Crime

Cristiano Ronaldo wants his rape case to be taken out of the public eye ... the soccer superstar is asking a judge to force the civil case against him to go to a private forum.

It's all in new court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports ... which show Ronaldo wants his lawsuit with his rape accuser to move from federal court to a private, independent arbitrator.

Ronaldo says because Kathryn Mayorga agreed to a settlement and a non-disclosure agreement in 2010, after accusing him of rape in 2009 ... she should be compelled to at least try to litigate the dispute in arbitration -- not court.

Ronaldo is asking a judge to to put a hold on all proceedings in the case in the meantime.

As we previously reported, Mayorga says she met CR7 at Rain Nightclub in the Palms hotel in June 2009, and after he invited her up to his penthouse suite to party, she claims he raped her.

She reached a settlement with Ronaldo shortly after, accepting $375,000 in exchange for her silence -- but, last year, she announced she wanted that agreement voided, claiming she was in no mental state to make that deal.

Ronaldo is calling BS on that claim in his new court filings, saying she WAS in the proper state ... adding that her family accompanied her to mediation meetings, and saying she "undoubtedly understood she was free to leave at any time and settlement was optional."

Unclear when a judge will rule on Ronaldo's motion to move the case ... but it shouldn't be long.

For his part, Ronaldo has denied ever raping Mayorga, saying in a statement last year, "Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in."

Ex-U.S. Olympian Michael Barisone -- who competed in Dressage in the 2008 Olympics -- allegedly shot a woman at his upscale equestrian center in Jersey, according to reports.

The 54-year-old reportedly got into a dispute with the woman at the fancy 53-acre Hawthorne Farm in Long Valley around 2:15 PM on Wednesday ... and things escalated.

Barisone reportedly opened fire multiple times -- striking the woman, who was raced to a nearby hospital. According to the NY Post, her condition has been described as "up in the air."

The Morris County Prosecutor's Office confirmed an incident at that farm and said a suspect had been taken into custody ... but they have not officially named Barisone.

According to law enforcement, the suspect was also injured in the incident ... along with a 3rd person.

Cops are still investigating -- but according to the Post, Barisone is expected to be hit with charges in the very near future.

The dispute has been described to the Post as a "tenant/landowner" issue.

Barisone is a monster in the equestrian world -- he was named the 2009 Sportsman International Horseman of the Year and went on to train several Olympic riders ... including Alison Brock, who won a team bronze medal in Dressage in the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

Ex-Michigan State basketball star Mateen Cleaves says he DID have sex with the woman accusing him of rape ... but he's adamant the encounter was 100% consensual.

The 41-year-old -- who was the 14th overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft -- appeared in court in Flint, Michigan for opening statements in his trial ... where he is facing multiple felony charges.

As we previously reported, the accuser claims Cleaves took her to a motel in 2015 and held her there against her will. She claims Cleaves forced himself on her and raped her.

The woman told officials she managed to escape from the motel room and got help from someone nearby.

But, during Thursday's hearing, Mateen's attorney told the 14 people in the jury box that the woman is distorting the truth ... claiming her decision to have sex was "of her own free will."

The attorney suggested she had regretted her decision after the fact -- but told the jury, "Regret is not rape."

"By the time the truth comes out, the truth will set my client free," the attorney said according to DetroitNews.com ... "The truth will be there; the truth will be self-evident."

Prosecutors are painting a different picture ... acknowledging the woman voluntarily went to the motel with Cleaves following a golf tournament where they had met hours before ... but claim she made it VERY clear she did not want to have sex.

Melvin Guillard won't exactly have the clearest head in his return to the pro MMA world this weekend ... 'cause later this month, he's due in court in his domestic violence case.

The former UFC fighter was arrested in Colorado way back in April 2018 after cops say he violently attacked his mistress after she allegedly asked when he was going to leave his wife.

Cops say the 36-year-old choked the woman repeatedly ... and said the victim was "scared he might kill her.'"

Guillard's case in the Colorado court system hasn't progressed quickly ever since he pled not guilty to the crime ... but a court official tells us it likely has something to do with his two OTHER arrests in '18.

As we previously reported, Guillard was involved in TWO separate incidents in the Denver area where he knocked out civilians. He finally cut a plea deal to close those cases earlier this summer.

Now, Guillard's domestic violence case is ready to move forward -- he has a hearing slated for August 26, just 16 days after he makes his debut in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship on Saturday in Mississippi.

A court official tells TMZ Sports Guillard is facing 2 charges in the domestic violence case -- 1 count of second degree assault and 1 count of third degree assault.

If convicted, Guillard is facing up to 18 YEARS behind bars -- so it's POSSIBLE his BKFC fight could be the last match of his career.

Guillard is scheduled to fight Isaac Vallie-Flagg in the BKFC event in the meantime this weekend.

Dog the Bounty Hunter just got a sweet, sweet offer -- $430,000 to fly to Dubai and make a speech, and if that sounds too good to be true ... that's only because it's really a total ripoff.

Here's the thing, though, the six-figure check is very real ... and Dog could cash it, but then he'd really be screwed. His literary agent, Alan Nevins at Renaissance Talent, tells us the dough was delivered Wednesday morning to his office by FedEx, and it immediately set off all sorts of alarms.

We're told this all started last month when Alan got an email, seemingly from the office of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan -- the real Deputy Prime Minister of United Arab Emirates -- offering to pay Dog a handsome fee to speak at an economic empowerment convention for small business owners on August 31.

They sent a contract that was very sophisticated -- with all the proper clauses regarding travel, taxes and indemnity -- so both sides agreed to follow up and see where it all led. Dog joked to Alan that if it turned out to be fake, maybe he could help break up a money laundering scheme.

Sure enough ... things got sketchy after they negotiated a fee and signed the deal. First off, all communication was by email -- the foundation claimed that was due to the 11-hour time difference between L.A. to UAE.

Then there's the website for the alleged event -- mansourfoundation.org -- which looks very real, and even allows you to make donations. However, only by snail mail or email ... NO credit cards. Alan thought that was weird and tells us he called the host hotel listed on the website, only to find out no such event was going down there.

Another red flag came when organizers in "Dubai" told Alan they'd had trouble wiring funds to the bank where he has his business account, so they asked for his personal account at a different bank.

Dog and Alan knew it wasn't real at that point, and decided to walk away -- but lo and behold the live check arrived. The catch was organizers asked Dog to donate $250k of the funds back to the organization.

Alan says he did some research, calling the Portland bank that issued the check and the Portland construction company -- Benson Industries -- that allegedly wrote it. Both are real! Alan says the bank confirmed it's an active account, but wouldn't say for whom. Benson told him they had no knowledge of any such check being cut.

Federal and local law enforcement sources tell us this scam is like the new Nigerian Prince letter ... except with much higher dollar amounts to target rich celebs. We're told, a rash of celebs have been hit up lately -- and if Dog had deposited the check, the funds would have vanished a few days later. So, if he'd sent back the $250k, it would've come out of his own pocket.

Shoreline Mafia member Ohgeesy didn't have the happiest time at Disneyland -- he got kicked out after an alleged gun threat was made by someone in his crew ... but he calls BS.

Disneyland sources who were present tell TMZ ... the rapper and his entourage were at the park in Anaheim Tuesday, and they were all in line for the Indiana Jones Adventure ride when it broke down.

We're told Ohgeesy's group got upset after waiting for about 15 minutes and decided to make their exit, but one guy was really irritated and allegedly threatened a ride worker. Our sources say the guy warned the employee not to mess with him because he had a gun.

Law enforcement sources tell us Disney's police and security were called and the guy was removed from the park. However, we're told by cops the threat was more along the lines of, "I'm going to go home and get my gun." Sources who were present at the ride, however, say the guy suggested he had a gun on him.

Shortly afterward, Ohgeesy and his entire crew went to guest services to demand refunds ... and were booted out of the park for what security felt was bad behavior.

Ohgeesy shared his side of the situation on social media, saying he was just taking his son to Disney and "they talkin bout someone heard my boy say he got a gun and then wouldnt gimme a refund on like 2 bands worth of tix."

He also shared a video of himself accosting a female employee, calling her a bitch and telling her to shut up ... so it's not hard to see why he got kicked out.

The rapper also shared some additional video of Disney employees and park security seemingly standing in front of him and his group as they were removed from the park.

Support is flooding in for 'Mr. Olympia' Shawn Rhoden ... as more than 12,000 fans are petitioning to allow him to defend his title in 2019 ... despite his ongoing rape case.

As we previously reported, Rhoden -- who goes by Flexatron -- has been charged with multiple felonies for allegedly raping a female bodybuilder during a hotel encounter back in Oct. 2018.

Rhoden has lawyered up and pled not guilty to all charges -- vowing to prove his innocence in court.

The honchos behind Mr. Olympia (American Media Inc.) announced that Rhoden will NOT be allowed to compete in any Mr. Olympia competitions (including Mr. Olympia 2019) until his case is resolved.

But, a large number of fans believe the decision is simply not fair -- claiming he should be considered innocent until proven guilty ... and allowed to defend his title.

In fact, more than 12,000 people signed a Change.org petition in the hopes of getting the Mr. Olympia competition to ALLOW Rhoden to compete.

The petition argues that the temporary ban is "absolutely unfair" and "would cost him a consequent loss of income."

"Even worst [sic], this decision from AMI (American Media Inc) goes against Human Rights and the presumption of Innocence which should consider Shawn Rhoden innocent until proven otherwise."

Rhoden is a superstar in the bodybuilding world ... with more than 1.6 million followers on Instagram.

Robert Durst got away with murder, according to his deceased wife's family, and he just beat them in court.

A judge dismissed the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Kathleen Durst, who disappeared in 1982.

Her body was never found, but a judge subsequently ruled in 2017 her date of death was the same day she disappeared -- January 31, 1982.

Durst was widely suspected of killing her, but he was never charged. He has been charged with the murder of his good friend, Susan Berman, who prosecutors believe knew he murdered Kathleen.

As for the wrongful death lawsuit, a judge just said the family waited too long to file it and the 2-year statute of limitations has long-since run.

There's a twist in all of this ... the lawsuit could be filed -- even long after the statute of limitations had run -- if Durst were in criminal court over Kathleen's murder. Her family argued the criminal case did involve Kathleen's murder, because prosecutors believe Durst killed Susan Berman because she was going to blow the whistle on him over Kathleen's death. They felt that wasn't a direct tie ... or at least not enough to allow a wrongful death suit.

Durst was arrested and charged with Susan Berman's murder after the show "The Jinx" aired on HBO. You hear Durst in the bathroom, thinking his microphone was off, saying, "What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course."

Prisoners near El Paso are holding a bake sale for the victims of the mass shooting this weekend -- and by bake ... we actually mean baked potato.

The Otero County Prison Facility -- which is in Chaparral, New Mexico, about 30 minutes North of the Texas town -- is putting on an event Friday on its grounds, where inmates will be selling loaded baked potatoes to prison staff ... in an effort to raise money.

Nissi Jimenez, an Otero County Prison official, says the facility wanted to help their neighbors in any way possible ... figuring it would be a great way to help the grieving community with an in-house effort. All proceeds will be given to the El Paso Community Foundation, which is facilitating donations for the victims and their families.

As for how it'll work ... we're told the prison bought around 150 potatoes for the event, and plan to have 15 inmates working the kitchen to hand out the stuffed snack at $6 a pop, plus charging extra for add-ons.

Their goal is to raise $1,000 in baked potato sales ... but the facility is also taking straight-up check and cash donations in addition to potato profits. It'll all go down in the front lobby, where hundreds of prison employees are expected to attend.

There are more ways the prison plans to contribute -- Jimenez says there are extracurricular clubs in which prisoners participate, and 4 of them have committed to donating money toward the event ... upwards of $1,000 has been pledged so far.

Might sound like small potatoes, but at a time like this ... every penny counts for hospital bills, medical procedures, and other costs.

Nipsey Hussle's clothing store in South L.A. has been getting a bad rap in the press at the hands of the L.A. City Attorney's Office ... so claims the late rapper's business partner.

L.A. businessman David Gross -- who's a co-owner of the strip mall in the Crenshaw District, where Nipsey's Marathon Clothing store is located -- is alleging the City Attorney's Office was running a smear campaign against the property in an ongoing, months-long effort to get them the hell out.

Gross says he received the letter in February of this year -- which he claims the City Attorney's staff leaked to the New York Times -- alleging the strip mall is a hot spot for gang activity and crime, and that the city can force him out if he doesn't nip it in the bud.

Nipsey's biz partner says the City Attorney's Office has wanted Nip and his comrades out of the area since day one -- and has stopped at nothing to accomplish that ... even after the MC's death.

As we reported ... the LAPD and L.A. City Attorney's Office was investigating gang activity in the area around Nipsey's store, which has been a long-standing problem.

In fact, the LAPD was set to meet Hussle a day after he was gunned down, to discuss ways to curb gang violence in his hood.

Gross writes, "The Los Angeles City Attorney’s office was trying to end us. Literally. They wanted to expel The Marathon Store from Slauson Plaza." He adds, "No doubt, if Nipsey was alive they’d still be stalking it, after doggedly pursuing him, his brother, his team and his businesses for damn near a decade. To no avail."

He follows by saying that once the City Attorney's Office realized he was partners with Nipsey and co. ... cops were sicced on him, and the resulting bad press has torpedoed other business deals of his. Gross says another bad article about Marathon Clothing is forthcoming, and he wanted to get ahead of it.

As for what's happening now -- sources connected to Nipsey's camp tell TMZ that city officials have continued to visit the store as recently as 2 weeks ago to resolve this issue -- namely, that the Marathon Store plaza has continued to attract crime and gangs. Gross tells TMZ the City wanted him to post "No Loitering" signs in the strip mall, but he felt that would be a license for cops to harass patrons.

Racing legend Al Unser Jr. won't have to spend any more time behind bars for his wild DUI arrest back in May ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned he cut a sweet deal with prosecutors this week.

The 57-year-old was driving on an Indiana highway back on May 20 when police say they caught him going 59 MPH in a 45.

Cops say they saw his car swerving when they followed him to pull him over ... and when they stopped him, they say he wreaked of booze and showed all the signs of being drunk.

In fact, officers say he was so wasted, when they asked him to walk to the side of the road near his car so they could conduct sobriety tests ... he lost his balance and rolled down an embankment.

After Unser refused to do sobriety tests ... cops took him to the hospital to have his blood drawn -- and officers say, during their entire interaction with the driver, he was "verbally hostile."

Eventually, Unser was hit with three charges for the incident -- DUI, improper lane change and speeding.

But, a court official tells TMZ Sports, Unser cut a deal with prosecutors this week ... and in exchange for a guilty plea on the DUI charge -- the other 2 counts were dropped.

Unser's punishment for the agreement was a pretty good one for him, considering he was facing up to a year behind bars and a slew of fines and fees.

A court official says Unser got 363 days of probation, 480 hours of community service, and must complete a "victim impact panel" (which generally means Unser will be required to publicly speak about the perils of drunk driving).

Unser also had his driver's license suspended for 365 days from the May 20 arrest ... although the court is allowing him to drive for essential things like work, church, grocery store, etc.

Unser was also required to pay $386.50 in fines and court fees.

Unser's has had several problems with drinking and driving in the past ... he was previously popped for DUI in 2007 and 2011. He was also arrested in 2002 after a booze-fueled altercation with his then-girlfriend.

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

Yung Miami -- one half of the hip-hop duo, City Girls -- was the target of a drive-by shooting in Miami ... but fortunately she and her unborn baby were unharmed.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... Miami-Dade PD got a call of a shooting early Tuesday morning near Circle House Studios. Yung Miami was in the red Mercedes G-Wagon that took fire, but we're told she was not hit.

You can see Yung Miami in a video from after the shooting scene talking to cops, explaining what happened.

She told officers the shots came from behind her from a vehicle with its lights off, and a bullet struck the spare tire of her ride. She was reportedly leaving the studio when it happened

Miami-Dade PD is investigating, but we're told there are no suspects at this time.

Yung Miami revealed she's pregnant with her second child in June, but it's unclear how far along she is. What's interesting -- just a week ago Kodak Black dissed her in a freestyle from jail and made a detestable comment about her pregnancy.

Kodak rapped, "I bought Yung Miami a ring, she wanted 808 baby. When I see her I'ma hit that b*tch in her stomach. The way I keep my sh*t too real, they say I'm f**king up my money."

808 is a reference to 808 Mafia producer, Southside, who's Miami's baby daddy.

City Girls is best known for their hit track, "Twerk," featuring Cardi B.

Meek Mill has to wait a few more weeks to find out if his 2008 gun conviction gets tossed out or if he gets a new trial -- but that's all happening in front of a new judge, which has to be a huge relief for the rapper.

Judge Leon Tucker was presiding Tuesday morning when Meek walked into the Philadelphia courthouse. He's replacing the controversial Judge Genece Brinkley for Meek's potential retrial, which was granted by a panel of judges in Pennsylvania Superior Court in July.

Tuesday's hearing was an extremely brief bail hearing. Meek was released on his own recognizance, and Judge Tucker said both sides will return August 27 for a status hearing. At that point, they'll figure out whether to go to trial or just drop the whole matter.

As we reported ... it's highly unlikely prosecutors will refile the case and retry Meek. His attorney Joe Tacopina tells us, "While we had hoped that this matter would end today, we remain confident that justice will prevail in Meek's case once and for all."

That's because the main witness in the '08 case turned out to be a dirty cop, and a retrial over a decade later would mean the memories of other witnesses would be less reliable as well.

Travis Barker's weekend was an emotional roller coaster in El Paso -- it started with plans to visit a friend in prison and then rock out with his band ... but his band ended up in lockdown across the street from the slaughter as he was miles away visiting a friend in prison.

As you know, a gunman with an assault rifle opened fire Saturday morning at a Walmart in El Paso, TX ... killing 22 and injuring many others.

Blink-182 was in town for a show, and Mark Hoppus tweeted they were about to head to the mall where the massacre took place when they got word their hotel was on lockdown.

Barker wasn't with the band ... he had traveled 250 miles to visit rapper 03 Greedo at the Fort Stockton prison.

We're told Travis promised his friend he'd visit him whenever he was in Texas and made plans in advance to see him before the Blink concert. We're told he was at the prison visiting Greedo at the time of the shooting ... but didn't get word of it until after he left.

Travis was horrified at the news, but thankful his bandmates and the crew were okay. Blink-182 postponed its show out of respect and to show solidarity with the community.

As for Greedo -- we're told he's doing well behind bars and is staying positive and healthy. He's currently serving a 20-year sentence on drug and gun charges.

R. Kelly just got hit with more sex crime charges ... this time in Minnesota, where prosecutors say the disgraced singer once paid a teenage girl to have sexual contact with him in his hotel room.

According to prosecutors, the alleged incident went down on July 11, 2001 in Minneapolis ... and they say the alleged victim was between the ages of 16 and 17.

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman says the alleged victim initially approached Kelly seeking an autograph, and claims Kelly paid her $200 to get naked and engage in sex acts with him.

Prosecutors are charging Kelly with two sex crimes ... engaging in prostitution with someone under 18, and hiring/offering/agreeing to hire someone for sexual contact.

Freeman says there was no sexual intercourse between Kelly and the alleged victim, but he claims there was "dancing and sexual contact." He admitted the case will be difficult to prosecute, given that the evidence is almost 20 years old. Prosecutors say the tip came through a Chicago tip line.

The alleged victim is being represented by Gloria Allred.

R. Kelly's attorney, Steve Greenberg, just weighed in on the new charges ... tweeting, "give me a break. This is beyond absurd."

Kelly is currently in custody in New York, where he’s pled not guilty to 5 federal criminal charges including kidnapping and racketeering. The New York case is separate from Kelly’s 13-count indictment in Illinois federal court, which includes charges of child porn, enticement of a minor and obstruction of justice. Kelly is also fighting 10 charges of aggravated sexual abuse in Cook County, Illinois.

Aaron Carter adopting dogs and allegedly selling them for a profit is NOT against the law -- but that doesn't mean it would be right ... according to the county of Los Angeles.

L.A. County Animal Care and Control tells TMZ ... IF Aaron is actually adopting dogs from around the area only to later flip them for cash, he wouldn't be committing any crimes by doing so. That said, it sounds like the LACACC frowns on the practice.

Lancaster Animal Care Shelter -- which is run by L.A. County -- says, "Our goal is to find each animal a forever home and when someone adopts, they become the legal adopter. His actions aren’t illegal and there have been no reports of him harming the animal." They add, "Unless, there is criminal activity going on, we are unable to ask for the adopter to return the dog."

We're told selling off rescue dogs is a moral issue in L.A. County, not a legal one, though.

You'll recall ... the animal shelter where Aaron adopted his English bulldog appeared to be concerned over allegations that Aaron was trying to sell it just a couple days after taking it home. They updated their Instagram with a flash warning of sorts, saying they were "working on this situation." Presumably, people were blowing them up about this.

Most private animal shelters require you, by contract, to return the animal if you no longer want it ... instead of selling it or even giving it away to someone else.

For the record, Aaron has flat-out denied any wrongdoing.

In fact, he doubled down with us ... reiterating that the IG Live video in which he's heard discussing selling the bulldog for $3,500 is simply a joke. Aaron did not clarify what exactly he was joking about though ... he sounded sincere in his vid.

Joke or not ... apparently it's no biggie out here in Hollywood.