Crime & Arrests

Casanova just came up empty in his push for an early release from his 15-year prison sentence ... a judge denied the Roc Nation rapper's plea after admitting responsibility to his crime.

A federal court ruling handed down on Friday denied Casanova's motion for a compassionate release, noting he already got a sentence at the bottom of the sentencing range and has yet to even serve 20% of it.

You'll recall, Cas pled guilty to robbery in August 2020. He distanced himself from his previous associations with the Gorilla Stone Nation gang in a passionate letter to the judge ahead of sentencing, but the judge said Cas hasn't proven he's no longer a danger to anyone in the community, and the 188-month sentence imposed is still warranted.

Jussie Smollett has lost his big appeal in his fake attack case, but that doesn't mean he's going straight to jail to serve his sentence ... not by a long shot.

As we reported, an Illinois appeals court ruled by a 2-1 vote to uphold his conviction for faking an "attack" on the streets of Chicago back in January 2019. He was sentenced to 150 days in jail, but only served 6 days before being freed pending appeal.

Well now the appeals court has spoken, but it's not the only appeals court. Jussie can, and has vowed, to file a petition with the Illinois Supreme Court to review his case. The High Court is not required to hear it -- it's discretionary -- but while he pushes for the Court to hear his case, he won't go back to jail.

We did some digging, and here's the way it works. Jussie has 35 days to file his appeal with the Illinois Supreme Court. It usually takes around 2 months for the court to decide whether it wants to hear a case. If they reject Jussie's, his appeals are pretty much over, and that would mean he'd be back in the pokey by late February or March.

Now if the appeal is granted, it would take around a year for the court to hear the case and make a decision. During that time, Jussie would be free. So if the Supreme Court hears the case and upholds the verdict, Jussie would go to jail, but that wouldn't happen until mid-2025!

In other words, Jussie could dodge jail for three and a half years after his conviction under that scenario.

Lil Wayne is being dragged to court a former bodyguard who is suing the rapper after telling cops Wayne allegedly brandished a gun and punched him in the ear.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Carlos Christian claims Weezy threatened to shoot him with a semiautomatic rifle ... a threat he says he took seriously considering Wayne once spent time in prison on weapons charges.

TMZ broke the story ... Christian called cops back in December 2021, claiming Lil Wayne pulled an assault rifle on him during a dispute at the rapper's Hidden Hills, CA home.

The bodyguard told police an altercation escalated to physical violence and Weezy ended up brandishing an AR-15, but sources close to Weezy denied the incident ever happened and claimed Wayne didn't even own a gun.

In the docs, the guard says he incurred medical expenses, lost wages, and suffered emotional distress as a result of the alleged incident ... and he's going after Lil Wayne for compensatory and punitive damages.

11:18 AM PT -- Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ Sports ... James Anthony Hill Jr. is Jamahal Hill's brother.

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill was arrested in Michigan for domestic violence earlier this week ... TMZ Sports has learned.

According to records, the fighter was booked at a Kent County jail on Monday at around 1 AM ... and released later that evening, at 7:35 PM. That same day, prosecutors formally charged the 32-year-old with one count of misdemeanor aggravated domestic violence.

In court documents we obtained, officials allege Hill assaulted James Anthony Hill Jr., inflicting "serious or aggravated injury upon him."

It's unclear if the two Hills are related, though officials said in the docs James is "a resident or former resident" of Jamahal's household.

Further details surrounding the allegations were not made immediately available. Hill is due in court in January for a hearing on the matter.

We've reached out to Jamahal's reps for comment, but so far, no word back.

Jamahal just recently earned his light heavyweight crown in January with a win over Glover Teixeira at UFC 283 -- though he relinquished the title in July after he ruptured his Achilles while playing basketball.

Once healed, Jamahal is expected to get another crack at regaining his belt in a fight with the division's current champ, Alex Pereira.

10:05 AM PT -- Jussie Smollett y su equipo no van a caer sin antes luchar, un representante nos dice: "Queremos destacar que la decisión fue dividida, con el juez Lyle ofreciendo un análisis detallado a favor de Smollett. Nos estamos preparando para elevar este asunto al Tribunal Supremo, armados con un conjunto sustancial de pruebas".

Jussie Smollett acaba de recibir un gran portazo en los tribunales, pues su condena por haber falseado un ataque acaba de ser confirmada.

Un tribunal de apelaciones de Illinois emitió el fallo el viernes. El panel de tres jueces votó 2-1 para mantener la condena de Jussie, de acuerdo con nuevos documentos legales obtenidos por TMZ.

La clave de la apelación de Jussie era el argumento de que él no puede ser procesado porque, después de la acusación inicial, la Fiscal del Estado del Condado de Cook, Kim Foxx, decidió no procesar el caso. Ello suscitó enormes críticas y se nombró a un fiscal especial que, en última instancia, acudió al gran jurado que lo volvió a acusar.

Los dos jueces que confirmaron la condena dijeron que no era relevante que se hubiese retirado la acusación inicial. El juez que discrepó, en tanto, dijo que la decisión de Foxx de no procesar el caso era en realidad una promesa a Jussie de que este había terminado.

Con el fallo, es probable que Jussie regrese a una cárcel de Chicago para completar su condena de 150 días.

Recordemos, el actor fue condenado inicialmente en 2022 y pasó 6 días en la cárcel del condado de Cook antes de ser puesto en libertad mientras intentaba conseguir que anularan su sentencia.

Ahora, Jussie se ha quedado con las manos vacías, pero su equipo legal tiene la opción de apelar la decisión a la Corte Suprema de Illinois, que luego decidiría si escuchar el caso.

Durante su apelación, Jussie lanzó nueva música, dirigió una película con Vivica A. Fox, hizo ejercicio con Taraji P. Henson, fue a rehabilitación y se afeitó la cabeza.

Será interesante ver si Jussie apela nuevamente, o bien, si se dirige de otra vez a la cárcel ... Permanezcan atentos.

11:51 AM PT -- Special prosecutor, Dan Webb, tells TMZ ... "The appellate court ruled on every issue Mr. Smollett raised in our favor and against him. This was a resounding and profound victory for us today. Having a dissenting voice in the ruling is not uncommon. The decision by the appeals court is final."

He concluded, "What happens next is Mr. Smollett can file a petition for a higher appeal to The Illinois Supreme Court. This is purely discretionary meaning the court does not have to hear this appeal. He lost all legal rights to an appeal with today’s decision. If the Supreme Court decides to hear his appeal, there will be briefs filed and a hearing date set. If not, then the case goes back to the trial court, which will execute his sentence."

10:05 AM PT -- Jussie Smollett and his team aren't going to go down without a fight, a rep tells us, "We wish to highlight that the decision was divided, with Justice Lyle offering a detailed analysis in favor of Smollett. We are preparing to escalate this matter to the Supreme Court, armed with a substantial body of evidence."

Jussie Smollett just took a big L in court ... because his conviction for his hoax attack was just upheld.

An Illinois appeals court handed down the ruling Friday, with the three-judge panel voting 2-1 to uphold Jussie's conviction ... according to new legal docs obtained by TMZ.

The key to Jussie's appeal is the argument he could not be prosecuted because after the initial indictment, Cook County State Attorney Kim Foxx decided not to prosecute the case. That drew enormous criticism, and a special prosecutor was appointed who ultimately went to the grand jury that indicted him again.

The 2 justices who upheld the conviction said the decision not to move forward with the case was not equivalent to an agreement never to charge him. The 1 dissenting justice said Foxx's decision to not prosecute was in effect a promise to Jussie the case was over.

With the ruling, Jussie appears likely to return to a Chicago jail to complete his 150-day sentence.

Remember ... Jussie was initially convicted in 2022, spending 6 days in Cook County Jail before being released while trying to get his sentence overturned.

Now, Jussie's come up empty ... but his legal team has the option of appealing this decision to the Illinois Supreme Court, which would then decide on whether to hear the case.

During his appeal, Jussie dropped new music, directed a film with Vivica A. Fox, worked out with Taraji P. Henson, went to rehab and shaved his head.

It will be interesting to see if Jussie appeals again, or heads back to jail ... stay tuned.

Fat Joe says when it comes to his rap lyrics, keeping it real is just a catchphrase ... he's been spinning tall tales in 95% of his music!!!

The Bronx rap star made the shocking confession while defending Young Thug to Gayle King during a CNN special report on Thursday.

According to Joe, he's been able to carve out a career by using his imagination, and not actually committing crimes his "Don Cartegena" persona has historically bragged about.

“I’ve been rapping professionally for 30 years — I’ve lied in almost 95 percent of my songs,” Joe told the panel. “I’m being honest. I write like I feel that day. I’m just being creative. You couldn’t build a jail high enough for the lyrics I’ve said on songs which are all untrue."

The "All The Way Up" rapper went on to criticize the prosecutors overseeing Young Thug's RICO case for enforcing lyrics they know aren't real all the same.

Thug's lawyer Brian Steel recently argued in court that Thug's name was an acronym for "Truly Humble Under God" and denied his lyrics had any coded gang meanings.

Joe's been combatting rappers being prosecuted over the lyrics for several years ... having played a significant role in pushing New York's "Rap Music On Trial" bill as the push for legislation continues.

Rappers like Bobby Shmurda want similar bills passed in Georgia -- which would work greatly to Thug's benefit.

Rep. George Santos just got booted from Congress ... after the House voted to expel him following a controversial time in office, which includes multiple felony charges.

Santos is the first member of Congress not convicted of a felony to be expelled since the Civil War. Only 6 members have been expelled in U.S. history.

The vote to expel Santos was 311 - 114. Among those voting to expel ... 105 Republicans.

A defiant Santos refused to resign Thursday before Friday's vote ... but he's out of Congress now nonetheless.

Remember ... Santos was arrested back in May on a variety of felony charges, including lying, wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to the House of Representatives.

Santos had escaped two previous votes to expel him from Congress, but the third time was not a charm for him.

The difference this time ... a recent House Ethics Committee report claiming evidence of Santos' alleged federal law violations. Among the report's juicy claims -- Santos allegedly used campaign funds for OnlyFans and Botox.

During his time in office, Santos was surrounded by controversy and accusations of lying his way to Congress ... he made a few friends, but even more enemies ... often sparring with media and, most recently, some anti-Israel protestors.

El representante George Santos acaba de ser expulsado del Congreso. Esto, después de que la Cámara votara a favor de su expulsión tras un controvertido tiempo en el cargo, el que incluye múltiples cargos por graves delitos.

Santos es el primer miembro del Congreso no condenado por un delito grave en ser expulsado desde la Guerra Civil. Solo seis miembros han sido expulsados en la historia de Estados Unidos.

La votación fue 311 a 114 y entre los votos a favor hubo 105 de republicanos.

Un desafiante Santos se negó a dimitir el jueves antes de la votación del viernes, pero ahora está fuera del Congreso.

Recuerden, Santos fue detenido en mayo por una variedad de cargos por delitos graves, incluyendo la mentira, fraude electrónico, lavado de dinero, robo de fondos públicos y hacer declaraciones falsas a la Cámara de Representantes.

Santos había escapado de dos votaciones anteriores para ser expulsado del Congreso.

La diferencia, esta vez, la hizo un reciente informe del Comité de Ética de la Cámara de Representantes que afirma tener pruebas de las supuestas violaciones de las leyes federales por parte de Santos. Entre las jugosas afirmaciones del informe está que supuestamente este utilizó fondos de campaña para OnlyFans y Botox.

Durante su tiempo en el cargo, Santos estuvo rodeado de controversias y acusaciones de mentir para llegar al Congreso. Hizo algunos amigos, pero aún más enemigos y a menudo estuvo en conflicto con los medios de comunicación y, más recientemente, con algunos manifestantes anti-Israel.

Felicity Huffman is finally speaking out about the college admissions scandal that landed her in prison, and she kinda sorta is still justifying what she did, in the name of her daughter's future.

Felicity sat with KABC's Marc Brown and explained she had hired a highly recommended college counselor coach Rick Singer for a year, trying to secure a spot at the college of her choice.

The actress says after a year, he gave her bad news ... she wasn't up to speed and would not get into any of the colleges. Felicity says Singer "slowly" rolled out a criminal scheme which she ultimately bought.

Felicity ended up paying Singer $15k to bribe a proctor into changing her daughter's wrong SAT answers. As for why, she says it felt like the only option to give her daughter a future.

At one point she says, "It was sort of like my daughter's future, which meant I had to break the law."

Huffman spoke of the FBI raid on her home ... "They came into my home, they woke my daughters up at gunpoint - again, nothing new to the Black and brown community - then they put my hands behind my back and handcuffed me."

She continued, "I asked if I could get dressed. I thought it was a hoax. I literally turned to one of the FBI people in a flak jacket and a gun and I go "is this a joke?"

Huffman served 11 days for the crime.

Her daughter, Sophia, was not aware of her mom's shenanigans. Sophia is now studying drama at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh.

As for Felicity, she's now working with A New Way of Life, an org helping incarcerated women to re-enter society.

The pregnant woman who Von Miller allegedly roughed up during a violent altercation on Wednesday told a 911 operator she was bloodied and bruised after the NFL star's attack.

In the call, the woman appeared a bit frazzled as she tried to explain to dispatch how Miller -- who she described as her boyfriend -- had put his hands on her just minutes earlier.

"My boyfriend was choking me," she said, "hitting me, pulling my hair."

She added, "I have bruises all over me, I have hair -- my hair's out."

When the operator asked if she needed paramedics ... she said "I don't know," before revealing she had "some blood on me."

In court documents, authorities say when officers arrived on the scene shortly after the call had been placed, the woman told them the confrontation had started after she and Miller got into an argument over weekend travel plans.

According to the docs, Miller became "visibly angry" with her ... and pushed and shoved her, before he put his hands on her neck. Authorities said the woman alleged that during the assault she told the football player, "Stop I'm pregnant."

Miller left the scene before cops arrived -- though a felony warrant for his arrest was later issued due to the allegations. On Thursday afternoon, he turned himself in to police and took a mug shot -- before he bonded out of jail.

The woman now, however, has apparently recanted her story ... with WFAA reporting late Thursday evening she said in a text message to their reporters, "Things were blown way out of context."

"No one assaulted anyone," she reportedly wrote in the message. "This is insane. And sad."

The Bills, who are currently on their bye week, said in a statement Thursday they were aware of the allegations against their star pass rusher and "are in the process of gathering more information."

3:15 PM -- Von Miller has turned himself in ... TMZ Sports has learned.

According to a spokesperson for the Dallas County Sheriff's Office, the Buffalo Bills star was booked at the Glenn Heights Police Department in Glenn Heights, Texas at around 4 PM CT on Thursday.

Von Miller has been accused of getting violent with a pregnant woman this week -- shoving her, pulling her hair, and putting his hands around her neck in a heated altercation.

The disturbing allegations are all spelled out in a felony warrant of arrest issued for the Buffalo Bills star on Wednesday.

In the documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, authorities say the confrontation initially began inside Miller's Dallas-area apartment at around 10:40 Wednesday morning ... when he and the woman argued over their weekend travel plans.

According to the docs, the woman grew upset during the spat, left the bedroom and walked into the home's office, slamming the door behind her ... which made Miller "visibly angry."

Officials say in the documents Miller then entered the room and demanded she leave the place. The woman, according to the docs, said she'd comply -- though she wanted to grab a laptop and some cell phones from the residence as "they were both cohabitants of the unit."

That's when Miller, however, allegedly turned things physical.

In the docs, officials say the victim alleged Miller walked up to her while she was getting her things and repeatedly shoved and pushed her.

"While the altercation was going on," officials wrote in the warrant, the woman "kept yelling 'Stop I'm pregnant.'"

But, the victim told authorities Miller eventually pushed her onto a chair -- before he used one hand to apply pressure to her neck "for 3 to 5 seconds before letting go." The woman told officials, according to the docs, that she felt pain, but did "not have difficulty breathing."

Miller then allegedly chucked the woman's laptop on the ground and stomped on it. Officials say the woman told them when she went to retrieve the electronic device, the NFL player then "pulled her by her hair, ultimately pulling a chunk of hair out and causing her to fall to the ground."

Officials in the docs say Miller later pushed her onto a couch and "placed pressure around her neck with both hands, again causing pain but no difficulty breathing."

"When [the woman] got up she stated to [Miller] she was going to call for police, resulting in [Miller] leaving the residence," officials said in the docs.

According to the warrant, when cops arrived on the scene, the woman -- who said she was six weeks pregnant -- had visible abrasions on her left hand, as well as bruising on her neck, abdomen and left bicep.

34-year-old Miller is now wanted on one felony charge of assault on a pregnant person -- though as of Thursday afternoon, he had yet to be formally arrested.

Miller -- a DeSoto, Texas native -- joined the Bills in 2022 after a successful run with the Denver Broncos and L.A. Rams ... and despite a good start with his new team in his first year, he's been largely ineffective this season returning from an ACL injury.

Buffalo is currently on its bye week.

Mikey Williams was all smiles leaving a San Diego County courtroom on Thursday ... 'cause he formally cut a sweet deal with prosecutors in his shooting case that will allow him to avoid jail time.

The 19-year-old Univ. of Memphis basketball commit had been facing multiple felony charges in the case -- including five counts of assault with a firearm and one count of shooting at an occupied vehicle -- after he was arrested in April for his alleged role in a shooting that went down outside his Jamul, Calif. home back on March 27.

However, following his pact with prosecutors on Thursday ... Williams pled guilty to just one single count of making criminal threats in order to close out the case.

According to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, in exchange for the plea, Williams must attend Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, gun safety, and anger management classes ... as well as complete 80 hours of community service. If he does all of the above by his sentencing date on Aug. 12, 2024 -- and keeps his nose clean -- the charge will be reduced to a misdemeanor, and, perhaps more importantly, he'll stay out of a cell.

Video of Williams following Thursday's court proceedings showed the hooper was happy with the resolution in the case ... walking away from the courthouse with a grin on his face.

"I feel good," Williams said on camera. "All glory to God."

Deputy District Attorney George Modlin told reporters, meanwhile, he, too, was happy with the results of Thursday's plea deal.

"Cases are individually looked at," Modlin said. "There is no rubber stamp for any type of case, but when we looked into the details of Mr. Williams' age, lack of criminal record, everything that took place that night, both sides got together and worked really hard and came up with a resolution that we both believed creates justice for Mr. Williams and the community, keeps the community safe and creates the proper safeguards."

Hay que prohibirle a Tiffany Haddish el consumo de drogas y alcohol después de su último arresto por conducir en estado de ebriedad (DUI) en California. Al menos eso es lo que quieren los fiscales de Georgia, donde ella también tiene un caso de DUI.

De acuerdo con nuevos documentos legales obtenidos por TMZ, los fiscales estatales de Georgia quieren que un tribunal modifique las condiciones de fianza de su caso de DUI con el fin de restringir su consumo de alcohol y drogas.

Están pidiendo este cambio luego de la última detención de Tiffany por conducir en estado de ebriedad, que ocurrió la semana pasada en Beverly Hills.

Como les dijimos por primera vez, Tiffany fue detenida la madrugada del viernes pasado después de un concierto la noche de Acción de Gracias en el Laugh Factory. Agentes de la policía de Beverly Hills esposaron y arrestaron a Tiffany. Habían recibido una llamada alrededor de las 5:45 AM de que una persona estaba detenida en medio de Beverly Drive, supuestamente desplomada detrás del volante de un carro, con el motor en marcha.

Recuerden, Tiffany había sido arrestada previamente por este mismo cargo en Georgia en enero de 2022. En ese momento, también la encontraron supuestamente dormida al volante después de haber fumado marihuana.

Tiffany pagó la fianza en ese caso, y ahora con el segundo presunto DUI, los fiscales de Georgia están pidiéndole al tribunal que cambie sus condiciones de fianza para añadir una restricción sobre los narcóticos y el alcohol y exigir pruebas semanales para ambos.

Tiffany Haddish needs to be barred from consuming drugs and alcohol after her latest DUI arrest in California ... at least that's what prosecutors want in Georgia, where she also has a DUI case.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, state prosecutors in Georgia want a court there to modify the bond conditions from her open DUI case to restrict her from using booze and drugs.

They're asking for this change due to Tiffany's latest DUI arrest on the other side of the country ... which happened last week in Beverly Hills.

As we first told you ... Tiffany was arrested early last Friday morning -- after a Thanksgiving night gig at the Laugh Factory -- with Bev Hills PD officers putting Tiffany in handcuffs and arresting her. They'd gotten a call around 5:45 AM about someone stopped in the middle of Beverly Drive, allegedly slumped behind the wheel of a car with the engine running.

Remember ... Tiffany was previously busted for DUI in Georgia back in January 2022, when she was also allegedly asleep behind the wheel after smoking marijuana.

TMZ Sports has learned an arrest warrant has been issued for NFL superstar Von Miller ... after he allegedly assaulted a pregnant woman.

According to a spokesperson for the Dallas Police Department ... the warrant stems from an incident involving Miller and a woman on Nov. 29 at around 11 AM.

Cops say they responded to a Dallas-area residence over "a major disturbance call" ... and officers were told there was "a verbal argument" between Miller and a woman that turned physical.

Cops say Miller left the scene before officers arrived -- and the woman "was treated for minor injuries," but was not taken to the hospital.

As of early Thursday morning, the 34-year-old Buffalo Bills pass rusher had not been jailed.

Miller's team released a statement on the matter, saying, "This morning, we were made aware of an incident involving Von Miller. We are in the process of gathering more information and will have no further comment at this point."

The NFL, meanwhile, said in a statement of its own, "We are aware of the matter and have been in contact with the club. We have no further comment at this time."

Miller, who's from DeSoto, Texas, is currently on a bye week. He last played for Buffalo on Sunday in Philadelphia, logging 21 snaps in an overtime loss to the Eagles.

Miller initially began his career in 2011 with the Broncos and put together a Hall of Fame resume for the Denver franchise -- but he was traded to the Rams during the 2021 season.

After helping L.A. win a Super Bowl that season, he moved on to Buffalo in 2022 ... and while his Bills career got off to a solid start, he's largely been ineffective since tearing his ACL on Thanksgiving last season.

In his career, Miller -- the Super Bowl 50 MVP -- has totaled 123.5 sacks in 169 games.