Crime

Hip-hop artist Sosamann was allegedly involved in cajoling 2 young women to come to California with promises of living the Hollywood dream ... then forcing them to turn tricks instead.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the women were arrested in a prostitution sting in L.A. earlier this month, and during police questioning they claimed the rapper and others lured them to the West Coast, then forced them into selling themselves for sex.

The women also claim they were unable to escape.

We're told cops investigated and arrested a group of people for human trafficking ... including the rapper.

Sosamann was arrested and booked on a felony charge on May 11, but was released the next day after posting a $100k bail. He's due in court next month.

No further details are available, but we're told the investigation is ongoing.

Sosamann's been around for a few years, but recently released a track featuring NBA YoungBoy titled "Who I Am."

Dennis Rodman says he doesn't hit people -- and never has in his life -- so the latest claim that he randomly smacked a guy at a bar is total BS.

TMZ Sports got Rodman in Orange County, CA Friday and asked about what allegedly went down last week in Delray Beach, Florida ... he didn't want to divulge much, but he clearly denies any sort of assault.

We broke the story ... 30-year-old Jeff Soulouque claims the former NBA rebound king slapped him at the Buddha Sky Bar on May 17 "unprovokedly," which injured his eye. He filed a police report the next day.

Cops investigated, and found a witness named David Lee Roth -- but not THE David Lee Roth -- who corroborated Soulouque's story.

Rodman's been listed as an official suspect in an alleged battery as police continue their investigation, but he doesn't seem too worried about it. He insists "nothing happened" ... and his lawyers are dealing with it.

Rodman's attorney, Lorne Berkeley, already told us Dennis denies the allegations and adds that he was sober the entire night in question and nobody he was with saw a slapping incident.

Adam "Pacman" Jones is retiring from the NFL after 14 years and 12 seasons that were a mix of success, turbulence and controversy ... but it was always interesting.

The former Bengals cornerback was drafted in 2005 by the Tennesee Titans and played there for 2 seasons, before missing the 2007 season due to suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy.

He returned in '08 for the Cowboys, was out of the league again in '09 ... then made a solid comeback in 2010 with the Bengals, where he was named a First-Team All-Pro in 2014 and a Pro Bowler in 2015. After 8 seasons in Cincy, he finished his career in 2018 with the Broncos.

Pacman's retirement news comes on the heels of his arrest and guilty plea in an Indiana casino cheating case, in which he agreed to a short jail stint and serving a probation period that will bar him from drinking booze for a year and a half.

It could have been a lot worse for him, though -- he was originally hit with a bevy of charges including felony intimidation, felony battery against an officer and several misdemeanors. Video of the intense incident was obtained by TMZ Sports earlier this month.

Jones has been a lightning rod for years before the casino altercation too -- whether he's getting into airport scuffles, weighing in on the NFL kneeling discussion, going on hotel tirades, crashing cars or getting kicked out of other casinos.

Like we said ... always interesting.

Remy Ma's been hit with a new criminal complaint for allegedly punching Brittney Taylor ... and there are some very significant updates.

Prosecutors filed 4 charges against the rapper Friday -- 2 counts of assault in the third degree, 1 count of aggravated harassment in the second degree, and 1 count of harassment in the second degree ... all of which are misdemeanors.

The charges stem from an incident in April, in which Remy allegedly punched the "Love & Hip Hop: New York" star in the right eye while backstage at the Pretty Lou Benefit Concert at Irving Plaza in NYC. She was initially booked for misdemeanor assault after turning herself in ... but prosecutors have now made the multiple charges official.

Here's what's interesting ... Remy's attorney, Dawn Florio, tells TMZ that prosecutors have updated the time in which they claim the attack went down, from 9:30 PM to 10:30 PM. We're told they still do not have any video of the alleged attack.

However, the timing is important because as we told you ... Remy claimed she had visual proof she was nowhere near the venue or Taylor at the time she was accused of punching her, which was 9:30. Now that's been updated to an hour later to match up with the rapper being present at the concert.

Though she's facing 4 charges, we're told Remy has been offered a deal to plead guilty to just the top charge -- assault in the third degree -- and the rest will be dropped. She'd also have to enter a long-term anger management program.

Wendy Williams has put a wall up between her son and his father ... so claims Kevin Hunter Sr., who fears the fight that led to Kevin Jr.'s arrest has solidified the wall with indestructible mortar.

Sources with direct knowledge of the divorce say Wendy's estranged husband has been vocal, accusing Wendy of poisoning his relationship with their son, getting in his ear and talking smack about him ... at least that's what he's been saying.

We're told Kevin Sr. has made several attempts in recent weeks to spend time with his son to repair the relationship, but he got the cold shoulder. He's also sent his boy lengthy texts ... only to get one-word replies.

Our sources say before Wendy filed for divorce, the Kevins were super tight ... so Sr. claims the trigger for the change has to be Wendy. Of course, the marriage fell apart because Kevin apparently had a child out of wedlock with another woman. He says he's admitted his wrongdoing but feels Wendy's feelings have been transferred to Jr.

We broke the story ... Wendy's son was arrested for assault after he got into an altercation with his dad in a New Jersey parking lot and allegedly punched him in the nose after Sr. put Jr. in a headlock.

We're told the fight erupted over an argument involving Kevin Sr.'s demand for spousal support. They also beefed over Sr.'s claim Wendy was sabotaging his relationship with Jr.

5/24 9:30 AM PT -- Batali appeared in court and pled not guilty. He was released on his own recognizance but ordered to stay away from and have no contact with the alleged victim. His next court date's in July, but he does not have to be there.

Mario Batali allegedly forced himself on a woman in a Boston restaurant -- kissing and groping her without consent -- and now prosecutors are charging him.

The disgraced chef and restaurateur was hit with indecent assault and battery charges for the alleged incident in March 2017. He's expected to be arraigned in a Boston courthouse Friday.

As we've reported ... several women came forward last year and accused Batali of sexual harassment and other misconduct. He's already had three other cases dropped in NYC due to insufficient evidence.

Batali's denied claims of sexual assault, but the series of allegations led to him getting cut from his business group and surrendering all of his restaurants. He was also axed from the show "The Chew."

Along with the new criminal charge, he's facing a sexual assault lawsuit from a woman named Natali Tene who claims Batali kissed and groped her against her will in a Boston bar.

It's unclear if Tene is also the alleged victim in the criminal case -- the name has been redacted in court docs. However, there are reports she is.

The man who claims he's Charles Manson's grandson has to s*** or get off the pot ... at least that's what the murderer's estate is demanding.

Jason Freeman claims he's the son of Charles Manson, Jr., which therefore makes him the grandson of the notorious head of the Manson Family. He's gunning to become the administrator of the estate and the sole beneficiary of Manson's estate.

Here's the problem for Freeman ... Manson left a will, leaving all of his assets, including his "exclusive music catalog" to one of his pen pals, named Michael Channels.

Freeman, who claims Manson was worth millions at the time of his death, wants to invalidate the will and step in position to inherit the estate as next of kin. Freeman's dad died in 1993.

The Estate has asked Freeman to take a DNA test to prove one way or the other if he's related, but according to legal docs, he's repeatedly refused. So, the Estate is now asking a judge to order a DNA test.

The Estate concedes this ... an Ohio court found Freeman is related to Manson, but the estate calls the ruling "muddled."

As for the pen pal ... he and Manson exchanged letters and phone calls for 2 decades. The pen pal occasionally visited Manson in prison. Manson's handwritten will looks like the real deal, but Freeman clearly is not convinced.

As for what Manson really has ... he did write a Beach Boys song that made the B side of one of the group's singles back in the day.

Mama June needs help -- and her family recognized as much when they confronted her in an intervention, which features MJ in a decrepit state ... busted teeth and all.

June was sat down by a roomful of family members earlier this month in a staged intervention that went down at her sister's home. With the help of Dr. Ish Major, her family pled with her to straighten out her life ... which appears to mostly be falling on deaf ears here.

One of the more heartbreaking moments ... June's youngest daughter, Alana -- aka Honey Boo Boo -- breaks down crying at one point, saying she wants to move back home.

Check it out ... Mama June has become a shell of herself since she got arrested for possession of crack cocaine in March with boyfriend Geno Doak. Her teeth -- which she'd recently gotten fixed up -- are literally falling apart. She also collapses on camera.

We've also obtained a clip -- that will air this week -- of June's daughter, Pumpkin, and her sister discussing June's arrest from earlier this year.

Rather than stay away from Geno -- like her family has suggested, and a judge ordered -- she's been shacking up with him since the arrest ... and has been hitting the slots on and off a lot as well. BTW ... we're told Geno wasn't present for the intervention.

As we've reported ... HBB has had to move in with her older sister, Pumpkin, while MJ has allegedly moved into a casino. The preview addresses that issue as well, and a suggestion that could affect June's child for years to come ... if her ma doesn't get it together.

Dennis Rodman allegedly slapped a man at his own birthday party in Florida last week ... and cops say the key witness in the case is DAVID LEE ROTH!!!

... unfortunately, it's just not THAT David Lee Roth.

It's all spelled out in the police report obtained by TMZ Sports ... in which the Delray Beach Police Dept. describe an alleged battery on May 17 at the Buddha Sky Bar.

The alleged victim is 30-year-old Jeff Soulouque -- who says he was hanging at the party when Dennis "unprovokedly turned around and smacked him," right in the face.

Soulouque claims Rodman immediately began apologizing for the incident and invited him out to dinner the following night in an attempted peace offering.

But, Soulouque tells TMZ Sports he was really hurt -- and went to the hospital where he was diagnosed with a left corneal abrasion. He went to cops the day after the incident and filed a report.

Cops launched an investigation and called up a witness named David Lee Roth -- who, shockingly, is NOT the Van Halen singer. Still, cops say DLR corroborated Soulouque's story.

"Roth stated he was about twenty feet away and he saw Rodman turn around and open hand smack Soulouque two times," the report states.

Cops are now on the hunt for video of the incident and have listed Rodman as an official suspect in an alleged battery.

As for Rodman, his attorney, Lorne Berkeley, denies his client slapped anyone, telling TMZ Sports ... “I’ve spoken with people who were with Dennis the entire night of the alleged incident at Buddha Sky Bar. No one saw any such incident occur and Dennis was sober the entire night.”

“Currently the matter is in its preliminary stages but we fully expect after a thorough investigation that no such incident will be substantiated. Dennis denies any such incident occurred.”

It's just the latest in a string of bizarre incidents involving the NBA legend -- who is also being investigated in California for his role in an alleged clothing heist at a Newport Beach yoga studio.

10:20 AM PT -- Hickerson appeared in court this morning and pled not guilty to the charge. His bail was set at $50k. The judge also issued a protective order that prohibits Hickerson from being 100 yards near Panettiere or contacting her. He'll be back in court next month.

Hayden Panettiere's boyfriend is in serious trouble following his arrest for domestic violence ... 'cause TMZ's learned he's now facing a charge that could land him in prison.

The L.A. County District Attorney's Office has charged Hayden's BF, Brian Hickerson, with 1 count of felony domestic violence. If he's convicted, Brian faces up to 4 years in prison.

TMZ broke the story ... Brian was arrested earlier this month after an argument with Hayden allegedly turned physical. As we told you ... the couple had been out drinking before an argument ensued at their pad. Law enforcement sources initially said the injuries were marks and redness, but we're now told the injuries were far more serious.

Cops arrested Brian almost immediately after the altercation after determining he started the fight. Hayden and Brian have been dating since last summer.

Amber Heard has gone from Queen of the Sea to a real-life superhero ... fighting to make revenge porn a federal crime.

We got Amber out Wednesday afternoon on Capitol Hill where she was advocating for the SHIELD Act ... a bill that would make sharing nude pics or videos of a person without their consent a crime, punishable by up to 5 years in prison.

A second woman just testified that ex-NFL star Kellen Winslow Jr. threatened to murder her while raping her in 2018 ... echoing allegations from another woman who testified Tuesday.

The 58-year-old woman -- identified as Jane Doe #2 in court -- alleges Winslow picked her up on May 18, 2018 in the San Diego area in order to take her on a coffee date.

But, instead of getting drinks at a nearby cafe ... she says Winslow pulled over on the side of the road in a remote area and raped her.

She claims during the act, he put his hands around her neck and said, "'If you scream,' I don't know if it was, 'I'll choke you to death' or 'I'll murder you.'"

The woman says after Kellen was finished ... he drove her away from the area and again threatened to kill her "if you tell anyone."

The woman says she thought she was going to die multiple times during the encounter, telling the court Wednesday, "I was very afraid. The whole time I thought I was never going to get out alive."

Remember, on Tuesday, another woman using the alias Jane Doe #1 told a similar story -- claiming Winslow picked her up while hitchhiking in 2018 and violently raped her before threatening to kill her if she told anyone.

Winslow has been in court all week facing his accusers -- he's been charged with multiple felonies including kidnapping and forcible rape. If convicted on all counts, he faces life in prison.

Michael Avenatti has just been indicted on new charges ... alleging he stole money from a former client ... and sources tell TMZ it's Stormy Daniels.

The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York has charged the disgraced attorney with 1 count of wire fraud and 1 count of aggravated identity theft charges. The feds say he fraudulently diverted money the client -- Stormy -- was owed on a book deal to an account he controlled.

According to prosecutors, he did this by sending a fraudulent letter purporting to contain his client's signature to Stormy's literary agent. According to the complaint ... Stormy didn't know the letter existed much less sign off on it.

He allegedly used the money from that account to pay for airfare, hotels, restaurants, meal deliveries and meet payroll for his businesses. In total, he allegedly diverted around $300k ... and although he sent her around half that, prosecutors say he hasn't paid her the balance.

Avenatti just denied the charges, tweeting, "At no time was any money misappropriated or mishandled." He went on to explain how he was entitled to some of the money as part of his fee.

If convicted on the new charges, Avenatti faces up to 20 years for the wire fraud count and a mandatory term of 2 years on the aggravated identity theft charge.

NFL investigators have still NOT spoken directly with Tyreek Hill about his child abuse allegations -- so says Roger Goodell who says the league is trying to stay out the court's way.

The K.C. Chiefs star was suspended from all team activities back in April after disturbing audio surfaced featuring the NFL star arguing with his girlfriend, Crystal Espinal.

During the argument, Espinal accuses Hill of breaking their 3-year-old son's arm and claims the kid is "terrified" of the NFL star ... to which Hill responds, "You need to be terrified of me too, bitch."

Fast forward to Wednesday ... when Goodell faced the media at the NFL Spring Meeting in Florida where he was asked how the league is handling the Hill situation.

"As you know, there's a court proceeding still going on involving CPS [Child Protective Services] and we will not interfere with that," Goodell said.

"The priority is this young child. So we will obviously be cooperative of whatever the court wants there."

Goodell explained, "We are prepared to go ahead and have an interview [Hill] whenever we have the permission to do so. And then we'll make a determination based on what information we have at that point in time.

"And so, again, I won't speculate on where we'll go but we'll certainly get all the information we can as soon as possible."

The Johnson County District Attorney's office is reportedly still considering levying charges on the star receiver ... and the couple is also currently in court fighting like hell to keep custody of the kid.

Ricky Schroder won't be prosecuted for allegedly hitting his girlfriend a second time ... TMZ has learned.

According to legal docs, the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office won't be pursuing charges against Ricky after the alleged victim told cops it was an accident.

The D.A. states Ricky's girlfriend first implied he hit her on purpose and later said it was an accident that she might've caused. The D.A.'s Office says Schroder's GF was interviewed the next day after initially calling cops and told officers that he struck her when she startled him while he was sleeping and under the influence of alcohol and Ambien.

Per the interview she gave cops, she said Ricky flailed his arms and accidentally hit her. Prosecutors also say the case was difficult to prove because she too was under the influence at the time.

Moreover, the D.A.'s Office notes that Schroder's girlfriend was initially uncooperative when cops arrived on the scene and attempted to take a video of her alleged injuries the day she made the call.

As we reported ... Schroder's business team bailed on him after his second arrest related to domestic violence allegations. He was arrested back in April for another incident related to his GF, but that case was also declined by the D.A.'s Office.

Meek Mill's been getting a raw deal from Judge Genece Brinkley and deserves a new trial without her on the bench ... and that's according to the District Attorney in Philly.

The D.A.'s Office just filed new docs in Pennsylvania Superior Court stating Judge Brinkley's appearance of bias has been evident throughout the case ... and therefore, Meek should be retried in his probation violation case.

You'll recall, Judge Brinkley sentenced Meek to 2 to 4 years in state prison -- which was eventually set aside when Meek was released in April 2018 ... promptly boarding a chopper with 76ers owner Michael Rubin.

Since then, he appealed and asked for a new trial, but Judge Brinkley shot him down last June ... refusing to grant the retrial.

It's kind of extraordinary ... with Wednesday's filing, you now have the D.A. on the record siding with the defendant. In the docs, obtained by TMZ, the D.A. calls out Brinkley's bias against Meek ... singling out a surprise visit she made to a homeless shelter where Meek was doing court-ordered community service.

The D.A. points out that's not what judges do ... that's for probation officers who report back to the judge. According to the docs, Brinkley also "abused her discretion" when she hit him with the 2 to 4 year sentence for "technical violations" of his probation. Still, she has repeatedly refused to recuse herself from the case.

Even the D.A. says Meek serves no threat to the community, and had completed drug treatment -- and, therefore, deserves another shot in court ... sans Brinkley.