Crime

R. Kelly is making a plea to a federal judge ... a plea to remove him from solitary confinement and put him in general population.

It's a risky move either way. Solitary can drive you crazy, but gen pop can get you killed if you're accused of sex crimes involving underage girls.

Kelly's lawyer filed legal docs, obtained by TMZ, claiming the solitary area where the singer is confined is designed for punishment ... not housing pending trial.

Attorney Steven Greenberg gives examples ... he has no meaningful interaction with human beings, no time outside getting sunlight, no access to media, no recreational activities, no face-to-face visitations that are not recorded, showering only 3 days a week and one 15-minute telephone call per month. And, he's not permitted to buy snacks or candy from the commissary.

There are other examples, but Kelly's lawyer says his client hasn't violated any rules and has not been convicted of a crime, yet he's being treated as such.

Greenberg claims Kelly is being punished because of his "celebrity status" and the fact he's charged with sex crimes involving minors.

An arrest warrant has been issued in Alabama for DeMarcus Cousins stemming from a threatening phone call he allegedly made to the mother of his child, cops say.

"An arrest warrant has been issued," a spokesperson for the Mobile Police Dept. told USA Today.

According to the MPD's website, Cousins is facing a domestic violence charge -- 3rd-degree harassing communications, a misdemeanor.

The charge carries a maximum sentence of 1 year behind bars.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... the NBA star's ex-girlfriend, Cristy West, told police she recorded a phone call with Cousins in which he threatened to "put a bullet in your f*cking head" if she wouldn't let their 7-year-old child attend his wedding.

West lives in Alabama and the wedding took place in Atlanta.

During the call, West told Cousins she would NOT allow the child to attend -- though she did not explain why.

In court docs filed by West, she claims Cousins had choked her during a previous incident -- but she did not elaborate.

As for Cousins, the Los Angeles Lakers star -- who suffered an ACL tear earlier this month -- has not commented on the allegations.

The NBA says it's looking into the allegations.

Calls to Cousins' reps have not been returned.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard is axing her plans for a prison wedding ceremony -- the convicted murderer is breaking things off with her fiance.

Gypsy, who is serving a 10-year prison sentence for the second-degree murder of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard, called off her engagement to Ken ... her pen pal-turned BF. A family source tells TMZ ... the couple mutually agreed to break up less than a month ago. They had posed for this pic with Gypsy's father and stepmother just a couple months ago -- and planned to tie the knot in January.

You'll recall ... Gypsy's former boyfriend, Nick Godejohn, admitted to murdering her mother back in 2015 to help Gypsy escape Dee Dee's clutches.

As you know ... Gypsy's mother infamously forced her daughter to pretend to be disabled for years, even tying her up in bed and holding her hostage. Dee Dee suffered from Munchausen by proxy -- a mental disorder where a parent fabricates illnesses in their child for sympathy or attention.

Gypsy's highly disturbing upbringing was the subject of the HBO documentary, "Mommy Dead and Dearest," in 2017. More recently, Hulu turned her story into the scripted series "The Act."

Judge Mathis might have to go in front of a judge himself because he allegedly lost it on a valet and spit on him ... and TMZ's learned the guy's lawyered up.

Sources connected to the valet tell TMZ ... the TV judge valet parked his Rolls Friday at Flood's Bar and Grille in Detroit, but when he left the joint ... things got hot quickly.

We're told a valet had Mathis' keys in his pocket and was out on a run to retrieve another car, and was gone 10-15 minutes. Our sources say when his client finally returned, JM chewed the guy out in a profanity-laced schooling ... in front of coworkers and customers.

Mathis allegedly became even angrier when the valet explained he had to travel a long way to get the other car and apologized for accidentally taking his keys.

The parting shot ... the valet told cops Mathis spit on him and then beat it.

The valet filed a police report alleging criminal assault. The cops are investigating.

We're told there were multiple witnesses to the incident.

BTW -- the judge has presided over some cases where spitting was an issue ... and his take is pretty interesting.

We've reached out to Judge Mathis ... no word back, so far.

Taylor Swift's properties are a magnet for strange men with unrealistic and unnerving expectations ... and the latest one was nabbed early Wednesday morning outside her Rhode Island home.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... a man was busted trying to enter the gate of Swift's mansion in Westerly, RI. We're told he did not have any weapons on him, and cops took him to a hospital for mental evaluation.

Another source tells us the suspect claimed he had talked on the phone with Taylor and he told them he was there to marry her.

We're told he is NOT a repeat offender -- as we've reported, Taylor's had several unwanted visitors show up at her waterfront home. A white pickup truck with odd scrawling, on the inside and out, was towed from in front of the Swift home.

These photos show some of the disturbing hand-drawn images, and it appears the man was sleeping in the backseat.

No charges have been filed, and Taylor was not home during the incident.

Just last month, a 32-year-old man was arrested near this home after acting suspicious and carrying around a backpack with a metal bat, gloves, lock picks and a crowbar inside. He allegedly told cops he was there to "catch up with Taylor Swift."

Of course, she also dealt with a scary stalker situation last year and had another intruder at her Beverly Hills property.

These dudes really need to calm down.

This is bonkers -- a woman whipped out a grinding saw to break into a Botox clinic this past weekend ... and it was all caught on camera.

It went down in a Houston burb Friday night at the Botox RN MD Spa, where police say a lady pulled up, tried opening the doors after hours ... and upon realizing they were locked shut, went back to her car and busted out the power tool to get inside.

The surveillance video shows the entire thing play out, and it's as wild as it sounds. The woman -- a petite blonde who appears relatively young -- is cool, calm and collected the entire time ... even as she saws her way through the entry and crawls inside.

Now, you might be thinking ... did she really need a dose of Botox THAT badly? Well, maybe. Cops say she stole an undisclosed amount of anti-aging products, and made a clean getaway after riding off in her whip.

Sugar Land police are looking for the lady, and asking the public for any help in ID'ing her. She was driving a grey Mercedes SUV, probably has zero wrinkles or crow's feet ... but lacks ability to show facial expressions.

Anthony "Rumble" Johnson's domestic violence case is closed ... the ex-UFC star just cut a deal with prosecutors and won't have to spend more time behind bars.

Johnson was arrested back on May 6 in Palm Beach County, Florida after his girlfriend told cops the former fighter roughed her up during an argument.

In police docs, Johnson said he DID pick the woman up to carry her to a different room because he was tired of arguing ... but he insists he never tried to hurt her.

Johnson was hit with a misdemeanor domestic battery charge ... and faced up to 1 YEAR in jail.

But, Johnson's attorney, Michael Walsh, tells TMZ Sports Johnson reached an agreement with prosecutors this month to enter a pretrial diversion program.

Walsh says Johnson will be required to complete an anger management course ... and once he's done that, the case will be dismissed.

Walsh -- who called the deal a "no-brainer" for Johnson -- says the 35-year-old has until Oct. 21 to complete the course ... although he could request an extension.

Johnson retired from fighting back in 2017 with a 22-6 record as a pro ... with wins over stars like Glover Teixeira, Ryan Bader and Alexander Gustafsson.

Jenna Dewan's Tesla window is smashed and her purse is gone after a brazen thief pulled off a burglary on the Sunset Strip in broad daylight ... and the whole thing was captured on video.

Dewan parked her SUV and ran some errands Monday while a couple paparazzi waited across the street for her to return. A woman -- dressed all in black -- then walked up to the vehicle, smashed the passenger side window, and grabbed a small purse from the passenger seat.

That small purse was a Saint Laurent worth $3,000.

Witnesses on the scene tell us the suspect had cased the street -- checking out multiple cars before deciding to hit Jenna's.

We're told the suspect hopped in a getaway vehicle -- a black Kia parked behind Jenna's -- with 2 other people.

When Jenna got back to her vehicle, she spoke to photogs about the break-in, and she was understandably frazzled. Still, she was thankful they got the whole incident on video.

Jenna called the cops and her boyfriend, Steve Kazee, showed up a short time later to help out.

Meek Mill isn't going to get his 2008 gun conviction tossed after all -- at least not entirely.

Philly's prodigal son went back to court with his legal team Tuesday, where his team was attempting to avoid a retrial after the original conviction was thrown out. Meek decided to end the battle ... 'cause he copped a plea.

Meek pled guilty to misdemeanor possession of a firearm without a license -- and remaining 6 charges for which he was originally convicted were all dropped. Back in 2008, Meek had been found guilty of 7 charges, 4 of which were related to the gun.

Meek spoke to the public briefly afterward, but wasn't all that chatty. He thanked his supporters and those who came out Tuesday as well. He said he wasn't on probation anymore, and that he was free at last. The D.A. in Philly has confirmed he's off probation.

He could've gone to trial if he wanted -- and very likely would've won -- but it looks like Meek is trying to put this saga behind him completely with the plea offer.

As we've reported, it's unlikely the case would've gone to trial again ... considering the key witness ended up being a dirty cop -- not to mention this would be taking place more than a decade after the alleged crime ... and any other witnesses' memories would be hazy at best.

You'll recall ... Judge Genece Brinkley sent Meek back to prison back in 2017 with a harsh sentence of 2-4 years behind bars after she found Meek had violated his probation in the 2008 conviction. A lot of people think Judge Brinkley had it out for him.

He ended up doing about five months before getting released.

Meek said Tuesday's hearing, "I’m extremely grateful that my long legal battle is finally behind me and I appreciate that it has sparked a much-needed discussion about probation reform and the inequalities that exist within our two Americas."

He added, "I have always told the truth — that as a teenager, who saw many around me die from senseless gun violence, I carried a gun for protection. I take responsibility for that and – in conjunction with my work on the REFORM Alliance – I’ll continue to use my platform to make communities safer and reform our criminal justice system."

Lori Loughlin and her husband showed up in Boston as a super united front, prepared to tell the judge they want the same lawyer to rep them in their college bribery case.

These pics were snapped as Lori and hubby Mossimo Giannulli arrived Monday at the airport in Beantown after flying in on a private jet.

They'll be in court Tuesday for a hearing ... to inform the judge they will waive any possible conflict of interest by having the same lawyer rep them both. It doesn't always happen this way ... sometimes, couples get separate lawyers and it turns ugly when they start finger-pointing at each other. Clearly not the case here.

As we reported ... both Lori and her hubby pled not guilty after prosecutors slapped them with a number of charges -- including conspiracy to commit money laundering that carry significant prison sentence. Prosecutors claim they paid upwards of $500k in bribes to get their daughters into USC. Lori and Mossimo claim they had no idea the scheme was to get the girls in on a rowing scholarship, despite snapping pics of them on a rowing machine.

If convicted, both Lori and Mossimo face a maximum of 40 years in prison.

Felicity Huffman chose a different path ... she pled no contest to conspiracy and money laundering and prosecutors are recommending 4 months behind bars.

The trial for Lori and Mossimo is set for early 2020.

Luann de Lesseps is just a day away from being a free woman -- and one day closer to being able to guzzle mimosas without a care in the world ... at least, legally.

The 'Real Housewives of New York' star needs to keep her nose clean for 24 hours, and then she'll have completed her probation stemming from her drunken arrest in Florida .. according to NYC Dept. of Probation spokesperson Candace Sandy.

It's a huge deal for Luann because this saga's been going on since Christmas Eve 2017, when she was busted in Palm Beach after an alleged drunken dispute with cops. Police video from inside the patrol car shows Luann going off on the officer, saying she'd kill him if he continued touching her.

We broke the story ... Luann dodged a felony charge and a jail stint by copping a plea deal, and she was ordered to knock out 50 hours of community service and attend 2 AA meetings a week in her home state of New York. She also had to stay away from drugs and alcohol, and submit to random testing during one year of probation.

Kanye West wasn't the only member of his family spreading goodwill in Dayton, Ohio this weekend ... Kim Kardashian used the trip as an opportunity for more prison reform.

As we reported ... Kanye brought his popular Sunday Service to Dayton in honor of those killed and injured in the mass shooting earlier this month. Kim and at least 2 of their kids were on hand for the service, but we're told she was busy with her mission as well.

Sources close to Kim tell TMZ ... she took time over the weekend to visit a prison just outside the city and met with officials, staff members and inmates. We're told she was given a tour of the facilities to check out the conditions the inmates live in and learn about programs available to them.

As you know ... along with pursuing a career as an attorney, Kim's big passion the past couple years has been working to free prisoners serving unjust sentences -- like Alice Marie Johnson -- and improve the lives on inmates both behind bars and upon release.

She's taken her efforts all the way to The White House, at least a couple times, and is filming a new docuseries about the criminal justice system in America.

A$AP Rocky has returned to the Big Apple, and his happy-go-lucky vibes are palpable ... this after his turbulent experience in Sweden.

We got the Harlem-based MC Sunday night going in and coming out of The Bowery Hotel in NoHo, Manhattan, where our camera guy asked how he was feeling being stateside again after being held in Swedish custody for about a month. "Happy AF" is an understatement.

Rocky was even more ecstatic as he was leaving, telling us what his takeaway is after going through what he did -- an arrest, a long holding period, a trial, and an eventual guilty verdict (but no further jail time), just to recap. Watch ... life's simple when you're free.

As we've reported ... A$AP's been on the West Coast quite a bit since touching back down in America -- going to Kanye's Sunday Service, and even headlining a show in Anaheim.

Based on how he's been acting since he's been back ... you can tell the dude's got a new outlook on life. As he says here, he's no troublemaker ... just a "pretty motherf***er."

Sore losers?!?

The director of the University of Florida marching band was attacked on the way back to the bus after the football team beat the Miami Hurricanes ... and everyone seems to be pointing the finger at an angry 'Canes fan.

After Florida secured a 24-20 win over their in-state rivals Saturday night in Orlando, Jay Watkins was leading the UF band out of the stadium and to the waiting buses when he tried to block a female fan from cutting through the formation, according to school officials.

Moments later, someone grabbed Watkins from behind and threw him to the ground -- causing a laceration on his head.

The suspect fled the scene -- but most people believe the culprit was a Miami fan who took the rivalry too far.

The good news for Watkins ... he was treated by a paramedics but ultimately traveled home on the bus with the rest of the band.

Watkins spoke with Florida State University band director Patrick Dunnigan on Sunday -- and told him, "he is very sore today and has a nasty bump on his head."

Dunnigan says he's sick and tired of band members being targeted by stupid, violent fans.

"Students in band uniforms are an easy and all-too-common target for disgruntled fans — especially these idiots who attend Miami games," Dunnigan said on Facebook.

Your favorite rapper's go-to spot for the freshest bling in NYC is probably gonna be closed for a sec ... 'cause the place got held up at gunpoint in the middle of the day.

The robbery went down Sunday afternoon at Avianne and Co. in Midtown Manhattan, when at least three guys who were posing as customers whipped out handguns and cleaned the place out. And, by cleaning 'em out, we mean making off with tons of high-valued goods.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the robbers bounded the employees with zip ties and then emptied out a safe and cleared out a good amount of their display cases. It's unclear how many jewelry pieces (or how much cash) they left with, but safe to say ... it's worth a lot.

Rappers like Blueface, Kodak Black, Big Sean, Offset and other Migos, Lil Pump, Lil Uzi Vert, Fetty Wap and a bunch of other famous folks have walked out with intricate custom pieces from this joint that are valued at tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of dollars.

We doubt Avianne and Co. would have such pricey products out in the display cases, but an authentic Cuban link chain from a store like this could run thousands of bucks alone.

Based on all that, it's likely the guys who pulled off the heist walked away with quite the bundle.

Kanye West is in Dayton, Ohio right now, presiding over his Sunday Service to honor those who died and were injured during the mass shooting earlier this month.

The service is going down at the RiverScape MetoPark to a large crowd.

Kim Kardashian and at least 2 of their kids -- Saint and North West -- are on hand for the event. They were all dressed in white as they headed to the service. We don't know if Chicago made the trip. We're told Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock are also in attendance.

Chappelle eventually took the stage to tell the large crowd that even after going through a tough time -- including tornadoes, Klan rallies and shootings -- "we're still here and we're still strong. And the only way, but not the only way, but the BEST WAY that we can honor our fallen is by getting up better than we were before." He finishes by thanking Kanye for coming out and reminds him that he and Dayton have his back.

Chappelle is also in Dayton for an event later in the day ... The Gem City Shine, a benefit concert, again honoring the victims of the latest American massacre. We're told around 20,000 people are expected to attend.

Speaking of Dave, Kanye led a rendition of "Happy Birthday" to him Saturday night inside what appears to be a hotel lobby. Dave turned 46. BTW, Kanye didn't sing -- he led his choir in a melodic rendition of the Stevie Wonder version. Dave toasted the crowd with a brewski.