Crime

Lil' Kim and Lil' Cease still have a crush on each other after all these years of bad blood -- and they finally got together to bury the hatchet for the one and only Notorious B.I.G.

The former Junior M.A.F.I.A. members reunited Tuesday night in NYC, where a huge party was thrown at TAO Downtown in honor of what would've been Biggie's 47th birthday. This appears to be the first time the two have interacted publicly since their falling out in 2005.

In case you're unfamiliar, Cease testified against Kim during her federal perjury trial -- which helped prosecutors' case against her when she was found to have lied to a grand jury about a shooting she'd witnessed. Kim spent a year in prison for it.

She denounced Cease and other JM members after she got out, calling their testimony a betrayal and a breaking of street code. Cease defended himself, insisting he wasn't a snitch since he'd been subpoenaed and had no choice but to tell the truth on the stand.

That all seems to be water under a bridge between LK and LC -- both of whom were incredibly close to Biggie when he was alive and have recorded a number of songs together ... including their '96 hit, "Crush on You."

Kim and Cease were seen hanging out together with a bunch of their famous pals, like Busta Rhymes, Cedric the Entertainer, Jadakiss and other hip-hop heads too.

Kodak Black has criminal cases to deal with in multiple states, and his latest arrest in Miami is complicating things, big time ... so he's begging the judge for an assist.

As we've reported ... the rapper was arrested 11 days ago during the Rolling Loud festival, and though he was granted a pre-trial release -- if he can post a $500k bond -- the feds are appealing that and want to keep him behind bars.

Kodak's problem is he's also facing a serious felony charge in South Carolina for sexual misconduct, and needs to appear in court to stand trial. So, he's proposing a compromise to the federal judge in Florida ... let me out, but keep me under 24-hour surveillance while I'm traveling.

In new docs, the rapper says he still wants out on bond, and proposes a system of nonstop, round-the-clock supervision to ensure he makes all of his required court appearances ... and then gets back to Florida.

Debra Tate's very pleased with the new trailer for "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" ... especially Margot Robbie's performance as her sister.

Critics and fans are getting their first good look at Margot as Sharon Tate now that the second trailer for Quentin Tarantino's upcoming film has been released. Debra tells TMZ, from what she's seen, it looks like Margot knocked it out of the park.

As we've told you, Debra's been supportive of the movie's portrayal of her sister ... who was murdered by "Manson Family" members. She told us meeting with Tarantino, reading the script and even being on set set her at ease ... but she was still concerned about one particular scene.

At least she was until seeing the trailer.

Check it out ... at the 1:30 mark, Sharon goes to the theater to see a movie she's in and tells the ticket taker who she is. Debra tells us she was worried, while reading the script, the scene would make Sharon look conceited ... but she's relieved it doesn't come off that way at all.

Debra says, "Depending on how Margot played it, it could’ve appeared egotistical. But, no, she did a beautiful job. Sharon did not have an egotistical bone in her body."

Debra adds ... "Margot captures Sharon's sweetness very nicely."

The movie got a standing ovation Tuesday at a Cannes screening -- and Debra says now that she's seen the new trailer, she's excited to see the full movie. Before it's July release, though, she's focusing on the parole board hearing next month for the Charles Manson associate, Bruce Davis.

She's still fighting in her sister's honor to keep "Manson Family" criminals locked up, and tells us she believes Davis is still violent and needs to stay behind bars.

Debra's organized a petition with 19,000 signatures for support -- and previously told us she feels the same way about Leslie Van Houten.

Fatboy SSE -- the comedic social media influencer co-starring with Master P in his "I Got the Hook Up" sequel -- hooked up with cops who busted him for marijuana and outstanding warrants.

According to cops in Jersey City, Fatboy was pulled over Monday night for a traffic violation. He was in the car with 2 other guys -- his manager and security guard -- and when cops ran his license, they discovered it was suspended. First mistake.

Second mistake? They found outstanding bench warrants ... which prompted a search of his car ... which is when cops say they found the weed.

Cops arrested Fatboy -- government name Tyriq Kimbrough -- for 1 count of possession of weed and bail jumping for the 2 bench warrants. Adding insult to injury, cops also slapped him with tickets for failure to observe a signal and driving on the suspended license.

Fatboy -- who has more than 5.5 million Instagram followers -- remains in custody.

His management posted a message on his IG page about the arrest, saying ... "If you have not been able to reach him this is why."

Nipsey Hussle's alleged killer, Eric Holder, has been indicted by a Grand Jury, and new charges have been added ... and this could have to do with a problem with the case.

The L.A. County District Attorney had previously charged Holder with 4 crimes, including premeditated murder. The D.A. decided to have the case revisited, this time by the Grand Jury, which indicted him on the 4 previous crimes -- murder, 2 counts of attempted murder, and possession of a firearm by a felon.

The Grand Jury added 2 new charges ... 2 counts of assault with a firearm for the victims who did not die.

As for why the D.A. chose to go to the Grand Jury when they had already charged Holder, the main function is to skip the preliminary hearing. The D.A.'s office will not say why they chose to jump the prelim -- where a judge must find probable cause of a crime in order to make the defendant stand trial -- but it's sometimes done if there's a problem with the evidence.

Holder allegedly shot and killed Nipsey in front of his store, The Marathon Clothing, on March 31.

12:37 PM PT -- The 2-plus year legal drama will continue as Soules' sentencing has been delayed. It'll be rescheduled for a later date. Defense attorney Robert Montgomery made a last-ditch effort to get the court to throw out the victim impact statements ... and the judge agreed to grant the motion.

Because the victim impact statements were thrown out, the judge also granted a motion to draft a new pre-sentence investigation report ... requested by both the defense and prosecutors.

Former 'Bachelor' Chris Soules will finally learn his fate in his fatal car crash case when he arrives to court for his sentencing at 11:30 AM PT ... and TMZ will be streaming live.

Soules is expected to arrive in Buchanan County, Iowa court any moment now and finally put the 2-year-old case behind him when a judge hands down his sentencing. As we reported ... Soules struck a plea deal back in November 2018 ... pleading guilty to 1 count of leaving the scene of a personal injury accident, which is an aggravated misdemeanor.

It was a HUGE plea deal considering he initially pled not guilty to a felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. As we first reported ... Soules was behind the wheel of a Chevy pickup when it rear-ended a John Deere tractor, sending it into a ditch.

The driver was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he died. Chris was the one who called 911 to report the accident but prosecutors said he fled the scene before cops got there. Soules was later arrested at his house, but not before refusing to come out at first.

Soules, who was "The Bachelor" for season 19 in 2015, could get up to 2 years in jail.

Stay tuned ...

The first accuser in the Kellen Winslow Jr. rape case is on the stand -- telling the court in graphic detail how the ex-NFL star raped her and then threatened to kill her in a supermarket parking lot.

The woman -- identified only as Jane Doe #1 -- is one of 3 accusers claiming she was raped by Winslow. Two other women in the case claim Winslow exposed himself in front of them.

During Tuesday's hearing, Jane Doe #1 -- a 54-year-old woman -- says she was hitchhiking in San Diego in 2018 when Winslow picked her up in a nice Jeep and took her to a Vons supermarket parking lot.

The woman says 35-year-old Winslow essentially mounted her in the car and forcibly raped her, causing her to bleed all over the place.

She claims Winslow eventually let her go but threatened her -- saying, "I'm going to f*cking kill you if you say anything and I'm going to kill you."

She added, "He threatened to kill me, and I really believe he would have."

Winslow is sitting in the courtroom and facing his accuser. He has previously denied ALL of the allegations ... insisting, "I am an innocent man."

He's facing multiple felony charges including kidnapping and forcible rape. If convicted on all counts, he faces life in prison.

Another 'Teen Mom' star is in hot water for alleged mistreatment of her dog, but Mackenzie McKee is insisting the animal wasn't abused and animal control only stepped in due to the threat of tornadoes.

The former "Teen Mom 3" star tells TMZ ... her neighbor in Miami, OK unnecessarily reported her for leaving Hank, her Harlequin Great Dane, alone in the backyard while she went on a cruise in the Bahamas.

Mackenzie says it's total BS that anyone thought she abandoned Hank. She says her mom and other family members were tending to the dog every day and Hank's pen was cleaned out daily.

As for pictures that surfaced showing dog feces throughout the pen ... Mackenzie claims the picture was taken right after Hank pooped. On Monday, the neighbor called animal control, which removed the dog -- but Mackenzie says that was because there had been tornado warnings in the area.

We've called animal control to confirm Mackenzie's side of the story ... but we're waiting to hear back.

Witnesses, however, paint a very different picture. We're told the neighbors called animal control because there was a storm Sunday and felt bad for Hank. They claim he had been crying for 4 days and whimpering outside without any decent cover from rain. We're told the neighbors added a wood pallet so Hank would avoid sitting in mud.

This, of course, is the latest incident involving animal control and a 'Teen Mom.' As you know by now ... Jenelle Evans' husband, David Eason, is under investigation for animal cruelty for fatally shooting her French bulldog. The fallout since has been immense ... Jenelle's kids have since been taken away from her but she continues to stand by him.

MMA fighter Josh Copeland pled guilty to felony 2nd-degree assault in his domestic violence case -- stemming from allegations he punched his wife in the face during a heated altercation.

As we previously reported, Copeland -- 6'1", 265 lbs -- was arrested in Colorado on Feb. 2 after his wife told police he hit her so hard, her face was bloodied and bruised when cops arrived.

The woman had admitted she slapped Copeland in the face multiple times during the altercation -- but said he took things to another level of violence ... and then stole her phone so she couldn't call for help.

Copeland was originally hit with 4 criminal charges including felony assault, domestic violence, obstruction of telephone and child abuse (because the altercation allegedly took place in front of their son).

But now, a court official tells TMZ Sports ... Copeland appeared in court on Tuesday and cut a plea deal with prosecutors.

Long story short ... Copeland pled guilty to 2nd and 3rd-degree assault and in exchange, the other charges were dropped.

As for the sentence, Copeland was given 2 years probation -- and the judge noted he could be locked up if he doesn't stay out of trouble for the next 24 months.

Copeland is allowed to travel for work (he's a pro-MMA fighter) -- but he'll have to check in with the court in 2021 to make sure he's kept his nose clean.

Copeland is 18 and 6 as a pro-MMA fighter -- and even had a stint in the UFC in 2014 and 2015.

The man who allegedly killed Nipsey Hussle went off the rails shortly before the incident, and pistol-whipped a guy over a drug deal gone wrong ... this according to new witness statements submitted to prosecutors.

The L.A. County DA's Office got the account from 2 women who say a male friend told them he was attacked at his apartment by murder suspect Eric Holder ... just an hour before Nipsey's murder.

According to the statements ... Holder lived in the same building as the guy and they sometimes hung out and smoked pot. The guy's story goes like this -- Holder showed up at his place around 2 PM on March 31, and he was pissed. He accused the neighbor of selling him weed that was laced with some other drug.

They went into the hallway to talk, and according to the statements ... Holder was "breathing very heavily and appeared very excited and very agitated." When Holder got more hostile, the neighbor tried to return to his apartment but was allegedly pistol-whipped in the back of the head.

According to the statements ... the neighbor was knocked down, but still conscious and claims he saw the gun on the floor. He describes it as a "big silver gun" and "semi-automatic."

The neighbor got up and safely retreated to his apartment, but says Holder was "shaking and looked very nervous" before leaving.

The women -- repped by attorney Harley D. Breite -- claim their friend admits to selling Holder $10 worth of pot, but it was straight from a dispensary and not laced, to his knowledge.

The neighbor told the women he learned a few days later that Holder was the suspect in Nipsey's murder case, but he was afraid to report his encounter because he knows Holder's a gang member. Plus, he DID sell him marijuana.

We broke the story ... Hussle was shot around 3 PM in L.A. on March 31 and pronounced dead at 3:55 PM at a downtown hospital. Video of the incident shows a man -- believed to be Holder -- shooting Nipsey outside his Marathon clothing store.

Holder was arrested 2 days later and eventually charged with murder. It's unclear if Holder intends to raise the allegedly laced weed as part of his defense.

As we reported, he's been in the market for a new attorney since Christopher Darden quit the case after he and family members received death threats.

21 Savage is shooting down any theory the so-called "hip-hop cops" are behind a rash of rapper arrests -- himself included -- and instead says ... some rappers just ain't too bright when it comes to the law.

Savage was leaving TAO Monday night in Hollywood and we asked if he had any advice for Kodak Black, who's been in federal custody since his arrest at Rolling Loud more than a week ago. Savage immediately made it clear his situation is NOT the same as Kodak's and, his bigger point -- "The law is the law. You break the law, you gotta deal with the consequences."

You gotta see the clip, because the ATL rapper seemed to dismiss any talk of law enforcement setting up rappers, and instead said ... some people are just stupid, and they gotta own up to it when they are.

It is true, however ... his and Kodak's cases aren't the same deal.

TMZ broke the story ... the feds say fingerprints, car rental records and ballistics all point to Kodak's involvement in a Florida shooting. Meanwhile, Savage is dealing with a pending immigration issue that could potentially end with his deportation to the UK.

Kodak's looking at hard time in a federal prison. At worst, Savage will be rich and chilling in London.

Kim Kardashian West was destined to spearhead criminal justice reform and free prisoners; she just needed a spark ... according to Alice Marie Johnson, the woman who provided that spark.

Alice joined "TMZ Live" Monday to talk about Kim's continued efforts and success in getting non-violent drug offenders out from under life sentences. She says she's incredibly proud -- and impressed -- by what Kim's doing ... but not surprised.

We broke the story ... since helping Alice get out of prison last year, Kim's helped free 17 more inmates over a recent span of 90 days.

She's also studying to become a lawyer so she can be better equipped for her charitable work.

Alice tells us she believes this passion was always inside of Kim waiting to be unleashed, and once she took a chance on her case -- and took it all the way to the White House -- the floodgates were opened.

Johnson's story is the subject of her new memoir 'After Life' ... and Kim's role is obviously significant. Kim also wrote the foreword for the book, and Alice says it's a must-read thing of beauty ... straight from the heart.

One of the female inmates featured in Netflix's new docuseries about life on the inside is right back where she started on the show ... behind bars in good old Sacramento.

Megan Hawkins -- known as "Monster" on the series -- was arrested in Elk Grove, CA Friday after she allegedly tried opening a bank account with an ID with someone else's name on it. Cops say that one of the bank employees recognized her from the show and called it in.

According to Elk Grove PD ... Megan was gone by the time officers arrived, but she hadn't gotten far. Police say they found her parked nearby in a vehicle that'd been reported stolen ... with tons of credit cards that didn't belong to her and a controlled substance.

She was arrested and booked for five felonies -- ranging from identity theft to forging or altering checks, just to name a couple. She's being held on a $10,000 bond in Sacramento County Jail -- the same place where she's featured for Netflix's new hit.

Megan is one of the most recognizable characters on the docuseries -- her tongue is split right down the middle ... hence the whole "monster" thing.

Leonard Fournette's car troubles seem to be officially behind him ... the Jaguars star just copped a plea deal in his car wash arrest case -- and he won't have to spend any time behind bars for the incident.

As we previously reported ... Fournette was busted last month after cops say he was speeding with illegal tint on his windows in Florida.

When cops pulled him over at the Easy Breezy Car Wash in Jacksonville ... they learned he was also driving on a suspended license and had a warrant out for his arrest stemming from a previous traffic violation -- so they cuffed him.

Fournette was hit with multiple charges including driving on a suspended license and was facing up to 60 days in jail.

But, the good news for the 24-year-old ... he paid off the fines from his previous traffic issues and when his attorney showed up in court Monday -- he struck a deal with prosecutors on the new charges too.

Court records show Fournette pled no contest to driving without a valid driver's license, and in exchange, his speeding and illegal tint charges were dropped.

Leonard was forced to pay roughly $300 in fines and court fees.

11:47 AM PT -- Unser was so drunk, he couldn't stand up straight and actually fell down an embankment during the arrest ... this according to court docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

The responding officer says he initially pulled Unser over when he saw the racing legend whiz by him in a black Volkswagen Beetle around 1:12 AM.

During the stop, the officer says Unser reeked of booze and couldn't keep his balance ... and the entire time Unser insisted he hadn't had anything to drink before getting behind the wheel.

At one point, the officer says ... "Unser Jr. walked onto the embankment, lost his balance, fell to the ground and rolled down the embankment."

Unser refused breath tests and other field sobriety tests so he was cuffed and taken to the station for a blood draw.

The officer says Unser was a pain in the ass during the entire ordeal -- "he was consistently verbally hostile" toward the cops involved in the situation.

No word on the results of the blood draw ... yet.

Well, this is bad ...

Racing legend Al Unser Jr. -- who won the Indy 500 TWICE -- was arrested for drunk driving in Indianapolis early Monday morning, officials say.

The 57-year-old was pulled over in Hendricks County -- and officers suspected he was drunk. He was hauled to a nearby station where Unser was booked around 3:20 AM.

Court records show he's facing 3 charges -- improper lane usage, speeding and operating while intoxicated.

If Unser doesn't seem fazed in his mug shot ... it's because it's the 3RD TIME he's been arrested for drunk driving.

He was previously popped for drunk driving in 2007 and 2011.

Obviously, Unser struggles with alcohol abuse. He was also arrested in 2002 after a booze-fueled altercation with his then-girlfriend.

Unser has spoken publicly about his issues and has tried to get help multiple times.

Unser retired from racing back in 2007 after a stellar career which includes an Indy 500 win in 1992 and again in 1994.

Jenelle Evans and David Eason are sticking together -- very publicly, actually -- and now that their kids have been removed from their house, they're tending to home improvements.

The embattled couple took a trip to a Lowe's in North Carolina Sunday to pick up a shopping cart full of items ... looks like they've got a lot of chores planned.

David was dressed in all black, including a "Redneck Nation" t-shirt with a Confederate flag and the words "Family, Tradition, Heritage" on it. The "Family" part is interesting ... because theirs has been in turmoil since Eason shot and killed the family dog for nipping at their daughter.

Jenelle's wearing something interesting too -- her wedding ring. She's clearly showing she's standing by her husband despite the fact his actions have torn apart their family.

As we've reported ... Evans was fired from "Teen Mom 2" shortly after the dog killing incident, and her children have been removed from their custody under a judge's order.

She and David appeared together in court Thursday to fight to get the kids back, but it doesn't look like they were successful.

Eason didn't do anything to quell fears he's a dangerous dude while leaving the courthouse either ... he had a gun in plain sight on his dashboard as he drove away.