Crime

One of R. Kelly's alleged victims secretly testified against the singer in front of a federal grand jury that could indict him for tax evasion and sex trafficking.

Sources close to the case tell TMZ ... Faith Rodgers recently testified for a grand jury convened by U.S. Attorneys in the Southern District of New York, and we're told more witnesses are expected to provide testimony against Kelly soon.

No way to know what Faith told the panel -- federal grand jury proceedings are notoriously top secret -- but she's previously alleged Kelly gave her an STD and sued him last year for false imprisonment and sexual battery.

Faith was also featured in the Lifetime docuseries "Surviving R. Kelly" ... and afterward she claimed Kelly posted private photos of her and sent a notarized letter threatening to reveal details of her sex life in retaliation for her talking publicly.

As we've reported, there are 2 Kelly probes currently underway in New York -- one by the Eastern District and another by the Southern District -- which is in addition to another case the feds are building in Illinois.

We're told next week witnesses will testifying for a federal grand jury in Illinois, where Kelly is being investigated for tax evasion, obstruction of justice and sex trafficking.

We reached out to the U.S. Attorney's Office, but it declined to comment. Faith's attorney, Gloria Allred, would not confirm or deny her client testified.

Kelly's crisis manager, Darrell Johnson, says ... "Mr. Kelly feels like the devil is working overtime in effort to try to destroy his musical legacy for selfish, personal enrichment. We feel everything will line up right on track when it is all said and done."

Mama June still has the gambling itch ... so much so, she's allegedly shacking up in an Alabama casino with her boyfriend.

The reality TV star was spotted again at the Wind Creek casino in Montgomery, and she apparently hit the jackpot, because folks who were there, last Friday, tell us Mama June was cashing out a $1,000 ticket!!!

And, get this ... we're told Mama told a fellow gambler she lives at the casino, and has been staying on the property for the past few months.

June isn't alone in her casino hotel room though -- we're told her boyfriend, Geno Doak, came down to the casino floor and spoke with her a few times.

This is the 3rd time Mama's been spotted hitting up an Alabama casino since her March arrest for crack cocaine ... and it's the 2nd time we've seen her try her luck at Wind Creek.

We broke the story ... Mama and Geno are in the market for a new lawyer for their crack cases, after the guy who was defending them quit.

Kanye West's former friend and G.O.O.D. Music associate, Malik Yusef, is being sued for allegedly forging Ye's signature and making millions of dollars in the process.

Gentle Monster -- a Korean-based fashion brand known for its eyewear -- claims Yusef scammed the company out of $2.5 million by promising Kanye would create a video for the company. GM says Yusef even set up a meeting between Kanye and a rep for the brand, making it seem like Ye was on board for the whole thing. Kanye allegedly had no clue there was any type of business deal in place.

According to the lawsuit -- obtained by TMZ -- Kanye wasn't the only celeb Yusef promised to deliver ... he also claimed Pharrell, Jaden Smith and others would help out with the project.

GM says Yusef's scam was elaborate -- spanning over 9 months -- and included forged signatures from Kanye and phony invoices made to appear like they were sent from legit talent agencies.

The lawsuit claims GM became suspicious of Yusef's plan when he finally submitted a video to them in February 2019 that barely reflected any of the brand's wishes. The ending credits allegedly said both Kanye and Pharrell wrote and produced the music.

Gentle Monster released the project -- touting Kanye's involvement -- and to the brand's horror, Kim Kardashian tweeted her hubby had nothing to do with it ... causing GM to pull the video.

Ronnie Ortiz-Magro's baby mama, Jen Harley, has been arrested for a New Year's Eve incident when she allegedly threw an ashtray at the reality star ... TMZ has learned.

Harley was arrested in Vegas early Thursday around 3 AM on a warrant that was issued last month. Law enforcement sources tell us ... Jen actually called the cops early Thursday morning and said someone had a gun. Cops responded, came to the house and when they did a background check found she had an outstanding warrant.

TMZ broke the story ... Ronnie filed a battery report against Harley on January 3 after the two got in a blowout fight at a Vegas club on New Year's Eve. At some point during their argument, Harley allegedly hurled an ashtray at Ronnie, striking him in the face, and cutting his nose, lip and forehead.

We obtained video from the club that night which showed Ronnie leaving and bloodied.

The fight didn't just end there ... when Jen got home that night, she allegedly found her home ransacked ... accusing Ronnie of smashing a flat-screen TV, picture frames and a vase. He was also recorded smashing the security camera at her front door back in December.

The estranged husband of UFC fighter Rachael Ostovich just got 4 years probation in his domestic violence case ... stemming from a violent attack back in November.

Arnold Berdon -- who's also an MMA fighter -- was initially arrested for attempted murder after Ostovich claimed he beat the hell out of her and fractured her eye socket.

Ostovich initially pulled out of a high-profile UFC fight with Paige VanZant due to the injury -- but was later cleared by a different doctor. Ostovich ultimately lost the fight.

As for Berdon ... after his initial arrest, prosecutors downgraded the charge to 2nd-degree assault -- and he pled no contest back in March.

Berdon was sentenced on Thursday to 4 years probation -- which appears to be a good deal for Berdon considering he was facing up to 5 years in prison.

Logan Paul's musical feud with the hip-hop band Flobots is now coming to a courtroom -- the band's had enough of Logan's sense of humor, so it's suing his ass.

The Flobots and Logan have been going back and forth ever since the YouTube star decided to parody their song, "Handlebars" with his cheeky take entitled, "No Handlebars." Based on the lawsuit, it seems it was all fun and games until Logan told one of our photogs he's "not really sure" who the Flobots are.

Burn.

So now, the band is letting them know who they are. In their lawsuit, the Flobots rip Logan for jacking their song. Parody is one thing, but the band says he crossed the line by copying way too many elements of "Handlebars."

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, they say Logan's song deliberately emulated their trumpet riff, their melody ... and "the lyrics are nearly identical for four successive bars."

Flobots are suing to get an injunction shutting Logan's song, and to get the profits he made off his parody. According to the suit, Forbes estimated in 2017 that Logan made $150k per Facebook post and $80k for his sponsored IG posts.

Their point ... dude's got money by the buckets, and we want our cut.

Jenelle Evans and her husband, David Eason, showed up in court Thursday to fight a judge's order that removed her 3 kids from the family home. About 15 minutes before Jenelle and David left, several kids with blankets over their heads were placed in a CPS vehicle and driven away.

Jenelle and David were in no mood to speak as they left the courthouse in Columbus County, North Carolina.

As we reported ... Ensley was the last of Jenelle's 3 kids to be removed from the home she shares with David. Ensley was removed just days after a judge ordered that 4-year-old Kaiser be removed from the home and 9-year-old Jace as well. Jenelle has visitation rights with Jace -- her mother, Barbara, has custody -- but the judge doesn't want Jace near Jenelle's home.

The removal came on the heels of CPS launching an investigation after David brutally killed their dog ... after it nipped at Ensley.

Our sources say as of Wednesday Jenelle was still living with David. She is not the target of the CPS probe ... it's all about David and his violent temper.

Multiple law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports ... the domestic violence case against Dodgers star pitcher Julio Urias is "weak" based on the evidence.

We're told the video of the incident does show Urias making physical contact with the woman during the March 13 altercation in the Beverly Center parking lot -- but as one source puts it, "It doesn't appear there's criminal intent to injure her."

One source says it appears Urias used his hands in an attempt to stop her from leaving the area during a heated argument.

In other words, it seems as though he was trying to restrain her, not strike her ... though the woman DID go to the ground at some point during the argument.

We're not trying to minimize the seriousness of the situation -- but rather, this is what we're being told by people who are involved in the case.

We're told both parties have been very cooperative with investigators and are telling consistent stories about what happened.

Urias was arrested for misdemeanor battery and spent the night in jail. He was released Tuesday morning on $20,000 bond.

Major League Baseball has placed Urias on administrative leave while they gather evidence.

"Black Lightning" star Marvin Jones III says ignorant people who kill albinos for their "magical powers" should be charged with war crimes ... and he wants the U.S. and other world powers to step up.

We got Marvin out Wednesday afternoon at LAX and wanted to get his take on the Amnesty International's call on Malawians to head to the polls next week and elect leaders who will NOT stand for the continuation of attacks on people with albinism.

The human rights org says the wave of violent attacks are fueled by the false and dangerous myth that body parts of people with albinism contain magical powers and make someone rich.

Marvin -- who portrays the supervillain Tobias Whale on the hit CW show -- says the crisis hasn't gotten enough of the world's attention and wants the U.S. to lead the charge and bring change.

Check out the clip ... Marvin says being born with albinism is very misunderstood and he's saddened by those who continue targeting albinos for a piece of their flesh, blood and bones.

TMZ's obtained police body cam footage showing where the son of "Chrisley Knows Best" star Todd Chrisley allegedly hid a pouch of meth when cops busted him earlier this month.

In the video, you can see cops in Oklahoma take the lid of a cup and pull out the meth. It appears as if Kyle Chrisley stashed the drug there. Kyle had been pulled over for a broken headlight. That obviously turned out to be the least of his troubles.

We broke the story ... Kyle was arrested for felony possession of methamphetamine. He was also held on an open warrant for his arrest out of Dekalb County, GA ... where he was wanted for threatening to kill his estranged wife, Alexus Chrisley.

There were 2 other passengers with Kyle when cops stopped him ... a woman who can be heard talking to cops in the first part of the video and an older man who was also arrested for possession of weed. You can see him in the latter part of the video ... when cops hauled him and Kyle into jail.

Yo Gotti's got great timing because when his tour bus got sprayed with bullets in Nashville ... he easily could have been on board, and killed.

Cops responded to a shots fired call after 11 PM Tuesday night and found the rapper's bus had been shot up outside the hotel where he's staying. Police checked the bus and discovered nobody was on it, and no one had been hit in the hail of gunfire.

Bullet holes peppered the bus, and at least one tire was blown out. It's unclear if the motive was simply to vandalize the bus or worse ... cops are investigating, but no arrests so far.

Gotti had just performed earlier in the night at the Mercy Lounge. It's unclear if he'd ridden the bus back to his hotel room prior to the shooting. A witness tells us he heard rapid gunfire for about 6 seconds and then heard screeching tires as a car sped away.

YFN Lucci might be in the market for a bulletproof ride now that his G-Wagon is riddled with bullet holes from a drive-by shooting that left one person in the vehicle injured.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... YFN Lucci's Mercedes SUV was shot up Friday night in Atlanta, and when police responded, they found a man suffering from two gunshot wounds. We're told the victim was not Lucci, and the rapper isn't listed on the police report.

Our ATL Sources tell us it's Lucci's whip, although his mother is the registered owner.

We've obtained pics and video of the damage, showing bullet holes all over the place! The ammo ripped through the passenger windows on both sides, side doors, the rear window, the rear door, the bumper and even one of the rear tires.

Our sources say the gunshot victim told cops he was driving when shots started ringing out, piercing through the vehicle and striking him in his left shoulder.

We're told he picked up his shot-up ride from a salvage yard earlier this week ... and it looks quite different than it did when he featured it in a recent music video.

Ex-UFC star Anthony "Rumble" Johnson is fighting back in his domestic violence case -- pleading not guilty to allegations he roughed up his girlfriend during a dispute earlier this month.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... the 35-year-old fighter was arrested in Palm Beach County, Florida on May 6 after his girlfriend told cops Johnson got physical with her during an argument.

According to the police report, Johnson told cops at the time he DID pick up the woman to carry her to another room because he was sick of arguing ... but insists he never intended to hurt her.

Johnson was charged with misdemeanor domestic battery -- and his attorney just submitted a not guilty plea on the fighter's behalf.

If he's convicted, Johnson faces up to 1 year in jail.

Johnson already has a domestic violence conviction on his record from 2009 -- when he pled no contest in an incident involving an ex-girlfriend.

He's due back in court for the current case next month.

Alec Baldwin's foe in a bitter battle over a parking spot lied when he said Alec punched him ... and the actor says he has video to prove it.

In new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Baldwin's attorneys, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, say there's video surveillance footage proving he didn't punch or attempt to punch Wojciech Cieszkowski during their parking squabble in November ... squarely contradicting the man's story.

Instead, Baldwin claims the footage shows both men standing face-to-face during their argument before Alec "lightly taps" the other guy's chest. Baldwin is adamant ... claiming he never threw a punch, and now says the video irrefutably backs him up.

In the docs, Baldwin also claims Cieszkowski's own medical records prove he didn't suffer any injuries ... and get this, Baldwin claims the guy's doctor recommended he take a SINGLE Tylenol and that's it.

As we reported ... Baldwin was arrested for assault after the incident, but cut a deal in January to plead guilty to a lesser charge of harassment in the 2nd degree and accept anger management classes as punishment.

But, that wasn't the end of it. Cieszkowski sued Baldwin last month for assault and slander, maintaining the actor punched, shoved and ruined his reputation by going on 'The Ellen Show' and saying he thought Cieszkowski was going to run over his wife with the car.

As for the slander allegations ... Baldwin's calling BS and says his comments to Ellen were just opinion.

R. Kelly's getting ahead of his child support obligations ... ponying up the dough 2 months in advance to avoid another jail scare.

The disgraced singer's crisis manager, Darrell Johnson, tells TMZ ... Kelly's family attorney, Lisa Damico, appeared in Chicago court Tuesday afternoon and paid $41,666 to cover June and July's child support payments to his ex-wife, Drea Kelly.

As for the $32k Kelly still owes in interest on back child support, no decision was made in court ... but Johnson says they don't plan on paying anyway. He tells us, "At no point in the foreseen future do we see paying interest of child support. As of May 14, 2019 Mr. Kelly is current on support payments."

As we previously reported ... Kelly avoided another trip to the slammer earlier this month after appearing in court and paying ALL of the back child support he owed Drea ... a cool $62k.

Remember, he's been on the hook for $20,833 per month since January 2009.

4:20 PM PT -- Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has addressed Urias' arrest ... saying the team will let the league's investigation "run its course" to gather more information.

2:50 PM PT -- The MLB has confirmed Urias has been placed on administrative leave while the league conducts an investigation into the matter.

An MLB rep says the administrative leave is effective today and can last up to 7 days.

Sources tell TMZ Sports the administrative leave can be extended -- potentially multiple times -- while the investigation is active.

Bottom line -- it could be a while before Urias takes the mound again.

8:55 AM PT -- The Dodgers are commenting on the Urias arrest ... telling TMZ Sports, "We learned about the alleged incident this morning and are in the process of gathering information."

"As a result, we have no comment at this time regarding the incident. However, every allegation of domestic violence must be taken seriously and addressed promptly, and we will cooperate fully with the authorities and Major League Baseball to ensure that that happens in this case."

L.A. Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias -- a rising star in the organization -- was arrested for domestic violence Monday night ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The 22-year-old was arrested at 9:30 PM in Los Angeles after an incident at the Beverly Center, an upscale shopping area.

We're told a witness called cops claiming Urias was in the parking lot arguing with a female companion and shoved her to the ground.

Cops responded and spoke with the woman, who denied anything physical took place ... and insisted it was nothing more than a heated verbal argument.

However, sources connected to the situation tell us ... witnesses were adamant they saw Urias push the woman and video from the scene appeared to back up the witness accounts.

Urias was arrested and transported to a nearby station where he was booked for misdemeanor domestic battery.

He spent the night behind bars and bailed out early Tuesday morning after posting $20,000 bail.

The left-hander made his MLB debut in 2016 when he was 19 years old. He missed a lot of time over the last couple of years due to injuries but he's been on fire in 2019, winning 2 games and saving 2 games for the 1st place Dodgers so far this season.