Crime

Bill Cosby's Father's Day tweet left most thinking it was a PR stunt from his team, but we've learned it came from the Cos himself ... who spoke it into existence from behind bars.

Cosby's rep, Andrew Wyatt, tells TMZ ... Bill called from prison Sunday night, wanting to get a Father's Day message out to the public from his official social media accounts. Wyatt says Bill dictated through the phone exactly what he wished to say.

Wyatt says Bill does this often -- he's on with his team via phone calls or face-to-face about 3 to 4 times a month.

This time, Cosby's message -- which was published to both Twitter and Instagram -- read, "Hey, Hey, Hey...It's America's Dad...I know it's late, but to all the Dads... It's an honor to be called a Father, so let's make today a renewed oath to fulfilling our purpose -- strengthening our families and communities."

An old video of Cosby during a CBS Black History Month special was attached to the posts. In the clip, he discusses how mass incarceration has affected black men and broken up tons of families in the process. He says, "America invented the cruelest slavery in the history of the world because it broke up black families. After slavery was over, America kept breaking up the black man’s family and that’s some awful history to teach."

As you might imagine, Coby's posts caught some backlash. Apparently, people don't wanna hear from a convicted predator -- that kinda seems to be the consensus all around. Remember, he was found guilty in 2018 of drugging and molesting Andrea Constand.

What also pissed people off was Cosby playing up his old unofficial title as America's TV dad, but Wyatt tells us everyone's got it twisted ... 'cause BC was just going off of what he's hearing from the yard. Wyatt says Cosby has relayed that lots of other inmates refer to him as "their dad" and that he was simply running with that for the tweet/IG.

Gable Steveson -- one of the top heavyweight college wrestlers in the country -- was arrested Saturday for criminal sexual conduct ... and he's still in custody.

Steveson is a superstar wrestler at the University of Minnesota -- where he just wrapped up his freshman year with an incredible 35-2 record ... finishing as the #3 ranked heavyweight in the country.

But now, he's in huge trouble ... the 19-year-old was arrested at his Minneapolis home on Saturday after a person told police Steveson and another UM wrestler committed sexual assault with an object on Saturday.

The teammate, 21-year-old Dylan Martinez, was also arrested Saturday for suspected criminal sexual conduct.

Both men are being investigated for allegedly penetrating another individual with an object. The accuser went to the hospital for treatment, according to the police report.

The accuser's identity has not been released. Details surrounding the allegations are unclear.

What is clear ... Steveson is adamant he did NOTHING wrong. His attorney, Christa Groshek, said the wrestler is cooperating with the police investigation and he's adamant he is innocent.

The University of Minnesota has issued a statement, saying, "We are aware of a situation involving two of our student athletes and are in the process of gathering more information."

"These students have been suspended from all team activity pending further information. Federal and state law precludes any further details at this time."

"Little Women: Atlanta" star Ashley "Minnie" Ross says she had just 1 beer when she got busted for DUI.

According to a police report obtained by TMZ ... cops in Chattanooga, Tennessee were notified Thursday just before 3 AM of a female slumped over in the driver's seat of an SUV. When cops responded, they woke up the 4'3'' reality star and immediately smelled booze on her breath.

When asked if she had any drinks earlier that night, cops say Minnie told them she had just 1 beer. She was instructed to get outta the car and given a series of field sobriety tests, which she bombed ... swaying and using her arm for balance.

She was asked to recite the alphabet from letter E and stop at W ... but Minnie stopped at Z. She was asked to count backward from 69 and stop at 39 but she stopped at 1.

Despite the very detailed police report ... a source close to Minnie says she passed all of the field sobriety tests and she was texting -- not asleep at the wheel -- when cops showed up.

Minnie was placed under arrest for DUI and taken to Hamilton County Jail without incident. She was later released on bail.

Bryshere Gray -- best known for his role as one of the Lyon children on "Empire" -- desperately needs to make a trip to the DMV ... because he was arrested for some driving-related offenses.

Bryshere was in Chicago Thursday when he was pulled over for a registration issue ... the tags didn't match the car. Cops then discovered he was driving his 2014 Rolls-Royce without a license or insurance.

The actor was booked on a misdemeanor -- registration that was not authorized on the vehicle -- and released. He was also cited for not having a license or insurance.

This is the latest woe of "Empire." As you know, Jussie Smollett was arrested and charged with lying to cops over what they say was a fake attack. The prosecutor later dropped the case.

Dikembe Mutombo's fancy Rolls-Royce Phantom was smashed up while he was having a Father's Day dinner with his family ... and now cops are on the hunt for the culprit.

The 52-year-old NBA legend was dining at the Landmark Diner in the Atlanta area late Sunday evening -- when someone ran into the restaurant and yelled out that multiple cars had been vandalized in the parking lot.

When Dikembe checked out his 2009 Rolls, he noticed both front windows and the rear passenger windows were busted, according to the police report obtained by TMZ Sports.

Cops say nothing appeared to be stolen and no one was injured -- essentially, it seems like the culprit just wanted to damage the cars like a jerk.

Cops dusted Dikembe's car for fingerprints but it's unclear if they got a hit. We're told, unfortunately, vehicular vandalism is pretty common in the area and local business owners and residents are furious ... and they're working with police to put an end to it.

We spoke with the general manager of Landmark who says he feels terrible for Dikembe -- and vows to hire private security to prevent situations like this in the future.

We also spoke with a witness who tells us Dikembe is a regular at Landmark and everyone there loves him -- it's not like he has any enemies looking to harm him.

Cuba Gooding Jr. has his share of problems these days, but he's not lacking for fans, albeit the ones who are related to his defense.

Cuba hit up Le Bilboquet in Long Island, NY, and mugged with Rachel Heller, the daughter of Mark Heller, the lawyer who is defending him in his groping case.

It's the first time we've seen Cuba since he was charged with sexual abuse and forcible touching.

TMZ obtained surveillance video show Cuba at the Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge where he allegedly grabbed a woman's breast. You can see Cuba reach toward her breasts but Cuba and Mark Heller insist Cuba did not do anything criminal.

There are 2 parts to the video. In the second part, you see the woman complain to security as Cuba is on a sofa nearby with his girlfriend. As she talks to an employee of the restaurant you see Cuba cross her path, look at her but he doesn't seem to say anything.

Kim Kardashian definitely earned her title as Princess of Prison Reform ... using her celebrity status for good has yielded nothing but positive results, so says one of her freed prisoners.

The first prisoner released under the First Step Act -- Matthew Charles -- showered Kim with praise when we ran into him on Capitol Hill. As we reported, Kim not only helped secure his release ... she's covered the next 5 years of rent while he gets back on his feet.

Kim was front and center at The White House Thursday to unveil her latest prison reform initiative -- a rideshare partnership that allows inmates to travel to job interviews. The end game is to make them productive citizens rather than recidivists.

Kim's been a big help by writing checks so various lawyers and prison reform groups can do their thing ... and they have done their thing with success, recently freeing more than 17 inmates and counting. These are mostly inmates who are serving long terms for non-violent -- mostly drug -- offenses.

The firearm that has Lil Xan under investigation currently by the LAPD ... looks very similar to a handgun he whipped out -- suddenly and unexpectedly -- during a photo shoot.

We've obtained behind the scenes images from the shoot Xan did back in January ... where he clearly brandishes the piece and showed it off to people on set.

Sources who were there tell TMZ ... the gun was NOT supposed to be part of the shoot, and Lil Xan just brought it with him and surprised everyone when he pulled it out. We're told everyone felt it was a real gun ... although he never said for sure.

We broke the story ... Lil Xan pulled a gun on a man at a gas station last week, and it looks almost identical to the one in the photos. The rapper's affinity for guns could get him in big trouble.

3:46 PM PT -- Brittney's attorney, Sanford Rubenstein, tells TMZ ... " This does not in any way change the facts of the assault for which Remy ma is being prosecuted by the NY DA."

Brittney Taylor, who claims Remy Ma attacked her, is now in hot water herself for allegedly dishing out a beating during a brawl that covered 35 floors of her Manhattan luxury apartment ... TMZ has learned.

The "Love & Hip Hop" star got arrested early Friday morning after a fight started in her apartment. Law enforcement sources tell us Brittney and another woman were arguing in Brittney's midtown pad when things got physical.

Brittney allegedly scratched the woman, leaving marks on her. She fled to an elevator, but we're told Brittney hopped in another elevator and met the alleged victim in the lobby ... where the beatdown continued. She allegedly pulled a Naomi Campbell special -- hurling her cell phone and clocking the woman in the forehead.

We're told Brittney retreated to her apartment, but a little while later NYPD showed up to haul her in for assault and aggravated harassment ... both misdemeanors.

She was released without bail.

The arrest is kinda ironic. Remy Ma is currently facing the same exact charges for an allegedly punching Brittney back in April during a concert.

Brittney's attorney, Sanford Rubenstein, tells us his client has a court date next month to face the charges.

Cardinals superstar Marcell Ozuna says he ain't scared to return to the D.R. after David Ortiz was shot Sunday ... but he tells TMZ Sports he will have to watch his back in his home country now.

"I'ma be careful," the 28-year-old Santo Domingo native admits.

Ortiz was sitting outside of a bar over the weekend when a man walked up from behind and shot him at point-blank range.

The attack stunned everybody ... and had Dominican natives like White Sox phenom Eloy Jimenez openly admitting he's now scared to go back home.

Ozuna tells us he's not ready to go that far with his feelings on the D.R. yet ... but says he will have to be on high alert when he's back home now.

"I'm not afraid," the outfielder says ... "But I'ma be careful."

A pretty significant development in the Cristiano Ronaldo alleged rape lawsuit -- TMZ Sports has learned the soccer star has been served with the court papers and the battle is now underway.

Remember, the accuser Kathryn Mayorga recently withdrew her lawsuit from state court in Nevada to focus on the lawsuit in federal court, mostly because state court laws were making it hard for her legal team to serve Ronaldo with the court docs.

And, just days after making the move, Mayorga's team had success serving CR7 -- which means the case can now move forward.

In fact, Ronaldo's legal team has already responded to the lawsuit with court docs of their own in which they ask the judge for permission to file a new 46-page document which will presumably lay out their argument for the court to throw out the case.

As we previously reported, Mayorga claims Ronaldo raped her in a Las Vegas hotel room back in 2009 after partying together at a nightclub.

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.

The Las Vegas Metro Police Dept. reopened the case -- but so far, no charges have been brought against the soccer star.

Ronaldo has previously denied the allegations -- saying back in 2018, "Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in."

Kellen Winslow Jr. will be retried on the 8 remaining counts that weren't decided by the jury in his rape case, officials say.

Remember, the ex-NFL star was convicted of 3 of the 12 total charges, including 1 charge of felony forcible rape. He was found not guilty of 1 count of lewd conduct.

But, the jury had deadlocked on the 8 remaining charges stemming from allegations he raped 2 additional women and exposed his genitals to 2 others.

Now, prosecutors have announced they're taking another swing at the 8 remaining charges -- with a retrial set to begin later this year. Jury selection begins in Sept.

Because of his rape conviction last week ... Winslow is now facing up to 9 years in prison -- but if he's found guilty of the rest of the charges against him, he could face up to LIFE in prison.

Winslow's attorney asked the judge to release his client from custody with a GPS-tracking device -- but the judge shot that request down hard. He'll remain behind bars indefinitely.

As we previously reported, 35-year-old Winslow was arrested back in June 2018 after officials say he kidnapped and raped 2 transient women in 2 separate incidents (one in March and another in May).

A 3rd woman later stepped forward and also claimed Winslow raped her 15 years ago while she was unconscious.

Kellen was also accused of exposing himself to two other women in separate incidents over the past year as well.

Cuba Gooding Jr. definitely touched the thigh and breast of the woman accusing him of groping -- it's clear in this surveillance video obtained by TMZ -- but his attorneys seem to be interpreting the video much differently from police.

Around 10:15 PM on Sunday, Gooding and his GF, Claudine De Niro, were sitting on a couch in the Magic Hour Rooftop Lounge in NYC ... when the accuser sat down next to them. Almost immediately you see Gooding reach over Claudine and place his hand on the woman's left thigh.

A few seconds later his hand moves up to her breast, and the accuser puts her hand on his. What happens next is open to interpretation -- she either pushes his hand back toward him, or he pulls her hand to his mouth and kisses it.

Another man then walks over and stands in front of the group. He puts his hands on the shoulders of Gooding and the accuser, leans over and appears to be talking to the entire group.

Things get a little weird then ... as the man gyrates, drawing attention to his crotch. It appears Gooding and his GF playfully paw at his crotch. The guy also takes a drink away from Gooding. A few more people join the group, and everyone's casually chatting for a few more minutes. They all walk away -- separately but in the same direction -- about 3 minutes after the initial touching. There's no argument.

However, about 30 minutes later ... Cuba and Claudine were downstairs lounging on a couch and making out. A man, who we're told works security for the bar, was standing next to the couch when the accuser approached him and started arguing.

We've blurred her face to protect her identity, but she appears to say, "Yes, he did." She repeated that after the security guard shook his head. It's unclear if Cuba heard their conversation, but he got up, stumbled and then walked right past the accuser and left.

Claudine and the security guard followed right behind him.

As we reported, Gooding was arrested Thursday and booked for misdemeanor forcible touching and sexual abuse in the third degree. His attorney, Mark Heller, told us Wednesday he saw "no criminality" on Cuba's part in the video ... something he repeated after the arrest.

We called Heller about this post, but he declined to comment.

The man who shot MLB legend David Ortiz issued a desperate statement from his jail cell Thursday -- admitting he pulled the trigger ... but claiming Big Papi was NOT the man he was trying to kill.

25-year-old Rolfi Ferreira Cruz peeked his face out through bars in the Dominican Republic to address the hoards of reporters crowded outside the jail ... and made the shocking comments.

"It wasn't supposed to be David," Rolfi said in Spanish from behind a barred window ... explaining it was the color of David's clothing that confused him.

You can also hear another man in the cell -- presumably another suspect in the case -- telling Rolfi in Spanish, "Tell them it wasn't meant for David."

Cruz did NOT reveal who the intended target was -- only suggesting he was sent to the Dial Bar on Sunday to kill another man who was dressed like Ortiz that night.

So far, at least 6 people have been arrested in the attempted murder plot -- and cops are still searching for other suspects ... including Luis Alfredo Rivas-Clase, who is also a suspect in a 2018 shooting in Pennsylvania.

Officials still have not revealed a possible motive for the attack.

Surveillance footage of the incident show 2 men -- including Cruz -- rolling up to the bar on a motorcycle. Cruz walks right up to Ortiz and shoots him in the back before trying to make a getaway.

The motorcycle crashed and the suspects tried to flee -- but one man was stopped and beaten by bystanders.

Celebrity gamer Sonja Reid -- aka OMGitsfirefoxx -- makes a living firing shots in virtual reality but in real life ... she's under fire for allegedly stiffing her lawyers.

The law firm McPherson LLP is suing Reid claiming the former client bailed on her legal bills. She hired the firm in February of last year to get a restraining order against one or more alleged stalkers that had been sending her threatening messages.

According to the law firm, it gathered tons of evidence which led to LAPD search warrants targeting Facebook, Instagram and others ... to unearth the identity of the bad guys.

Things went south just a month after Reid hired the firm, because the lawyers weren't getting paid. The tab is now $41,570.54.

McPherson claims Reid hired another lawyer ... and only offered to pay around 18% of the $41k bill.

Reid, btw, is one of the biggest celebrity gamers in the world ... with nearly 1 million followers on Twitch, the game streaming platform. She has nearly 2 million followers on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Can you picture R. Kelly working the register in a red shirt and an apron at Del Taco? His ex-wife can ... if that's what it takes to dig himself out of a child support hole.

Drea Kelly and her daughter, Buku Abi -- who are both on "Growing Up Hip Hop: Atlanta" -- joined "TMZ Live" Thursday and pretty much she said she doesn't give a damn what kinda job Kelly has to land to meet his legal obligations ... so long as he once and for all wipes his debts clean.

As we first reported ... Drea asked the court for a hard and fast deadline for Kelly to pay her the $32k he owes. Kelly's camp previously insisted the money owed is interest and not back child support ... but we've learned only $11,500 of it is interest and the rest is for unpaid child support and educational expenses.

Check out the clip ... Drea suggests the fast food joint for the King of R&B.

Kelly, of course, has hired an army of lawyers for his mounting legal troubles, which can't be cheap. This is on top of back child support he's already ponied up ... to the tune of $161,633. That money, we were told, came from a benefactor. So, you can see why Drea's worried.