Crime

R. Kelly's former manager has just been indicted in Georgia for allegedly threatening to kill the father of one of Kelly's girlfriends.

The Henry County District Attorney tells TMZ ... James Mason was indicted Thursday on one felony count of making terroristic threats. We're told the felony charge is punishable by 1 to 10 years in prison.

We broke the story ... Joycelyn Savage's father, Timothy Savage, went to cops in May 2018 claiming Mason called him and said, "I'm gonna do harm to you and your family, when I see you I'm gonna get you, I'm going to f***ing kill you."

As we reported ... the Henry County Sherriff's Dept. issued an arrest warrant for Mason in August 2018 and he later turned himself in. He was released on $10k bond and ordered to stay away from the Savage family.

The attorney for the Savage family, Gerald A. Griggs, responded to Mason's indictment, saying, "Today's indictment of Henry James Mason, former manager of R Kelly, further underscores the public accountability that victims and families are pressing on R Kelly and his team.

He continued, "The Savage family will not be bullied or threatened in their quest to reunite with Joycelyn. Let this be a message to all associates of Robert Sylvester Kelly that the Savages are serious about justice and accountability."

Cops in Toronto have arrested the moronic Raptors fan who went on a live TV news broadcast and said he was going to "F**k" Ayesha Curry.

The incident occurred on June 2 following the Raptors loss to the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the NBA Finals ... a game in which Ayesha's husband, Steph Curry, dropped 23 points and 4 assists.

A CP24 news reporter in Canada was interviewing Raptors fans during a live news broadcast after the game to get their reactions when 28-year-old Tristan Warkentin stepped up to the mic.

When asked what it was like to be at the stadium for the game, Warkentin responded ... "The vibe was unreal and I just want to let everyone know Ayesha Curry we're gonna f**k her right in the p**sy."

The Toronto Police Service says Warkentin was arrested for criminal mischief since he knew his comments would air on live TV.

A court date has been set for July 11.

After the incident, Warkentin said he had been receiving death threats because of his comments.

He also told the Toronto Sun, "I’m not in a position to defend myself in terms of what happened. I am sure you understand the influence of alcohol."

"What I did was disgraceful; it was an alcohol-influenced situation ... To be honest I don’t even remember being there but I am responsible for my own actions at the end of the day” and “am not sitting here claiming victim.”

7:42 AM PT -- The hearing is over. Kelly entered a not guilty plea on the new charges and will be back in court at the end of the month.

7:13 AM PT -- Kelly has just arrived, flanked by his usual crew as he strutted into the Chi-town courthouse.

R. Kelly is back in a Chicago courthouse for a hearing on the new round of sexual assault and abuse charges he's facing ... and TMZ is streaming live.

The embattled musician will be present Thursday, along with his attorney, Steven Greenberg, for his arraignment. Greenberg, tells us his client plans to plead not guilty to all 11 charges.

As we reported ... Kelly was hit last week with 11 felonies related to sexual assault and various abuse in Illinois. The Cook County State's Attorney's Office charged him with 5 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, 4 counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault and 2 counts of criminal sexual assault.

In legal docs, Kelly is accused of forcing contact between his penis and the alleged victim's mouth and committing an act of sexual penetration on a victim listed only as "J.P." The alleged incident occurred in January 2010, when the victim was under the age of 18.

Kelly's crisis manager, Darrell Johnson, had already told us his client denies all accusations and maintains his innocence. Hence, the not guilty plea today.

Thursday's hearing, which is set to begin around 7:30 AM PT, is separate from the 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse Kelly is already facing in Cook County. There are also 3 federal probes underway -- 2 in New York's Eastern and Southern Districts and another in the Northern District of Illinois.

Chris Jackson -- one of the actors in Ava DuVernay's new series about the Central Park 5 -- says it's up to viewers to decide how accurately they portrayed real people ... but most importantly, he wants viewers to be inspired.

Chris was out in NYC Wednesday when we asked him why he wanted to be a part of "When They See Us," and aside from the obvious -- working with Ava -- he says the story was too important not to tell.

As for the backlash against key figures in the case, specifically Linda Fairstein, he says it can't make up for the 5 boys being falsely convicted -- or the ordeal the Central park jogger, Trisha Meili, had to endure.

Chris played the attorney for Raymond Santana -- one of the 5 -- and says he doesn't believe filmmakers have to be married to ALL the facts when retelling real incidents. He says above all else, they're storytellers -- and viewers should do their own research to get ALL the details.

As we've reported, the Central Park jogger case has been a hot button issue this week due to "When They See Us," and Fairstein's taken the brunt of the backlash.

Many folks, including Santana and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, believe her reckoning is overdue.

Le'Veon Bell lost more than HALF A MILLION dollars in jewelry-- including his beloved Black Panther chain -- after 2 of his female friends allegedly swiped his belongings from his Florida home last month.

According to Hollywood PD ... the NY Jets running back came home from a gym workout on May 25 and noticed some things were missing -- his 2 gold and diamond chains, a Rolex watch, the Black Panther pendent ... as well as the 2 girls who were chilling at his house.

The valuables are worth $520,000 in total.

Sources tell us Le'Veon -- who just signed a 4-year, $52.5 million deal with the Jets back in March -- made his new team aware of the theft after the incident occurred.

Jussie Smollett did not want to call police immediately after he was allegedly attacked ... at least according to a friend who did make a 911 call.

On the January 29 phone call, which Chicago PD just released, the friend says Jussie's "attackers" wrapped a noose around his neck, after getting jumped as he left a Subway restaurant.

The caller says Jussie didn't want to file a report, but he was going to force him to do so. The male friend sounded panicked as he said, "They put a noose around his neck" and added ... "this is really f**ked up."

Police had said the 911 call was made 40 minutes after Jussie got back to his Chicago apartment.

We broke the story ... Jussie claims he was jumped by 2 men who not only put the rope around his neck, but doused him in liquid he thought was bleach and yelled, "This is MAGA country!"

Police say Jussie staged the "attack" and charged him with filing a false police report ... but the charges were eventually dropped by the Cook County State's Attorney's Office.

The saying "silence speaks volumes" couldn't be more true for Linda Fairstein and her book publishers, who've signaled where they stand on the uproar against her ... by remaining silent and doing nothing.

Despite a massive amount of backlash and scrutiny that's forced the D.A.'s former lead investigator on the Central Park Five case to resign from boards of directors -- there have been no consequences for her in the publishing world, where she's made a killing.

TMZ has reached out to multiple people at both Penguin Random House and its subsidiary, Dutton -- two publishing companies that have peddled her 14 novels -- but we haven't heard a peep.

An online push to boycott her publishers and distributors erupted when the Netflix series, "When They See Us" -- about the CP5 case -- premiered last Friday.

We've reached out to 6 different people at both PRH and Dutton, including reps from Linda's literary agency, ICM Partners -- but still ... radio silence.

It's interesting ... Fairstein resigned from her leadership positions at nonprofit Safe Horizon as well as from Vassar College after immense outrage over her role in wrongfully prosecuting and securing convictions against the then-teenagers ... which is captured in Netflix's new "When They See Us."

She was even publicly rebuked by Glamour Magazine, which said it was a mistake to give her the Woman of the Year Award in '93 ... adding they wouldn't do it again.

Still, despite all that ... nothing seems to have changed on the book front, which is where the initial outcry began this weekend. You'll recall ... many, many people called for retailers to yank Fairstein's novels from their shelves, which CP5 exoneree Raymond Santana was down with.

The criminal investigation into Cristiano Ronaldo's rape allegation is still active, the Las Vegas Metro Police Dept. says.

Kathryn Mayorga, the woman behind the allegations, had dropped her civil case filed in state court in Nevada earlier this month -- making some people wonder if the two sides had reached a settlement.

But, Mayorga's attorney, Larissa Drohobyczer, says Kathryn is NOT backing down -- they're simply moving the lawsuit from state court to federal court, where it's easier to sue someone who lives abroad.

"We basically just switched venues but the claims and lawsuit still remains," Drohobyczer tells TMZ Sports.

In other words, Mayorga's team was having trouble serving Ronaldo with the court papers -- but the laws in federal court are more favorable for a person suing someone who lives out of the country.

Per Drohobyczer, they are still waiting for confirmation from the Italian government that Ronaldo has been served with the lawsuit.

As we previously reported, Mayorga claims Ronaldo raped her in a Las Vegas hotel room back in 2009.

She had initially filed a police report describing the alleged crime -- but didn't identify Ronaldo by name.

In her original lawsuit, Mayorga says she later accepted a $375,000 payment in exchange for her silence -- but now, she wants that agreement voided.

Logan Paul's asking nicely -- please don't show up to his house unannounced ... UNLESS you're there to get the hell beat out of you, because that's great for YouTube views.

We got LP outside Beauty & Essex restaurant in Hollywood Tuesday night, shortly after we broke the story ... a man showed up at his Encino home uninvited 2 days in a row, forcing Logan to call the cops and file a trespassing report.

Logan tells us it's not an unusual occurrence, but he'd like it to stop ... because, believe it or not, he actually values his privacy.

HOWEVER, Logan concedes that sometimes dudes showing up at his pad is totally cool ... if they have a gimmick and are down to get in the ring with him and get knocked out.

Case in point -- last week when fellow YouTuber ViktorCrazy camped out outside his gate dressed as Ivan Drago and demanded a boxing bout ... he got promptly whooped. Logan says that video was the best vlog he's had in a while.

So, there ya go clout chasers ... if you really want to walk the line of trespassing to take a chance at meeting Logan at his home, just have a game plan and be ready to get your ass kicked.

Linda Fairstein's presence on a nonprofit's board shocked some members of the org, but long before she resigned ... there were some who wanted her booted because they knew about her history with the Central Park 5 case.

TMZ spoke with a handful of former and current members of Safe Horizon -- the New York-based org that helps victims of abuse and violent crimes -- and they said Linda's position on the board of directors was known to be heavily criticized by many staffers.

We're told the disapproval dates back to at least 2016.

We're told a number of staffers had complained, and even went through proper channels all the way up to the CEO, only to be ignored time and time again.

The main gripe was Fairstein didn't represent Safe Horizon's values -- specifically, assisting abuse victims who are predominantly people of color. They felt her role in the CP5 case could undermine their work and image.

Remember, Fairstein was one of the lead investigators for the prosecution on the 1989 case. She's long been criticized for allegedly coercing false confessions out of the 5 boys ... leading to their convictions. That's a central plot in the Netflix series, "When They See Us."

Although they were exonerated by DNA evidence in 2002 ... Linda, to this day, maintains they did it.

We're told another issue for Safe Horizon staff was Linda's link to the Harvey Weinstein scandal when it broke in 2017. She was one of many high-level attorneys Weinstein met with through the years ... allegedly to influence the Manhattan D.A.'s Office -- where Fairstein used to work -- to drop sexual misconduct cases against him.

Sources close to Weinstein tell us he never retained Fairstein as an attorney and was simply asking his longtime friend for "off the record advice" on how to handle one particular allegation against him.

Again ... we're told their concerns of Safe Horizon employees fell on deaf ears.

5:19 PM PT -- A rep for Safe Horizon tells us, "After careful consideration, Lina Fairstein has made the difficult decision to resign from the Safe Horizon Board of Directors. We thank her for her decades of pioneering work on behalf of victims of sexual assault and abuse. For more than 40 years, Safe Horizon's top priority has been empowering victims and survivors."

The statement continues, "We believe every victim deserves access to safety and support and will continue working toward that reality."

2:37 PM PT -- Fairstein has just resigned from her position on the board with Safe Horizon, but also insists she's the one who's been done wrong by the Netflix series, "When They See Us."

Fairstein sent a letter to Safe Horizon saying the program "depicts me, in a fictionalized version of events, in a grossly and maliciously inaccurate manner."

The NY Post first published details from Fairstein's letter, in which she said she was leaving Safe Horizon's board to avoid becoming a "lightning rod to inflict damage on this organization."

However, she took a parting shot, saying the group's CEO "declined to meet with me to learn the truths behind the inflammatory and false narrative depicted in a movie."

She also described the #CancelLindaFairstein movement as a "mob-mentality reaction."

Linda Fairstein, a key figure in the wrongful prosecution of the Central Park 5, is facing a new backlash -- the nonprofit organization she worked on for nearly 20 years wants her canceled ... TMZ has learned.

Ever since Ava DuVernay's Netflix series, "When They See Us," debuted over the weekend, Fairstein has been feeling the heat. She was head of the Manhattan D.A.'s Sex Crimes Unit in 1989 when the 5 boys were convicted ... and her role in coercing confessions is sparking renewed outrage.

Sources at Safe Horizon -- a nonprofit aiding victims of abuse and violent crime in NYC -- tell us its staffers are incensed the former prosecutor's been allowed to remain on the board for so long, considering her checkered past.

We're told the animosity began when the CEO held a meeting on May 21 where nearly 100 directors were informed about the Netflix drama and Fairstein's connection to it.

We're told some staffers didn't even know Fairstein was on the board of directors, and when they found out tempers quickly flared. Many questioned why she was allowed on the board of an organization that mostly serves minorities.

Felicity Huffman plays Fairstein in "When They See Us" which documents her controversial role in getting the 5 boys -- all black or Hispanic -- to confess, under heavy duress, to the 1989 rape and attack of a Central Park jogger.

We're told Safe Horizon staffers accused Fairstein of racism and demanded her immediate dismissal, but the CEO asked for time to evaluate.

Our sources say a majority of Safe Horizon's directors are fed up, and plan to take legal action this week to get Fairstein 86'd if the CEO won't do it.

As we first reported, Central Park Five exoneree Raymond Santana believes Fairstein -- who became a successful author -- is finally getting what she deserves. That includes the growing boycott of her books and publishers.

As he puts it, "Even if it's 30 years later, she has to pay for her crime."

2:08 PM PT -- Fairstein just resigned from the Board of Trustees at Vassar College in New York.

Linda Fairstein, a central figure in the wrongful prosecution of the Central Park 5, is facing even more fallout ... Glamour magazine says they messed up when they honored her as their woman of the year.

Fairstein was Glamour's Woman of the Year in 1993 ... only a few years after she helped convict the Central Park 5 as head of the Manhattan D.A.'s Sex Crimes Unit.

On Tuesday, Glamour issued a scathing rebuke of their decision to honor Linda ... saying, "Unequivocally, Glamour would not bestow this honor on her today."

Linda is getting crucified on social media in the wake of Netflix's new show about the case and its aftermath ... and some people are now directing their hate toward Glamour, calling the mag out for promoting "When They See Us" ...yet staying silent on Fairstein until finally caving Tuesday to mounting pressure.

TMZ broke the story ... Fairstein is facing huge backlash in the wake of Ava DuVernay's new Netflix show, and a nonprofit organization Fairstein worked with for nearly 2 decades wants to force her out.

As we first told you ... Central Park 5 exoneree Raymond Santana told us he believes karma is finally catching up to Fairstein, who became a successful author of children's books and mysteries -- with people calling for a boycott of her books and publishers.

Fairstein has been silent ... making no comment since "When They See Us" debuted last weekend.

12:50 PM PT -- The Broward Sheriff's Office has also fired Peterson for neglecting his duties at the high school on the day of the shooting after an internal investigation.

The Broward County Sheriff's Deputy who fled at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School when a mass shooting broke out has been arrested for failing to do his job and help limit the carnage ... and he's facing up to 96 years in prison.

Scot Peterson has been arrested and charged in Florida and has been hit with 11 criminal charges stemming from the Parkland shooting on February 14, 2018.

The charges include 7 counts of child neglect, 3 counts of culpable negligence and one count of perjury. This comes after a 14-month investigation where law enforcement interviewed 184 witnesses and reviewed countless hours of surveillance footage.

Peterson's bond has been set at $102k ... but if he posts it he'll be required to wear a GPS monitor, turn in his passport and forfeit any firearms he has.

As we reported ... Peterson was tasked to guard the school, but video shows him running away from danger when 19-year-old gunman Nikolas Cruz opened fire on the school.

He's also been sued by families of the victims.

11:46 AM PT -- Jenelle and her mom, Barbara, just had a nasty little exchange outside the courthouse. Barbara insinuates the only reason Jenelle was hugging her daughter is for the cameras ... and Jenelle says Barbara -- who currently has custody of Ensley -- has blocked her number.

10:49 AM PT -- Jenelle just had an emotional moment with 2-year-old Ensley, hugging her daughter in the parking lot before Ensley left with Jenelle's mom, Barbara.

10:13 AM PT-- Jenelle and David just left court -- sans any of their kids -- we're told they were simply there to give the judge updates on their progress with parenting classes and couple's counseling.

Jenelle Evans and David Eason are back in court desperately trying to regain custody of their kids ... and at least one of the ex-'Teen Mom' star's kids was present.

Jenelle and David showed up together Tuesday to court in North Carolina in their ongoing Child Protective Services case ... but had nothing to say to our camera. As you know ... the troubled couple has been making court visits almost weekly since David shot and killed the family's dog.

Not long after Jenelle and David arrived, Jenelle's ex, Nathan Griffith, showed up with their 4-year-old son, Kaiser. It's unclear if any of Jenelle's other kids -- including 9-year-old Jace and 2-year-old Ensley -- made it to court.

As we first reported ... Jenelle and David enrolled in couples therapy in an attempt to get their kids back. David will also undergo a psych evaluation to determine what is at the core of his anger issues.

All of Jenelle's kids were removed after a judge decided there were serious issues with the couple that put the children at risk.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says she's thrilled the Central Park 5 is getting a renewed spotlight, because it's starting a much-needed convo about injustice ... especially for young people of color.

We got the New York congresswoman Tuesday on Capitol Hill, where we asked about the controversial case that played out in her own backyard in 1989, and the fact it's being depicted in Netflix's new show, "When They See Us," all these years later.

AOC -- who, btw, wasn't born until 6 months after the Central Park attack -- said she's ecstatic the wrongfully convicted men are having their story told in a thoughtful and captivating way.

She added it's one of many cases that illustrate how the criminal justice system all too often fails black and brown youths.

She took a swipe at President Trump too, who infamously took out a giant newspaper ad days after Trisha Meili, the Central Park jogger, was attacked. The ad called for the death penalty to be reinstated in New York, and publicly convicted the 5 boys before their trial even began.

9:36 AM PT -- JC tells us, "Anyone who loved my father and respected his work should see Max Anderson as we do. My father was a loving and trusting man. He was all about love. He should never have been in business with a man like Max Anderson."

Kirk E. Schenck, attorney for Stan's Estate, says, "Elder abuse is becoming all too common, especially against high net worth individuals who have been highly functioning professionals during very sophisticated careers. Elder abusers use a systematic application of fear and alienation to mask their lies and financial wrongdoing."

Stan Lee's daughter, who's in charge of his family trust, is going after a business manager she claims almost literally robbed her father blind ... taking advantage of his old age in order to pocket hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In a lawsuit, Joan Celia Lee says Max Anderson managed Stan's memorabilia bookings -- the countless events Stan attended to sign autographs and meets fans -- but she says he was originally a Comic-Con security guard who befriended her father in a "sinister plot" to gain his trust. She compares it to one of Stan's Marvel comic book plots.

According to the suit, Anderson commonly gave Stan contracts and deals to sign ... even though Stan was in his late 80s and unable to read or understand what he was signing. She says her father suffered from severe degeneration of his vision .. and Max knew it.

Most alarming are JC's claims of "violent interactions" between Anderson and her father. In the docs, obtained by TMZ, she says Anderson got physical to pressure Stan into giving him "total control" of business affairs. JC claims others -- drivers, security guards and others -- witnessed these physical threats.

She also claims Anderson was skimming tons of cash from her father while taking him on the road to fan conventions. JC calls out one example from NYC Comic-Con in Nov 2017.

In the suit, she says Anderson collected $800k in revenue for Stan's appearance ... and kept more than $700k for himself -- although he was only contracted to get 10 to 25 percent.

At another event, in Mexico City, JC says Anderson severely overworked her father ... making Stan sign and authenticate hundreds of merchandise items "until the point where Lee was worn out." She claims this marathon signing session left Stan unable to walk or talk ... yet he got none of the revenue.

Stan died in November 2018, and JC claims the abuse continued through March 2018 when Stan discovered what Anderson was up to and fired him. She believes Anderson conspired with one of Stan's nurses and another one of Stan's employees in the memorabilia biz.

She's suing all 3 of them for elder abuse, breach of contract and stealing.