Crime

Mally Mall has been accused in a civil lawsuit of running a major sex/human trafficking operation out of Vegas.

The lawsuit was filed by 3 Nevada prostitutes, who are asking a judge to declare the State's prostitution law unconstitutional on grounds it violates the 13th Amendment which prohibits slavery.

The lawsuit was widely covered when it was filed several weeks ago, but buried in the documents are allegations against the famed record producer. One of the prostitutes who filed the case claims in 2006 she responded to an ad for a job posting by one of Mally Mall's employees.

The company was VIP Entertainment based in Dallas. She claims this is just one of a number of shell companies Mally Mall used to disguise escort services.

She says she was trafficked across state lines and came to Vegas to work as a prostitute for the company.

The woman says Mally Mall used "methods of fraud" to entice women into working for him by saying the work was glamorous and they were like Playboy Bunnies and he was like Hugh Hefner. She says she was also "forced" to perform oral sex on him.

She says initially she was allowed to keep 30% of the money she earned but eventually she had to give up 100% to Mally. She says she was booked to travel to Chicago and Boston for sex, where she was only given a small allowance to cover food and hotels.

The woman goes on to say at the time, "Mally Mall was entering the music industry and he was recognized as a major pimp in the illegal sex trade in Las Vegas."

9:30 AM PT -- Attorney Gloria Allred tells us she is representing the woman from Texas, but would not comment further on the case.

Mally Mall had his home raided and searched because police are investigating allegations of multiple sexual assaults and human sex trafficking, along with alleged importation of exotic animals ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ, but the music producer says the principal accuser is an extortionist.

Sources connected with the investigation tell us, the LAPD SWAT informed supporting officers, the raid was triggered by allegations of "multiple rapes and human sex trafficking, as well as firearms on the premises." They added they also believe, "he was illegally importing exotic species into California for people working in the entertainment industry."

As for the alleged rapes and alleged human trafficking, sources involved in the investigation tell TMZ, a woman claimed back in January, Mally Mall flew her out from Texas after seeing her fitness videos on social media. She says she was staying at his home and he drugged and raped her and locked her in a room.

The woman claimed she stayed another day and had intercourse with him a second time because she felt she had to be "submissive." The following day she says she developed a rash and went to a hospital where a nurse called the cops after observing vaginal trauma.

Sources close to Mally Mall say everything was consensual and they were partying together the entire weekend. They add the woman was in no hurry to leave his home. He also says he has voicemails and texts proving she was trying to squeeze money out of him.

We're told the woman has been in touch with various authorities, including the sex unit in the LAPD's Robbery Homicide Division. Our sources say cops believe there are at least 3 women who have come forward with similar allegations of rape.

As for the exotic animals, law enforcement sources tell us, Mally Mall's social media posts showing the various creatures triggered the interest of the California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. We're told 3 animals were seized in Tuesday's raid ... 2 monkeys and a Serval cat.

Our sources say the initial search warrant was issued on March 21 but was never executed, and police went back to a judge a week later to get an extension that allowed them to conduct Tuesday's raid.

Mally Mall was NOT arrested but rather detained and released, however, cops tell us the investigations are ongoing.

Mally Mall's lawyer, Steve Sadow, tells TMZ, "If they had real evidence, they would have arrested him. They don't have evidence. It's bogus. Period."

5:05 PM PT -- The spider monkey that was seized from another residence was taken from Swae Lee's crib. We're told the Cotton-top Tamarin listed in the search warrant for Mally's place was not found at his home.

3:45 PM PT -- Mally Mall tells TMZ he was never taken into custody ... never arrested. He was just detained at his home while police searched and then released him. Although law enforcement says the search warrant was for exotic animal possession and human trafficking, he and his lawyer say the allegations are bogus. His attorney, Steve Sadow, tells TMZ, "If they had real evidence they would have arrested him. They don't have evidence. It's bogus. Period."

12:05 PM PT -- Capt. Foy tells us a Serval cat was also seized from the property and a spider monkey that allegedly belonged to Mall was seized from another property in Los Angeles.

10:45 AM PT -- LAPD officers have arrested Mally and others, it appears.

9:40 AM PT -- Capt. Patrick Foy of CA Dept of Fish & Wildlife tells TMZ they've seized a Cotton-top Tamarin monkey from Mally's home. He says their investigation began 8-9 months ago when they started getting tips about photos of Mally with the monkey.

It appears Mally posted a video of the monkey back in January of 2018 when he was hanging out with Rae Sremmurd rapper Swae Lee.

9:10 AM PT -- We've learned the raid is part of a double-barreled investigation ... for human trafficking and trafficking of exotic animals.

Law enforcement tells us LAPD's Robbery/Homicide division, in conjunction with CA Fish & Wildlife, served the search warrant.

Mally's had several issues with exotic animals in the past. The Health Dept. launched an investigation when he brought a monkey to Ace of Diamonds strip club -- and he also gifted a monkey and an ocelot to Justin Bieber.

As for the human trafficking ... there were allegations in Nevada he was involved in an escort service.

LAPD is raiding hip-hop producer Mally Mall's home in the San Fernando Valley, and cops are going in heavily armed ... TMZ has learned.

A SWAT team surrounded the 'Love and Hip Hop' star's home early Wednesday morning before moving in to serve a search warrant. Our sources tell us the operation was in progress since before sunrise ... as cops prepped for the raid.

There are a ton of officers out there. More than 8 patrol cars, and at least one armored van are lining the block. It's unclear why cops are raiding Mally's place. We've confirmed he is home though.

Mally's been through this at least once before. Back in 2014, the FBI raided his Las Vegas home as part of a federal human trafficking investigation.

Lance Bass has some choice words -- and a splash of sarcasm -- for the Sultan of Brunei on the day his country will start stoning gay people to death.

We got the 'NSYNC singer Wednesday leaving NBC in NYC -- where he was plugging his new doc, 'The Boy Band Con' -- and asked about the deadly law that takes effect Wednesday in the Asian country -- gay people can now be stoned to death for who they are.

Lance clearly has a POV, but it was tough for him because while we were talking to him a slew of fans were asking for selfies so whatever he said he had to say with a smile on his face.

Our camera guys also asks Lance if he was on board with George Clooney's renewed call to boycott hotels owned by Brunei's leader, including The Beverly Hills Hotel and the Hotel Bel-Air. Check it out ... sounds like he's been with it for a while.

12:11 PM -- Felicity's also gone up before a judge and said she understood the seriousness of the charges. She had already surrendered her passport. So with that, she's also done. That was fast.

12:01 PM -- Lori and Mossimo have just appeared before a judge and both have surrendered their passports. The actress reportedly said hi to the prosecuting team, smiled and shook their hands. Lori and Mossimo are now done with their part of Wednesday's hearing.

11:03 AM PT -- Lori Loughlin just showed up to the Boston courthouse, and was quick to get inside. She avoided answering any questions from reporters, but was also met by some fans cheering, waving, and carrying Lori cutouts with them.

Lori gave a quick wave before marching into court.

Felicity Huffman has just arrived to face a judge for her involvement in the massive college bribery scandal.

The "Desperate Housewives" actress appeared in a federal courthouse in Boston Wednesday where she -- along with other parents including Lori Loughlin -- will reportedly know more about the conditions of their release.

As we first reported ... Lori and Felicity could cut plea bargains but prosecutors wanna see the parents do time behind bars. As one official told us, "You can't have people being treated differently because they have money. That's how we got to this place. Every defendant will be treated the same."

Lori and Felicity face up to 5 years in prison if convicted of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.

As we reported ... Felicity and Lori -- recorded on wiretapped calls discussing the scheme with ringleader William Rick Singer -- are accused of paying bribes to help get their kids into elite schools.

Felicity and her husband, William H. Macy, allegedly paid $15k to participate in a college entrance exam cheating scheme on behalf of their eldest daughter, Sophia Grace, who was given twice the amount of time to take the SAT as other students. The feds say the proctor corrected her answers. She scored 1420 on her SAT ... an improvement of approximately 400 points over her PSAT.

Lori and her hubby, Mossimo Giannulli, are accused of paying a whopping $500k to have their 2 daughters -- Isabella and Olivia -- designated as recruits for the crew team at USC ... even though they were never actually on any crew team. Mossimo allegedly sent Singer pics of the girls on rowing machines to make it look like they were indeed athletes.

On the morning the indictment was announced, 7 FBI agents showed up to Felicity's home with guns drawn and arrested her. The feds also showed up to Lori's home but she was in Vancouver. Mossimo was nabbed and later released. Lori surrendered the next day.

47 others were also caught up in the massive college bribery scandal the feds dubbed Operation Varsity Blues. The parents are accused of paying off Rick Singer ... the alleged ringleader who created a fake nonprofit, charitable foundation that served as a front to launder the payments.

The feds also said Singer -- who pled guilty to racketeering charges -- allegedly instructed the parents they could write off the alleged bribes as tax-deductible"donations" ... to his nonprofit.

According to court records, the actresses and others allegedly paid as much as $6.5M to get their kids into various schools ... including Yale, Stanford, Georgetown and USC. In all, the feds uncovered about $25M in bribes.

Lori -- out on $1 million bond -- was mum when paps got her out the other day leaving a yoga session. The fallout from the scandal was immediate. Loughlin's girls withdrew from USC and Loughlin lost gigs with "Fuller House" and Hallmark.

Nelly will NOT face criminal charges for an alleged sexual assault in the UK, and it appears it's because the accuser's no longer talking to cops.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Nelly will no longer be questioned, and police have told him no further action will be taken. While the investigation is not officially closed, we're told detectives are not actively investigating. If new information comes to light, Essex Police could review it and go from there ... but, as of now, Nelly's off the hook.

As for the why? The accuser's attorney, Karen Koehler, tells TMZ ... "We told the Essex police we would no longer participate in their shoddy investigation and shifted our focus to the federal lawsuit where we will wait on the judge to decide that outcome." The accuser filed a lawsuit as Jane Doe back in November.

We broke the story ... Nelly's accuser put Essex Police on blast claiming they dragged their feet on the case while treating her like a suspect instead of a victim. She accused him of masturbating in front of her and forcing his penis in her mouth after one of his concerts in 2017.

NFL star Michael Bennett is set to have his felony charge dropped in his injury to elderly case ... 'cause prosecutors flat-out admit they don't have enough proof to convict him of a crime.

Bennett was indicted by a Harris County, TX Grand Jury after being accused of pushing a 66-year-old female NRG Stadium employee who was controlling access to the field at Super Bowl 51 in February 2017.

Cops claimed Bennett -- who was on his way to celebrate his brother's Super Bowl win over the Falcons -- shoved a paraplegic woman's wheelchair as she tried to prevent him from getting to the field.

At the time ... cops said Bennett yelled, "I could own this mother f***er!" before he allegedly pushed her and injured her shoulder.

The charge was a big deal ... the New England Patriots pass rusher was facing YEARS behind bars -- the charge carries a maximum of 10 years in prison.

But, prosecutors say "after looking at all the evidence and applying the law, a crime could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt."

Prosecutors say they conducted an EXTENSIVE investigation -- including viewing surveillance tapes -- and ultimately decided to request to drop the case against the 33-year-old.

Nipsey Hussle was in the middle of a good deed right before he was gunned down in front of his store ... where he was trying to help out an old friend who just got out of prison.

Sources connected to Nipsey tell TMZ ... the reason he was at his Marathon Clothing store Sunday is because he was trying to hook up his ex-con pal with some new gear so he could look good before meeting up with his own family and friends later in the day.

We're told Nipsey's friend had just walked out of the pen after 20 years behind bars.

Our sources say Nipsey didn't notify his team or his primary security guard he'd be going to the store solo -- it was a spur of the moment thing ... we're told no one in his camp was aware he'd left home.

Nipsey's friend is one of the other two people who were injured in Sunday's shooting -- we're told the third guy was the friend's nephew, who drove him to Marathon Clothing.

We broke the story ... a man walked up on Nipsey and co. and fired multiple rounds before fleeing in a waiting car. The shooter circled back to shoot Nipsey multiple times, not to mention kicking him in the head before leaving. Nipsey died from his wounds.

Police have identified 29-year-old Eric Holder as the suspected gunman -- who they finally brought into custody Tuesday after a 2-day manhunt.

Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman could cut plea bargains if they want 'em -- but they wouldn't be getting off easy ... because prosecutors want prison time, TMZ has learned.

Federal law enforcement sources tell TMZ, any plea would come with a recommendation by prosecutors that the actresses serve some time behind bars. The official told us, "You can't have people being treated differently because they have money. That's how we got to this place. Every defendant will be treated the same."

Prosecutors will not have the final word if the cases are plea bargained. The U.S. Attorney would make a recommendation to the judge, but the judge has the final word.

Lori and Felicity each face a maximum of 5 years in prison if convicted of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.

Our sources say it is "likely" plea bargain discussions will begin, but we're told no plea deal has been made.

Lori and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, have been accused of paying ringleader Rick Singer $500,000 to get their daughters into USC by falsely claiming they would participate in the crew team.

Felicity is accused of paying Singer $15,000 to rig her daughter's SAT test.

50 people have been charged in the alleged scams, and we're told more indictments are expected.

Nipsey Hussle's alleged murderer, Eric Holder, is going to be behind bars for a long time, and he'll be there all alone -- 'cause cops are afraid he'll be offed in jail.

As you know, LAPD picked up Holder from the L.A. County Sheriff's Department station in Lakewood Tuesday and took him to a police station in South L.A. -- and law enforcement sources tell us he's currently being held in solitary confinement.

We're told police refuse to let Holder mingle with the general population, because they believe he's a target. As it is, cops were in a race to arrest him before someone on the street took him out. Our sources also say he'll remain in solitary once he's transferred to L.A. County Jail while awaiting trial.

BTW, if there's any doubt about him seeing the light of day before his trial ... a judge set Holder's bail early Wednesday morning at $7,040,000.

As we reported ... Holder -- who goes by the street name, Shitty Cuz -- was located and captured in the Lakewood area Tuesday, where he was cuffed by cops and later ID'd by the LAPD.

Lauren London is speaking out for the first time since Nipsey Hussle was shot to death ... and she says she's lost without the father of her child.

Lauren just posted a heartfelt tribute to Nipsey on Instagram ... telling the world, "I am completely lost. I've lost my best friend, my sanctuary, my protector, my soul ... I'm lost without you. We are lost without you babe. I have no words."

Lauren had been dating the rapper for several years, and they share a son together. Earlier this year they collab'd with GQ for a super cute photo shoot, which sure looked like engagement pics.

We broke the story ... Nipsey was gunned down outside his store Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles, and the L.A. County Coroner says he died from gunshot wounds to his head and torso.

Nipsey's murder suspect, Eric Holder, was taken into police custody Tuesday afternoon, and he's being held without bail.

Taylor Swift got another unwanted visitor at her Rhode Island home when a police pursuit ended with a stolen car smashing into her front gate.

Police in Hopkinton, RI confirmed to TMZ ... the high-speed chase started around 1 AM after an officer tried to conduct a traffic stop and the vehicle took off. We're told officers pursued the car, and the driver eventually lost control and plowed into the main entrance gate at Taylor's estate.

We're told the singer was not home at the time of the crash, and neither was anyone else.

Police say the teenage driver has been charged with reckless driving, felony receiving stolen goods, obstructing an officer and driving on a suspended or denied license. No bail has been set.

Taylor's had a lot of issues at this beachfront pad -- including one guy who was busted trying to swim through rough ocean water to get on the property and another who showed up on her doorstep proposing marriage.

12:44 PM -- The news conference has wrapped up. Meek spoke for several minutes and underscored the need to change the criminal justice system. He championed the cause by helping introduce House Bill 1925, which has bipartisan support.

Meek, who is still on probation, said there's a lot of statutes and laws that don't make sense ... and he's there to give the voiceless a voice.

Meek Mill's mission to reform the criminal justice system will take a huge step when he introduces a new bill at a news conference slated to begin at noon ... and TMZ will be streaming live.

The rapper will be flanked by 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin, CNN's Van Jones -- who is also the CEO of REFORM Alliance -- and several local politicians at the Philadelphia Municipal Services Building ... where they'll propose new legislation to reform the state probation and parole system.

The proposed bill aims to prevent the courts from sentencing a person to consecutive probation sentences, prevent the court from extending a person's time on probation or parole due to nonpayment of fines and fees, plus establish a system of incentives that reward good behavior.

As you know ... Meek's been pushing for reforms to the criminal justice system all over the country since he was locked up for more than 5 months on a probation violation. He helped launch REFORM Alliance with Jay-Z, among others, and they've vowed to get at least a million people out of jail over the next 5 years with a focus on probation and parole.

Meek calls this proposal the first step to changing the system in his home state. He also said, "I’ve lost too much time away from my son, my family, my friends and fans in Philly because of outdated probation laws, so I want to make sure people don’t have go through what I did.”

Famed makeup artist Jeffree Star got his warehouse ransacked by burglars, and the heist is hitting him hard ... as in millions of dollars worth of stolen goods.

Jeffree revealed on his YouTube page Tuesday a warehouse he uses in L.A. to store a bulk of his makeup line was broken into last month ... and virtually stripped clean by "black market" peddlers.

He says they made off with upwards of $2.5 million of his stuff -- and the break-in appears to be a 6-man operation. The majority of stolen goods were from his skincare concealer line.

The break-in was even more elaborate than what it sounds like. Sources familiar with the case tell TMZ the burglars cut a hole through the roof of Jeffree's warehouse to get in, and also used the rear door somehow. We're told thousands of lip liners were jacked, among other items.

They definitely trashed the place too, as you can see in the photos we got.

Jeffree says he's been working with cops and the feds to catch the crooks.

Law enforcement sources tell us the burglary went down in mid-March, and that investigation is still ongoing. There are no suspects who've been identified yet.

We're told this does not appear to be connected to a string of other high-profile makeup heists that have happened in L.A. lately.

The makeup mafia ... apparently it's a thing.

We reached out to the FBI, but they told us they couldn't confirm an investigation.

Richie Incognito struck a deal in his funeral home threats case -- the one where he allegedly went berserk in a mortuary last summer -- and will avoid time behind bars ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We broke the story ... the ex-Buffalo Bills OL was arrested in Arizona last August after he allegedly threatened to shoot staffers in a funeral home following the death of his father.

Witnesses allege the 6'3', 320-pound ex-NFL star blew up on mortuary employees ... threatening to damage property and telling them he had guns in his truck.

When cops came ... Richie denied the allegations -- but they arrested the 35-year-old anyway ... booking him for disorderly conduct and threatening/intimidating people.

But, Richie cut a deal with prosecutors last week to have two of his charges -- threats and damage to property -- dropped in exchange for pleading guilty to disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor.

Richie's punishment? We're told he was hit with 11 months of probation and a 90-day suspended jail sentence ... which means he won't have to serve a day behind bars if he does a mental health evaluation and completes anything recommended after that.

Incognito also has to pay fines, fees and restitution ... and isn't allowed to have firearms or visit the mortuary during his probation period.

Someone was out to kill Nipsey Hussle just days before he was murdered ... and those working with him were warned as such, and took extreme measures to protect him.

Nipsey filmed a music video Thursday for an upcoming song he, DJ Khaled and John Legend collaborated on called "Higher." The track will appear on Khaled's upcoming album.

Sources on the Inglewood set tell TMZ ... there was great concern over Nipsey's safety during the shoot ... specifically over the parking structure the crew used to film. Our sources say the production team wanted the entire structure shut down so that only folks working the shoot would have access.

We're told production only booked the top two floors of the parking structure. People were able to park underneath the top floors.

More shocking ... our sources say the production hired 10 armed police officers because of concerns over Nipsey's safety. It's unclear why, but we're told they were scared someone would try sneaking on set and killing him.

Seems the protection worked ... our sources tell us things went off without a hitch.

Of course, just a few days later ... Nipsey was gunned down in front of his own storefront, no less. Just hours before the shooting, Nipsey cryptically tweeted about "enemies."

Police are still looking for the shooter, who's only been described as a black male in his 20s. Cops have said they suspect the killing might be gang-related.

Nipsey was only 33. RIP