Crime

As R. Kelly's battling one indictment, he could be staring down a brand new one -- a grand jury's set to hear evidence related to sex trafficking claims against the disgraced singer ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us federal prosecutors from the Northern District of Illinois will convene a grand jury later this month and offer up witness testimony detailing how Kelly allegedly bought plane tickets and set up hotel rooms for underage girls.

We're told prosecutors will also present emails and text messages that show the coordination Kelly's team used to set up the travel. Additionally, physical evidence will be presented ... which our sources say will include semen-stained clothing.

As we first reported ... the Illinois case is completely separate from 2 other probes currently underway with feds in New York. So, Kelly's mountain of legal trouble could be growing exponentially.

Kim Kardashian is helping free inmates at an amazingly high rate, and she's been doing it rather quietly ... until now.

We've learned Kim and her legal team helped 17 prisoners gain freedom over the last 3 months or so -- each of them having served years of life sentences without parole ... for low-level drug offenses.

It's all part of the 90 Days of Freedom campaign launched by Kim's lawyer, Brittany K. Barnett, in partnership with lawyer MiAngel Cody of The Decarceration Collective. The campaign puts the First Step Act -- signed by President Trump last year -- to work for prisoners who received Draconian sentences.

Kim is footing the bill while Barnett, who also co-founded the Buried Alive advocacy group, and Cody handle the lawyering. We're told Kim's been secretly funding the campaign over the past few months.

We've known about a few cases Kim's backed -- Jeffrey Stringer in Florida, Cyntoia Brown in Tennessee, Alice Marie Johnson in Alabama -- but now we know the list is much longer.

Here are a few examples:

Jamelle Carraway is back with his family after serving 11 years of a life sentence in federal prison.

Jamelle, who was 31 when he was arrested for cocaine possession, is living and working in Illinois as he makes the slow transition back to society.

Eric Balcom is back home in Florida, and seeing his mother for the first time in 16 years after serving hard time in federal prison.

He was convicted on a drug charge when he was 29, and was sentenced to life without parole.

Terrence Byrd is finally free after spending half his life -- 25 years -- in federal prison on drug possession charges. We're told he's been reunited with his 96-year-old grandmother, the woman who raised him.

9:55 AM PT -- R. Kelly's publicist, Darrell Johnson, tells us, "Mr. Kelly steadfastly proclaims his innocence and looks forward to a speedy trial. Again, the state has failed to bring forth any proof concerning the sex tape, while claiming there was wrong doing!"

7:55 AM PT -- R. Kelly's lawyers were told it's not enough to insinuate something rotten was going on between Michael Avenatti and State's Attorney Kim Foxx ... the judge just told the singer's lawyers they gotta say what they mean.

The lawyers asked the judge to order prosecutors to preserve all communications between Avenatti and Foxx, but they didn't say why. The judge wants to know why these communications are so important, and what it might prove. So, the lawyers were sent back to the drawing board to tell the judge why these communications could affect the case.

For his part, Avenatti states they have already uncovered texts and emails between himself and Foxx, and they were published by the Chicago Tribune weeks ago. It's unclear what more may exist, but Avenatti is claiming they have it all, and he came up clean.

7:14 AM PT -- R. Kelly just made his way inside the courthouse suited and booted with a huge entourage behind him. He kept it moving though, not stopping for questions or photos.

The judge still deciding whether there will be a live feed inside the courtroom -- we're waiting to see what the ruling is. Fingers crossed.

R. Kelly is on a collision course with another famous defendant -- Michael Avenatti -- and it could all come to a head Tuesday morning when the singer appears in court to possibly challenge the authenticity of a sex tape.

The embattled singer is trying to blow up the sex tape by suggesting something fishy was going on between Avenatti and Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx. In R. Kelly's legal docs, he notes Avenatti has publicly claimed to have had repeated conversations with Foxx, and based on what happened in the Jussie Smollett case, he describes the prosecutor as someone who is "able to be influenced and wowed."

He goes on to allege there are questions to suggest Foxx was "bullied or just simply manipulated by Avenatti."

Avenatti previously came forward with 2 sex tapes he claims show Kelly having sex with a 14-year-old girl ... and Kelly's legal team wanted to know more about Avenatti's relationship with Foxx, saying they were concerned Avenatti might have "bullied or simply manipulated" Foxx.

As we've reported ... the tapes are part of the new evidence that prompted prosecutors to hit R. Kelly with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

Chris Brown got wrapped into some bad juju after cops say a woman trekked across the country trying to get him to remove a curse she believed CB inflicted on her son.

Cops responded to a call Saturday night reporting a strange woman with a preteen who was seen wandering around Chris' L.A.-area property ... throwing a bible over his wall, no less.

Officers responded, and they got quite the tale from the woman. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... she said she had flown into town from Texas that day with her boy -- all in the hopes of convincing Chris to lift some voodoo. We're told she felt the presence of a bible on his lawn would help lift the curse.

As for why she thought all of this -- pretty clearly, cops figured she might have mental health issues. She was taken in for evaluation, and her son was taken into protective custody.

Chris wasn't directly involved in the incident ... he wasn't home at the time.

We know Chris luckily dodged the encounter because he was partying it up with Jake Paul, Lamar Odom and a bunch of his celeb pals in Calabasas on Saturday night for Desiigner's 22nd birthday.

Lori Loughlin may have gotten an assist in her defense -- good old-fashioned ignorance -- 'cause her daughters almost perfectly fit the mold with how women's rowing teams recruit.

An ad for the USC women's crew team popped up on campus over the weekend -- and we for sure thought it couldn't have been real ... seeing how tone-deaf it came off and the implications behind it, considering Olivia Jade and Isabella's "no experience."

Well ... turns out, the poster is real because we've been educated on how USC women's rowing teams work when it comes to recruiting walk-ons and the like.

A USC alum who was actually a coxswain at the university tells us women's rowing teams often recruit potential teammates who have zero experience in the sport -- which is kinda what Olivia Jade and Isabella were coming to the table with.

Typically, the way it works is that you already have to be a student to qualify for the team ... it's not for some random people on the street who want in at USC.

But, here's the thing ... in Lori's case, prosecutors have to prove criminal intent to seal a conviction. Sources connected with Lori's defense claim Lori didn't know the $500k payoff was shady, even if the plan was to pretend her daughters were crew-team ready. The poster would seem to help Lori and her husband, both of whom are charged with multiple felonies, because crew experience doesn't seem to be essential.

Former "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" star Nicholas Brendon has officially been charged with domestic violence after his shocking arrest back in 2017 ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs filed by the Riverside County District Attorney's Office, Brendon is facing one count of felony corporal injury to a spouse -- which is punishable by up to 4 years in state prison if convicted.

It's interesting ... the DA also filed a notice letting the judge know they're planning on laying out other evidence showing alleged past acts of DV. Prosecutors have also made it clear they're coming for Brendon even if the alleged victim isn't available at trial.

We broke the story ... Brendon was arrested back in October 2017 after cops say he drunkenly attacked his girlfriend at a Palm Springs hotel bar by pulling her back to their table by the hair ... after allegedly yanking her by the arm at first.

Roger Stone is under the gun and under-funded for his legal defense -- so, ironically, he's ripped a page out of Stormy Daniels' playbook -- making big money at a Virginia strip club.

Don't worry, President Trump's former campaign adviser remained fully clothed Saturday night at Papermoon Southside Gentleman's Club in Richmond. He was the guest of honor, though ... taking photos with fans and signing autographs ... sometimes right on dancers' asses.

The club's director of special events, Mike Dickinson, tells TMZ ... Roger was paid a flat fee to show up for the night and do quick meet-and-greets with fans. Entry to the event was $25 a pop, and that included a photo and autograph, if you wanted one. All in all, Dickinson estimates Stone was able to raise high 5-figures for his legal defense against a 7-count federal indictment.

Stone was there with his longtime associate, ex-madam Kristin Davis ... who got wrapped up in Robert Mueller's investigation. Stone is accused of soliciting stolen emails from WikiLeaks that could've helped the Trump campaign in the 2016 election.

Michael Cohen's got the Monday blues on steroids ... he just checked himself into prison to begin his 3-year sentence -- but on the positive(ish) side he can hang with The Situation from "Jersey Shore."

President Trump's former personal attorney was spotted Monday arriving at the Federal Correctional Institution in Otisville, NY ... where he'll be incarcerated after pleading guilty to tax fraud and campaign finance violations.

As we reported ... Cohen was slapped with 8 federal charges in August 2018. The campaign finance violation was for his $130k hush payment to Stormy Daniels in the 11th hour of the 2016 election.

Before heading off to the minimum-security prison -- considered a haven for white-collar criminals and 70 miles away from his NYC crib -- Cohen told reporters outside his pad "there still remains much to be told and I look forward to the day when I can share the truth."

Cohen also appeared to take a shot at Trump ... saying by the time he's released he hopes "the country will be in a place without xenophobia, injustice and lies at the helm."

David Eason has killed their family dog and people close to the family are worried sick he poses a danger to Jenelle Evans, the 3 kids in the house and the other family pets, and they have now made their move with Child Protective Services ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to Jenelle and David tell TMZ, some have already called CPS and others will call as early as later Monday, asking the agency to remove David from the family home.

They are worried for 2-year-old Ensley, 4-year-old Kaiser and David's 11-year-old daughter, Maryssa. They are also deeply concerned about Jenelle's pit bull, Jax. As we reported, David has already shot the dog with a BB gun for chasing animals on the property.

We're told the local Sheriff and people associated with Jenelle and David are frustrated because -- without Jenelle's cooperation -- they are unable to file criminal charges against him.

We've learned the Plan B is Child Protective Services. They want the agency to remove David from the home, on grounds he's a danger to everyone living there. The end game is to get David mental health help ... in particular anger management.

The complication -- David has "No Trespassing" signs on the property, and up to now law enforcement has been concerned over entering. They're afraid the pit bull could attack them -- in addition to getting shot by David. But, we're told the pit bull is harmless. Still, David's a real concern.

Olivia Jade's a walking testament to what Sunday Funday looks like ... never mind her parents are engulfed in the biggest college admissions scam in American history.

We got Lori Loughlin's youngest daughter out Sunday in L.A. where she was dressed like your regular ol' college student but without the responsibilities anymore. We got her arriving at Fred Segal and took another stab at getting her take on her parents allegedly paying $500k in bribes to get her and her sis into USC under false pretenses.

But, check out the clip ... Olivia's clearly looking out for Numero Uno and her friends are there to make sure she adjusts back to her normal life amid the scandal. We've also got some pics ... showing Olivia surrounded by friends drinking what appear to be mimosas.

And, as kids do these days, they were also glued to their phones. You'll recall we also got Olivia out Friday leaving IKEA with a mystery man ... more evidence she's doing what she wanted to do in the first place -- pre-college.

Pacman Jones not only cheated at the blackjack table before his February arrest ... he also smacked the hell out of an officer's arm -- and it's all on video obtained by TMZ Sports.

As we previously reported ... the ex-NFL star was busted three months ago after he was caught "capping bets" at an Indiana casino.

You can see the video ... Jones places a bet -- and when he realizes he's won the hand -- he sneakily adds another chip.

The problem? Jones got caught ... and even though he eventually gave back the dirty money -- the situation escalated into a violent affair.

Jones clearly became irate, put his hands directly in officials' faces ... and even gave them the finger just inches from their noses!!!

That's when one officer grabbed his wrist -- and in retaliation, Pacman slapped the guy's arm!!!

Of course, Pacman was then put in cuffs ... and was eventually hit with a bevy of charges, including felony intimidation, felony battery against an officer and several misdemeanors.

We previously posted footage showing Pacman in a heated verbal confrontation with officers after he had been pulled off the casino floor.

But, Jones copped a plea deal last month ... and agreed to enter a guilty plea to one count of felony cheating at gambling and one count of misdemeanor resisting law enforcement in exchange for having the rest of the charges dropped.

The visual evidence Remy Ma has for prosecutors in her assault case is so cut and dry, she knows they'll have no choice but to drop it ... so says her lawyer.

The rapper's attorney, Dawn Florio, tells TMZ ... Remy has security cameras installed in her house that show she was there at 9:30 PM on April 16 -- the same time "Love & Hip Hop: New York" star Brittney Taylor claims Remy punched her backstage during a concert at NYC's Irving Plaza.

We already knew this, but according to Florio ... prosecutors were "dumbfounded" in court this week when Remy's side claimed to have evidence to support she was nowhere near the spot of the alleged assault.

Remy's lawyer's confident once they review the home security footage, Taylor's case will be destroyed and Remy will be cleared.

There's more -- Florio insists there's NO surveillance footage from Irving Plaza that backs Taylor's claim she was assaulted in the green room area ... AND Florio says she's obtained a photo from the night of the alleged assault timestamped hours afterward that shows Brittney with no visible marks on her face.

Florio also claims after Remy left her house that night, she stopped at Target to pick up some items for her baby and didn't arrive at Irving Plaza until around 10:45 PM ... 15 minutes before she was scheduled to perform at 11.

Zac Efron's movie about Ted Bundy is pissing off a lot of people who were expecting tons of bloodshed and violence -- but one survivor of Bundy's killing spree says the lack of gore is a good thing.

Kathy Kleiner Rubin -- who was brutalized by Bundy and left for dead at Florida State University's Chi Omega house way back in 1978 -- tells us she thinks the Netflix adaption works better without massive amounts of blood, because it's not supposed to be a horror flick.

Sorry, bloodthirsty millennials ... Kathy says it's better to use your imagination, or just take the time to read up on Bundy's brutal murders.

Check out our clip ... Kathy gets super emotional as she talks about Bundy's long list of female victims, telling us Netflix did a great job portraying them even though it's difficult to tell their full stories in one movie.

Olivia Jade is putting her life back together one furniture purchase at a time -- at least that's what it looked like as she left IKEA with a mystery man.

Lori Loughlin's youngest daughter was walking out of the home furnishings store Friday in LA -- with a dude who wasn't her boyfriend, Jackson Guthy -- pushing a cart with just one boxed item in it. A Fjällbo coffee table? Or a Skarsta desk? Maybe even a Vittsjö shelf unit???

Who the hell knows? One thing that is clear -- she's gonna be building something, and seeing how we're told this was shot AFTER a trip to USC ... it's likely she's on the move.

Olivia didn't say much about the college cheating scandal, FWIW. The pap grilled her though, asking if she'd been in contact with her mom, and whether she was moving out.

As you know ... both of Olivia's parents have pled not guilty to the slew of charges brought against them since they were first indicted back in March for allegedly paying upwards of $500k in bribes to get their daughters into USC under false pretenses.

Felicity Huffman went a different route -- copping a plea, but still facing the possibility of jail time ... if prosecutors get their way.

Someone at USC wants you to think that Lori Loughlin and her daughters were NOT a one-off, but actually the status quo in that ya need NO experience for the women's rowing team.

A laminated poster promoting the D1 ladies crew team is literally hanging in the women's locker room inside USC's Lyon Rec Center right now, which has a pretty eyebrow-raising slogan ... "Join USC's Women's Rowing ... No experience? No problem."

There's even an email to contact the official asst. coach for questions, and the USC women's rowing social media handle is attached as well. Hmm ... interesting.

As you know ... Lori and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, have both been indicted and charged for allegedly paying hundreds of thousands in bribes to get their daughters -- Olivia Jade and Isabella -- into USC via the crew team ... even though they weren't rowers.

For the record ... Lori and Mossimo have pled not guilty to the initial conspiracy charges, as well as the additional money laundering charges that were filed when they didn't follow Felicity Huffman's lead in copping a plea.

Either way -- it would appear this poster is an elaborate joke that someone went to some lengths to pull off, assuming it is, in fact, fake. We only say that because it looks pretty damn real ... and it's eerily similar to an official recruiting ad the rowing team ran in 2018.

So, here's the thing .... we'd like to give USC the benefit of the doubt and assume this is a fake, 'cause if it wasn't ... it'd be incredibly tone-deaf and, frankly, dumb all things considered.

David Eason, the husband of "Teen Mom 2" star Jenelle Evans, is the most dangerous man in the 3 counties surrounding their home ... and that's from an official in the Columbus County Sherrif's Dept.

A source directly connected to the dog-killing investigation tells TMZ, the Sheriff's official contacted this person saying, "He [David] is the most dangerous person we've seen in the 3 counties," but there's nothing they can do unless Jenelle wants to take action against her husband.

As we reported, David viciously killed their French Bulldog this week after the animal nipped at his 2-year-old daughter ... a nip which, by the way, didn't even break the skin or draw blood. We're told he threw the dog on the back deck before killing it with a shotgun.

Our sources say the Sheriff's Office has been informed David has also shot at Jenelle's pit bull with a BB gun for chasing animals on the property.

And, we're told, relatives believe Jenelle won't file a restraining order or take other action against David "because she's afraid of him."

We're told the Sheriff's Office has told people involved in the family they are sympathetic to them but just can't do anything without Jenelle's cooperation. They also say they can't go on the property without permission and David has made it clear ... law enforcement is not welcome. The Sheriff's official who spoke with our source fears David will do something "way more horrible" if he isn't stopped.