County jail.

Vlad posed for a mugshot and, as you can see, the jailers couldn't find him a shirt for his photo op ... but maybe they got him a pair of pants and some underwear.

A Salvation Army bell ringer got drunk during his volunteer shift and attacked the manager of a Florida Publix he was collecting money in front of on Christmas Eve.

The rogue "Santa's Helper" -- 63-year-old Steven Pavlik -- was "belligerent" and "aggressively confronting people walking by" during his shift, which is when the store's manager got involved, the Martin County Sheriff's Office says. When the manager came outside to speak to Pavlik, "he became violent" and allegedly "attempted to impale" him with the donation kettle tripod.

He then fled the scene, but deputies tracked him down to his residence, where he was cuffed and then transported to the Martin County Jail. He has been charged with aggravated assault and resisting arrest. He has since been released, online records show.

A man who once starred on a reality show about swingers has been arrested in Ohio and charged with 2 sex charges -- one involving an animal.

Tony McCollister, who starred on A&E's short-lived "Neighbors with Benefits" reality series about swingers, was cuffed in Warren County Tuesday on charges of pandering obscenity involving a minor and sexual conduct with an animal. His bail was set at $250,000 when he was arraigned in court this week, which he satisfied.

He is next due in court on Dec. 30, per WLWT5, who was first to report the news.

New photos show Jeffrey Epstein's injuries from a possible suicide attempt weeks before his August 2019 death.

The images are included in the Justice Department's Epstein Files ... there are photos of his neck, arms, hands, legs and feet ... plus a makeshift ligature that looks like it's made from ripped clothing tied together in knots.

As we reported at the time ... on July 23, 2019 Epstein was found injured and semi-conscious in his jail cell at Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City.

Kyle Chrisley, the son of "Chrisley Knows Best" stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, has been arrested in Tennessee on an array of charges -- including assault.

He was picked up by the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office Saturday night around 7 PM, and booked into the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center later that night, TMZ has learned. His charges include domestic assault, public intoxication, disorderly conduct, 3 charges for assaulting a first responder, and resisting arrest.

He also has 3 charges for retaliation for past actions, which means he may have harmed or threatened an individual in connection to their former actions against him. The sheriff's office was unable to share further details about the exact circumstances of his charges.