Crime

3:48 PM PT-- Soulja's lawyer, Fred Minassian, tells TMZ the judge released him today pending a hearing on March 29. He says, "There was no finding in regards to his probation violation."

1:38 PM -- The rapper's been released from jail and he immediately took to Instagram Live to joke and rant about the arrest. Soulja Boy jokes he's gonna rock his jail ID wristbands on stage for his gig at Staples Center. He says he's still gonna perform at the Clippers game Friday night.

Check it out ... he also says he's NOT going out like Tekashi69, who is behind bars on racketeering charges. He also calls himself the hottest rapper in the game before peacing out.

Soulja Boy has been arrested ... and it sounds like the same old story -- he allegedly can't keep his hands off firearms and ammo.

Soulja went to see his probation officer Friday morning in the San Fernando Valley, and when he showed up he was cuffed and taken to jail.

Here's what we know. Soulja is currently on probation and the offenses go back 8 years ... when he was convicted of weapons violations. In 2016, while he was on probation, cops descended on his home after the rapper threatened people online. During their search, cops found at least one weapon, which was a violation of Soulja's probation.

A judge extended his probation again, making it clear ... NO WEAPONS.

Fast forward to last month ... cops executed a search warrant at Soulja's home after a woman claimed he held her hostage in his garage ... something he denied. Our law enforcement sources tell us during the search, cops found ammunition, which he's not allowed to possess while on probation.

Apparently, cops waited to make their move, knowing he was going to show up to see his probation officer, and that's when they swooped in and arrested him for another probation violation.

The rapper's currently in jail in Van Nuys. He'll appear in court later Friday to face a judge.

Soulja is supposed to perform at a Clippers game Friday night -- and seemed pretty confident he'd be there in a video posted just before his arrest. We'll see if he shows.

Originally Published -- 9:31 AM PT

UFC star Tony Ferguson pushed his wife, abducted their son and tore their house apart on several occasions ... this according to Tony's wife who says she's now afraid for all of their lives.

It's all spelled out in court docs obtained by TMZ Sports ... Cristina Ferguson says Tony has been "acting violent, paranoid and delusional for the past several months" and he needs help.

Cristina says Tony's behavior has been concerning for years -- but got significantly worse in 2017.

Since 2017, Cristina claims Tony has flown into manic episodes where he's destroyed property in their Santa Ana home -- including ripping off mirrors and dismantled appliances looking for tracking devices and cameras. She included pictures of the wreckage.

Cristina claims Tony has stated their 2-year-old son is Jesus Christ, that Tony is the "second Jesus Christ" and that she is a witch.

Cristina clearly believes Tony is suffering from mental illness that is causing him to be delusional and manic. She's tried to get him help over the years but his situation hasn't gotten better.

She claims Tony shoved her during a January 2018 incident and abducted their son during a March 7, 2019 incident.

"[His] erratic behavior is getting worse and more frightening. I am afraid that during one of [his] episodes [he] will kill me, our son and/or himself."

Cristina requested a domestic violence restraining order against Tony which was granted by the judge. He now has to stay at least 100 yards away from Cristina, their child and other family members.

She was also granted temporary sole physical and legal custody of their son. Law enforcement was ordered to remove their son from Tony's care and return him to Cristina.

Cristina has since issued a statement supporting Tony -- saying, he's a "good husband and good father to our son."

Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy showed up at the Downtown L.A. federal courthouse Friday morning, in connection with the college bribery case.

It's unclear why they had to return to the courthouse, but it's likely in connection with the $250k bond they had to post so Felicity could remain free pending trial.

The feds say Huffman and Macy made a charitable contribution of $15k to participate in a college entrance cheating scheme on behalf of their eldest daughter. The indictment says the girl was given twice the amount of time to take the SAT as other students and the paid proctor agreed to secretly correct the exam afterward.

Macy has not been charged, but Huffman faces 5 years in prison if convicted.

They were mum on their way into the courthouse.

Big win for Lenny Dykstra despite the fact he pled GUILTY in his crazy Uber case -- after a New Jersey judge ruled the drugs found in Lenny's bags could NOT be used as evidence against him.

Here's the story ... Dykstra was arrested back in May 2018 after an Uber driver claimed Lenny was acting crazy and threatened his life during an early morning ride.

During the arrest, cops say they found cocaine and meth in Lenny's bags -- which had been in the trunk. He was later charged with possession of coke and meth and making terroristic threats.

Once the case went before a judge, Lenny argued cops did NOT have the right to go through his personal belongings ... and therefore the drug evidence should be thrown out.

The judge AGREED with Dykstra -- explaining there was no reason for cops to search the bags since they had no impact on the issue between Dykstra and the driver.

Since the drug charges couldn't stick, prosecutors offered Lenny a deal in which he would plead guilty to disorderly conduct and, in exchange, he got $125 in fines and was ordered to have NO contact with the Uber driver.

That's it -- easy sentence for a guy who was facing serious prison time.

The husband of UFC fighter Rachael Ostovich pled no contest to assault stemming from a violent altercation in November ... and he most likely won't spend a minute behind bars.

Arnold Berdon -- who's also an MMA fighter -- was charged with 2nd-degree assault for punching Ostovich in the head, face and ribs during an argument at their Hawaii home.

Ostovich suffered a broken orbital bone in the attack -- and initially pulled out of a scheduled fight with Paige VanZant ... but that fight was rescheduled after she healed up and was cleared by a doctor.

In audio obtained by Hawaii News Now you can hear a man yelling, "I'm going to f*cking murder you" during the alleged incident.

Berdon appeared in court on Thursday and pled no contest to the charge -- which carries a 5-year prison sentence.

But, Berdon likely won't do ANY time-- the judge told him he'll likely just get probation if he successfully completes a domestic violence intervention program.

During the hearing, Berdon told the judge he's "going to do well."

As for Ostovich, she issued a statement on the situation through her attorney, Lanson Kupau, saying she's "satisfied that Arnold is accepting responsibility for his actions and getting the needed help so that he can be the best father to our daughter."

7:50 PM PT - Our intel is clear -- Lori's not coming back to "Fuller House." A well-placed production source tells TMZ, "Fuller House is not currently in production. Lori is a guest star and was during the previous 4 seasons and there are currently no plans for her to return to the 5th season." Translation ... she's gone from the show.

6:56 PM PT -- Hallmark has now addressed their show, "When Calls the Heart," which is now in the middle of airing its 6th season and stars Loughlin, saying, "The series will not air on Sunday, March 17. We are evaluating all creative options related to When Calls the Heart series."

With 7 episodes to go for the season, that must be a busy writers' room.

2:50 PM PT -- Tresemme has also announced they are cutting ties with Olivia. They stated, "We take this very seriously and are no longer working with Olivia."

12:35 PM PT -- Hallmark has cut ties with Lori Loughlin, a longtime collaborator with the company. In a statement Hallmark's parent company, Crown Media, says it is no longer working with Lori and has stopped development of all productions she's involved in, adding it was "saddened" by the allegations.

Hallmark's first tragic ending ever. That's a shame.

12:08 PM PT -- Olivia's page with clothing brand Princess Polly is no longer active ... we've reached out to the company to see if the line has been completely shelved, but no word back so far.

Lori Loughlin's alleged cheating is already costing her daughter, Olivia Jade -- 'cause Sephora just kicked the kid to the curb in the wake of the college admissions scandal.

A honcho for Sephora -- which had a partnership with Olivia -- tells TMZ, "After careful review of recent developments, we have made the decision to end the Sephora Collection partnership with Olivia Jade, effective immediately."

Olivia had a makeup partnership with the cosmetics chain that produced the Olivia Jade x Sephora palette. That page on Sephora's website has been 86'd.

Lori's youngest daughter has been catching the bulk of the backlash since her mom and dad were indicted for allegedly paying bribes to get their kids into USC.

TMZ broke the story ... Olivia was on Rick Caruso's yacht in the Bahamas with his daughter when the indictment news broke ... Caruso -- the Chairman of USC's Board of Trustees -- tells us that Olivia is no longer on his yacht, and has since gone home.

USC has yet to decide Olivia's fate.

More legal troubles for Nicki Minaj's bad boy boyfriend ... he just pled guilty to driving on a suspended license.

According to court files, obtained by TMZ, Kenneth Petty pled guilty in New York to aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. Kenneth's gotta pay $88 in fines and clear his license.

In the docs, a police officer says he witnessed Kenneth blow through a stop sign around 1:30 AM on Sept. 13 in Long Island. Cops pulled Kenneth over and discovered he was driving on a suspended license.

As you know, Nicki's boyfriend has a checkered past ... he's been convicted of first-degree attempted rape and manslaughter. While serving hard time for killing a guy, Kenneth racked up tons of prison violations.

So, relatively speaking ... this is no big whoop.

Meghan Markle's half-brother got a sweet deal in his DUI case ... but he'll have to keep his nose clean for the next year.

Thomas Markle Jr. entered a DUI diversion program last month stemming from his January arrest in Oregon for driving under the influence of alcohol. We broke the story ... cops said Thomas bombed a field sobriety test and blew a .11.

The court's allowing the 52-year-old to enter a 1-year diversion program, but it comes with strings attached.

First, Markle Jr. must attend a victim impact panel this month. He also has to get an ignition interlock device installed in his vehicle ... and he's gotta fork over more than $700 in fees.

Thomas must be booked and fingerprinted by the end of the month.

3/15 5:47 AM PT -- Tony's wife, Cristina, has issued a statement through her attorney ... essentially saying Tony did NOT physically abuse her, but she's clearly concerned about him.

"Tony Ferguson is a good husband and good father to our son. The current legal proceedings are part of a process to ensure that Tony will receive the help necessary to continue being the best possible husband and father, as well as to pursue his passion and career as a UFC champion fighter."

"All positive well wishes are sincerely appreciated and I hope our privacy will be respected."

The wife of UFC star Tony Ferguson has filed for a restraining order against the fighter -- after cops responded to their home on 5 separate occasions, this according to official records.

Cristina Ferguson, who has a 2-year-old son with Tony, filed the latest round of documents on Wednesday -- following several bizarre incidents with Tony, as first reported by MMAJunkie.com.

Police documents show ... cops were called to Ferguson's home in Santa Ana, CA on Feb. 19, after a woman told authorities Tony hadn't slept in 3 days and was "tearing apart the home."

The woman also told police Tony "believed someone placed a [computer] chip in his leg."

Another person at the home told cops Tony had said he believed "someone was inside his walls."

During an incident on Feb. 16, Tony's wife told cops Tony "kept throwing 'Holy Water' at her."

There are other similar incidents -- but records show Tony was never arrested or charged with a crime.

Tony's wife and others told police they had urged the fighter to see a doctor.

It is unclear what finally motivated Tony's wife to finally request a restraining order -- but it seems obvious she feels he is mentally ill and unstable.

The court docket lists Cristina's filing as a "domestic violence" case. He's due back in court next month.

We've reached out to Tony's rep for comment -- so far, no word back.

Tony, one of the best fighters in the UFC, had recently turned down a fight with Max Holloway and no one seemed to understand why ... but now it seems it may have to do with his drama at home.

Lori Loughlin's daughters are not letting USC decide their fate, because they will NOT be returning to the University for fear of bullying ... sources connected to both daughters tell TMZ.

We're told 19-year-old Olivia and 20-year-old Isabella have made the decision to withdraw from the University. Our sources say they have the full support of their parents, Lori and Mossimo Giannulli, both of whom have been indicted in the college bribery scandal.

Our sources say the family feels certain, if the girls went back to USC, they would be "viciously bullied." So, the decision has been made.

As we reported, the indictment claims Lori and Mossimo paid $500,000 to have their daughters designated as recruits for the crew team at USC ... despite the fact they did not actually participate in crew. Mossimo allegedly sent action photos of their daughters on rowing machines to Rick Singer, the ringleader of the alleged scam, and he presumably sent them on to USC.

We're told Olivia and Isabella never really wanted to go to USC. Our sources say they liked the concept of school principally because of partying, and had their sights set on Arizona State University. That's why Mossimo sent an email saying he wanted to get his daughters "into a school other than ASU!"

Our sources say Olivia in particular "is a mess, despondent and feeling like it's the end of the world."

We're told Olivia and Isabella will "lay low" and not try and enroll in another school ... at least not for a long while.

In the least shocking news of the day, Conor McGregor has officially been sued by the man who claims the UFC star smashed and stole his cell phone.

22-year-old Ahmed Abdirzak filed his suit in Miami-Dade County on Thursday -- claiming battery, assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

In his suit, Abdirzak says he was leaving the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami and tried to take a picture of Conor on his phone -- but McGregor snapped and grabbed his arm so tightly that he couldn't get away.

"[McGregor] then flew into a rage and punched [Abdirzak's] smart phone out of his hand."

Abdirzak says McGregor then grabbed the phone, smashed it to the ground and "began stomping on the phone repeatedly."

Abdirzak says he went after Conor to try and get his phone back but Conor just laughed as yelled back, "F*ck you!"

He's now seeking unspecified damages north of $15,000.

As we previously reported, McGregor was arrested Monday for the incident, which took place while he was leaving the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami.

Abdirzak told TMZ he did NOTHING to provoke McGregor and was shocked when the 30-year-old snatched his phone, threw it on the ground and stomped on it twice.

TMZ Sports obtained footage of the altercation -- you can see and hear Conor putting his foot down on the phone while Abdirzak is being restrained by unidentified men.

Abdirzak appeared on "TMZ Live" on Thursday morning and said he hadn't decided if he was going to sue, insisting he just wants "justice."

Conor McGregor ain't letting a possible 15-year prison sentence get him down -- the UFC star hit up a Florida bar Wednesday and ordered up 100 SHOTS of his famous Irish whiskey!

The Notorious rolled into Miller's Ale House in Hollywood, FL and turned up like he was celebrating -- going behind the bar, taking pics with fans ... and even cooking steaks in the kitchen!!!

Seriously, we spoke with people at the bar who tell us Conor wasn't there to be served, he was there to WORK!

Of course, Conor was pushing his Proper 12 whiskey -- ordering up 100 shots for the people in the bar -- and even buying a couple of bottles for himself (he likes it).

When it was all said and done, Conor's bill came out to $636.66 -- but he wanted to show the staff some love ... so he tipped an additional $200!!!

Conor had been arrested in Miami on Monday for allegedly stealing a cell phone from a man outside of the Fontainebleau hotel and then stomping on it. We obtained footage of the incident.

McGregor was booked for robbery/strong-arm and criminal mischief over $1,000 -- and the first charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. Conor has been downplaying the allegations. Clearly, he thinks it's no big deal.

Golf legend Phil Mickelson says his family used Rick Singer's company to help his children navigate the world of college admission ... but the PGA star is adamant he did NOT participate in bribes.

Officials have named Singer as the ringleader in the college bribery scandal -- where stars like Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman are accused of making payments to get their kids into prestigious schools under false pretenses.

Singer ran a college prep business servicing tons of families. Mickelson says his business dealings with Singer's company were strictly above board.

"Our family, along with thousands of others, used Rick Singer’s company to guide us through the college admission process," Phil says.

"We are shocked by the revelations of these events. Obviously, we were not part of this fraud, our kids would disown us if we ever tried to interfere."

Phil has 3 kids -- including a 19-year-old daughter (who currently attends Brown University), a 17-year-old daughter and a 15-year-old son.

The funny part ... according to officials, Lori Loughlin coughed up $500,000 to make sure her kids went to USC and not Arizona State.

Phil went to Arizona State ... and he turned out just fine.

The crew believed to be responsible for attacking and robbing YBN Almighty Jay and sending him to the hospital are in federal custody, but strangely ... it has nothing to do with the rapper.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... cops have identified a street gang that includes Zae Numbafive as persons of interest in last weekend's assault on Jay. We're told the crew goes by the name "Jack Boyz."

Zae and 3 other Jack Boyz members were arrested Wednesday in the Bronx as part of an unrelated federal investigation ... which is even crazier. The men are facing a charge of attempted murder in the aid of racketeering -- along with firearm charges -- in connection with the shooting of an off-duty NYPD officer. Another member remains at large.

If convicted, they face up to life in prison.

Our sources say the crew was questioned by investigators after their arrest about assaulting Jay as well, and 2 members admitted to being at the scene ... but didn't fess up to any criminal activity.

We're told one of the Boyz also claimed to have past issues with Jay but said they worked it out ... but the rapper denied even knowing the crew.

Our sources say Jay told cops he's willing to cooperate with the investigation now, but doubts he can ID his attackers because there were so many of them. He claims he was robbed of his wallet, $16k in cash, a $20k chain and his shoes in the attack.

As we reported ... J Prince weighed in on the situation by calling out Zae and his crew and putting out an APB to his "mob ties" to nab them. Zae responded by posting a music vid that apparently flaunted Jay's stolen bling.

8:11 AM PT -- Jussie just pled not guilty to the 16-count indictment against him. He was advised he needs to be at every court date going forward, and is set to be back in court in mid-April.

In the meantime, he'll be allowed to travel to L.A. and NY for meetings with his lawyers. He's gotta notify the court 48 hours in advance before going to either location, and also needs to check back in within 24 hours when he returns to Chicago.

Jussie Smollett just showed up to court with the same confidence he had the other day -- the big difference now ... this appearance actually matters, 'cause he's being arraigned.

The "Empire" star once again strutted his way into a Cook County courthouse Thursday with his back straight and his head held high ... just like he did on Tuesday when he showed up for a procedural hearing he technically didn't need to attend.

He's expected to enter a plea one way or another at his arraignment.

As we reported ... a grand jury handed down the whopping 16-count indictment last week nearly two weeks after Jussie was arrested and booked for allegedly filing a false police report. Jussie's attorney, Mark Geragos, called the indictment "overkill."

Regardless of how Jussie pleads ... he may very well have more than his own fate in his hands. Folks working on "Empire" feel like the future of the show will very much be tied to how things shake out for him in court, and could possibly torpedo the series at large.

Here it is ... footage showing Conor McGregor stomping out a cell phone in front of the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami -- and it's LOUD.

You don't only SEE Conor putting his foot down on the phone, you HEAR it -- two thunderous booms as McGregor slams his designer shoe down on the phone around 5 AM Monday morning.

You can also see and hear the alleged victim, Ahmed Abdirzak, plead with McGregor -- "Let me get my phone, man!"

Abdirzak tells TMZ Sports he was just trying to snap a pic of Conor on his cell phone when the UFC star lured him in by appearing to offer a handshake, but instead snatched the phone and smashed it.

As we previously reported, cops were called and eventually located McGregor at a nearby mansion where he was staying with his family.

McGregor was arrested for robbery/strong-arm and criminal mischief over $1,000 (2 felonies) ... but his attorney downplayed the incident, calling it a "minor altercation."

If convicted on both counts, Conor is facing up to 15 years in prison for the robbery/strong-arm charge ... but he doesn't seem too concerned.

In fact, he went out for a jog after he was released from jail.

It's not Conor's first brush with the law -- he was arrested in 2018 for throwing a steel dolly at a UFC bus in Brooklyn.