Crime

The 2 men who sued Michael Jackson's estate and were the subject of the gut-wrenching "Leaving Neverland" documentary ... are set to get their day in court to press their sexual abuse claims against the singer's estate.

As you may know ... Wade Robson and James Safechuck sued MJ for sexual abuse, but their lawsuits were dismissed in 2017 -- partly due to the statute of limitations. Both men appealed their rulings and the cases have been stuck in appellate court ... until now.

We've learned the California Court of Appeal just issued a tentative ruling which would overturn the dismissals, on grounds a new California law extended the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse cases. That means Robson and Safechuck can have their cases heard before a jury.

It's not a done deal. As we said, the ruling is tentative. Oral arguments are set for this week, and the justices could change their minds, but typically the tentative ruling stands.

Now the MJ Estate has a number of other objections to claims, which will be addressed by the trial judge.

Wade and James' story aired on HBO in January, and their molestation claims sparked a movement to mute Michael Jackson and further tarnished his legacy. Jackson's family called "Leaving Neverland" an unfair "public lynching."

We reached out to reps from the MJ Estate and reps for the alleged victims. They all had no comment.

Amber Portwood's in the clear with her probation officer over alleged threats she made against a YouTuber ... because that woman has no direct connection to her case.

TMZ broke the story ... Katie Joy -- the woman behind the Without a Crystal Ball YouTube account that's been documenting Amber's domestic violence case, including publishing video and audio of the entire blowout between Amber and Andrew Glennon -- contacted authorities after Amber allegedly directed some threats on Instagram Live toward her.

Portwood's probation officer was notified of Katie's issue, but the Marion County Probation Department in Indiana tells us ... it doesn't amount to any sort of violation.

We're told Joy isn't listed on Amber's probation order, so any alleged threats in and of themselves don't constitute a probation breach. If Katie was listed, it would be a different story.

The MC Probation Dept. says the only way Portwood's probation would be affected is if Indianapolis PD arrested her or if she was convicted of making threats against Joy.

Considering Katie hasn't filed a police report in Indiana, that doesn't seem likely ... and our Indiana law enforcement sources confirm Amber's not under investigation. However, sources close to Katie say he HAS filed a report where she lives in Minnesota ... but was told by police there's not much they can do.

Jack Osbourne felt something was amiss while poring over his credit card statements ... and he was proven right when he discovered he'd been the target of identity theft.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the red flags started flying for Jack when he saw just a few odd charges, and it prompted him to start looking back at previous months' statements. Good thing he did, 'cause lo and behold ... he found a slew of charges he never made.

We're told Jack contacted law enforcement and reported the unauthorized charges totaled around $30k. It appears the charge to his card came from an employee of a monthly service Jack has scheduled at his house.

The LAPD is now investigating the case, though no arrests have been made. We know getting hit for five figures worth o' cash flat-out sucks ... but it beats the last time Jack fell victim to a crime.

TMZ broke the story ... Ozzy and Sharon's son was brutally attacked back in April after an apparent homeless man walked up to him on a coffee shop patio and sucker punched him.

Kim Kardashian West isn't just lobbying to set a death row inmate free ... she met with him face-to-face with the clock ticking to try to figure out a plan.

We broke the story ... Kim's desperately trying to stay the execution of Rodney Reed -- which was originally scheduled for November 20 -- because she and many others believe there is substantial evidence to exonerate him of the murder he was convicted of more than 20 years ago.

Lucky for both Kim and Rodney, on Friday the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals issued the stay of execution -- recommending a 120-day reprieve.

Our sources say Kim -- who traveled to Texas with Kanye for his upcoming performance at Joel Osteen's church -- was granted special permission by authorities to meet with Reed Friday.

We're told she wanted the chance to speak with him in person, hear his story and hash out a last-ditch effort to save his life. As we told you, she's publicly pleaded for Governor Greg Abbott to stop the execution.

Rodney is on death row in Livingston, TX for the 1996 murder of Stacey Stites -- where cops initially said he'd raped, assaulted and strangled her to death. Reed has claimed the 2 had a consensual affair, but he's maintained his innocence of killing her for over 20 years now.

Just recently, a former inmate claimed to know the real murderer -- the guy alleges Stites' own fiance confessed to him while behind bars that he killed her for sleeping around.

Alex Vega -- one of the top car customizers in the U.S. -- was shot multiple times in an apparent hit caught on video ... and now he's offering $10k to find the bastard who pulled the trigger.

FYI, Vega runs the famous Auto Firm in Miami and has designed cars for everyone from Floyd Mayweather to Usain Bolt, Yasiel Puig, Rick Ross, Marc Anthony and more. He's insanely popular with the rich and famous crowd.

Vega was getting out of his car at his Miami-area home back in August when a masked man ran up and opened fire, striking Vega twice in the back. The attack was captured by surveillance cameras.

But, the shooter ran off and is still at large.

Vega -- who was hospitalized -- miraculously recovered and is now leading the charge to help find the perp.

In fact, Vega is offering up a $10,000 reward "for information that helps solve this case. You can remain anonymous."

Vega says, "Please help this from happening to anyone else. I think we can all agree that we need this person off of our streets."

The father of the 16-year-old who killed two of his classmates in a terrorizing school shooting was an avid hunter who had no problem posing with his kills.

We've obtained photos of shooter Nathaniel Berhow's dad, Mark, on various hunting and shooting excursions. While most of the photos are pretty standard -- two of them are particularly disturbing -- one of Mark posing with a dead goose and another that shows him holding what appears to be the heart of a freshly killed animal.

Mark died in 2017, and his obituary read, "An avid sportsman, he loved big game hunting and fishing of all kinds."

In another photo, Mark poses with his family, including Nathan, during an apparent hunting trip. A former childhood friend of Nathaniel told KTLA Mark used to make his own bullets.

On Friday, cops announced they'd recovered several firearms at Nathan's home, six of which were registered to Mark. The origin of the gun used in the attack remains unclear.

As we reported, Nathan opened fire at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, CA Thursday, killing two students. Berhow allegedly turned the gun on himself, but is still in custody and being treated at a local hospital.

President Trump's former confidante, Roger Stone, is guilty of lying to Congress during the Russia election interference probe -- a federal jury convicted him on all 7 counts he was facing.

Stone looked very optimistic on his way into a federal court in Washington, D.C. -- clutching his wife and a Bible closely -- but after one full day of deliberations, the jury returned guilty verdicts across the board.

He was facing 7 counts of making false statements to Congress, obstruction of justice and witness tampering.

Stone becomes the 6th Trump aide or associate to be convicted in trials stemming from Robert Mueller's probe -- and, of course, the guilty verdict comes with the backdrop of the Trump impeachment hearings.

FBI agents busted Stone -- who also worked on Richard Nixon's 1972 campaign -- during a January raid at his Florida home.

He was indicted for lying to the House Intelligence Committee during his 2017 testimony.

President Trump reacted swiftly to the news his pal got nailed by, predictably, calling out Hillary Clinton, Mueller and several FBI agents.

Antonio Brown believes his 8-hour meeting with NFL officials Thursday over rape allegations went well -- and it's clear he expects to get back on the field soon.

The NFL had been trying to speak with the WR about the lawsuit filed in Sept. by his ex-trainer Britney Taylor, who claimed AB sexually assaulted her 3 times, including a violent rape in 2018.

"I'm told Antonio Brown's interview w/t NFL lasted approximately 8 hours, omitting breaks," ESPN's Josina Anderson says.

"Brown felt it went well, had a chance to share his reflections during the time he's been out of the game & was very responsive to all questions."

Brown was definitely in good spirits after the sit-down -- and went to social media to talk about his plans to work out later that night. Seems obvious he thinks he'll be back in the NFL.

Anderson says the NFL might conduct some follow-up interviews with Brown before making a decision about possible punishment.

AB has adamantly denied the allegations and vowed the fight the case in court.

Seems this probe went WAY better than the deposition Brown sat for in his Sept. -- when the WR allegedly went berserk while being questioned in his apartment-trashing case.

As we previously reported, Brown is being sued by his former apartment complex in Miami for allegedly trashing his place ... and in a deposition explaining his side, he was accused by the complex's attorneys of being "defiant" and "profane."

In fact, the meeting went so poorly ... AB has agreed to retake the depo later next month.

Amber Portwood allegedly threatened the YouTuber who posted clips of her machete incident with her baby daddy ... and that could get her in big trouble with her probation officer.

The Marion County District Attorney tells TMZ ... Katie Joy -- the woman behind a YouTube account that's been documenting Amber's domestic violence case -- reached out to the D.A.'s Office and accused Amber of making threats.

We're told the D.A. passed it along to the probation officer overseeing the "Teen Mom OG" star's case. As we've reported, Amber pled guilty to 2 felonies -- domestic battery and intimidation. She got 906 days of probation, but if probation is violated the judge can send her to the slammer for a long time.

In this clip from Amber's Instagram Live ... Katie claims Amber's speaking directly to her, when she says, "I know your address." Portwood says someone is going to get what she has coming to her, and Katie claims Amber's clearly referencing her.

Remember ... Katie's YouTube account, Without a Crystal Ball, published video and audio of the entire blowout between Amber and Andrew Glennon.

Sources close to Katie tell TMZ ... she's getting threats from Amber's fans hoping she dies, and she's afraid one of Portwood's fans will attack her.

We're told Katie has not filed a police report because she's not sure what cops in Minnesota -- where she lives -- would be able to do.

Kodak Black was set up and possibly drugged when he got into a fight behind bars ... at least according to the rapper's camp.

Sources close to Kodak tell TMZ ... his team believes last month's prison fight, which left a guard injured, was all a setup because they claim someone slipped something in his drink to set him off.

We're told surveillance video shows Kodak drinking a cup of coffee about 20 minutes before the fight broke out ... and his reps believe Kodak's coffee was spiked with a chemical substance intended to make him lose control.

Our sources say an agent from the FBI testified Wednesday that witnesses said Kodak appeared to be under the influence during the brawl.

As for the fight itself ... we're told Kodak got into it with another inmate, and a corrections officer sprayed KB with mace. Our sources say it took several prison guards to restrain Kodak, who displayed incredible strength after allegedly being drugged.

Bureau of Prisons spokesperson Emery Nelson tells us a staff member was physically assaulted during the fight and was taken to a hospital for treatment.

As we reported ... Kodak was sentenced Wednesday to 46 months in prison after pleading guilty in his federal gun case. Prosecutors were gunning for 96 months after KB was involved in the fight.

Kodak's camp thinks it's suspicious the other inmate in the fight was placed in KB's prison pod earlier in the day, and the same inmate was released on bond about 12 hours after the brawl. Kodak's team says the fact the fight went down 2 weeks before his sentencing is also fishy. KB's been behind bars before, and we're told it's the first time he got in trouble.

Black's reps tell us they don't know for sure who allegedly drugged him, but they have their suspicions ... telling us a lot of people want to see him jammed up.

We reached out to the U.S. Attorney's Office ... but they have no comment.

The famous Joe Montana "Catch" statue was VANDALIZED after the 49ers lost to the Seahawks on Monday night ... and now cops say they've arrested the dude who committed the worst facemask penalty ever!

Levi's Stadium security detained 37-year-old Jorge Alberto Lopez after he allegedly climbed the 350-pound statue and ripped off the facemask after the Seahawks kicked the game-winning field goal in OT.

Santa Clara PD formally arrested the guy who was booked on a FELONY vandalism charge, according to police record. TMZ Sports has obtained Lopez's mug shot.

The Montana statue is part of the 2-piece tribute to the famous "Catch" by Dwight Clark in the 1982 NFC title game that was erected in 2018. The statues are massive and weigh 350 pounds each ... and are 23 yards apart (honoring the distance of Montana's pass).

The team has already worked to repair the facemask and expect Montana's equipment to be fixed in time for the next home game this weekend.

NFL lineman Malik McDowell was just sentenced to JAIL for fighting a cop in Feb. -- but he's also been ordered to write multiple lengthy essays about the law ... for real.

For example, McDowell must submit a 1,000-word paper to the court on "Finding Meaning In Life Other Than Committing Crimes."

Also, another 750-word essay on "Principles of Declaration of Independence and How Your Behavior Undermines Them."

His other two assignments -- two more 750-word papers on "Importance of Respecting the Rule of Law" and "Importance of Respecting Property Rights."

AND, ALL ASSIGNMENTS MUST BE SUBMITTED IN 90 DAYS!

It stems from the Feb. 18 incident in Lathrup Village, Michigan when McDowell -- a 2017 2nd round pick of the Seattle Seahawks -- was pulled over for a routine traffic violation and ended up brawling with the officer in a gas station.

Video of the incident, obtained by TMZ Sports, showed cops ultimately using a taser to subdue the 6'6", 300-pound defensive lineman. He was charged with multiple felonies including assault and resisting arrest.

Just a few months later in April, McDowell was arrested again ... this time after he was accused of stealing a $75,000 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor. He was hit with a felony charge of receiving and concealing stolen property for that incident as well.

McDowell eventually pled guilty to all the charges after cutting a deal with prosecutors last month ... and at a hearing Wednesday, a judge sentenced him to jail.

Per a court official, McDowell was ordered to spend 153 days behind bars (with credit for 66 days already served) for the cop fighting case ... and an additional 244 days for the truck theft case.

Plus, the judge -- famous for handing out unusual sentences -- ordered McDowell to complete at least 4 essays. McDowell played his college ball at Michigan State -- hopefully he attended a few English classes!

There's more ... McDowell was also ordered to pay fines and fees as well as complete some testing and a substance abuse treatment program.

Of course, it's a solid deal for McDowell, who was facing MULTIPLE years behind bars for the crimes.

Cuba Gooding Jr. is outraged he was indicted by a grand jury that NEVER saw multiple videos of the alleged incidents of sexual misconduct.

Cuba's attorney Mark Jay Heller filed a motion to dismiss the 6-count indictment against him in NYC. According to the docs, Gooding calls it "grossly inappropriate and unjust" that the District Attorney didn't show the videos during the grand jury proceedings.

Gooding and his lawyers say the D.A. "chose here to trick the system by not giving the Grand Jury a fair opportunity to evaluate all of the facts and evidence."

TMZ broke the story ... there are videos of Cuba's June 2019 incident at Magic Hour Rooftop Bar, where he allegedly touched a woman's breast. There's also security footage at TAO Nightclub in NYC from last October 2018 when he was accused of touching a server's butt.

Gooding's indictment is for 3 separate incidents -- the third was at LAVO in NYC -- and his legal team has beef with that too. In the docs, they say the alleged incidents should be judged individually -- and lumping them together increased the risk of bias among the grand jury. BTW, according to Gooding's team ... there's also video of the LAVO incident

The actor wants the whole indictment tossed out of court. The judge has yet to rule.

Tyler Christopher -- best known for his appearances on "General Hospital" over the course of 20 years -- may have had too much fun celebrating turning 47 ... because he ended up in jail.

The soap star was arrested in Martinsville, Indiana Monday night -- on his 47th birthday -- and booked for public intoxication. According to Morgan County Jail records ... he's being held on $225 cash and $1,000 bond.

As far as we can tell ... Tyler hasn't been released yet.

Based on his mug shot, Christopher's changed his look quite a bit since he left his role on another popular soap opera, "Days of Our Lives," earlier this year ... and not for the better.

Tyler played Stefan DiMera on 'Days' from December 2017 until leaving the series this past March. Before that, he played Nikolas Cassadine on 'GH' off and on from 1996 to 2016.

All that pales in comparison to the best fun fact about Tyler though -- he was married to Eva Longoria from 2002 to 2004.

Happy birthday, bud?