Crime

Sarma Melngailis, known as the "Bad Vegan" from the popular Netflix docuseries, is open to starting a new restaurant after she was convicted of stealing millions from her last one ... and her ex thinks she should go for it!

Chef Matthew Kenney wasn't just dating Sarma back in the early 2000s, they went into biz together, opening Pure Food and Wine. As "Bad Vegan" viewers know ... their relationship went south, and Matthew got bumped out of their restaurant venture.

Despite that, a rep for Matthew tells TMZ … he believes in second chances and wishes Sarma the best. If opening another restaurant is what she wants, he thinks she should pursue it.

Matthew hasn't seen the new series yet, despite being featured on it -- but it doesn't appear there's any bad blood between Sarma and her ex.

We're told Matthew spoke to her a few years ago, and actually wrote a letter in support of her.

ICYMI ... Sarma and Matthew opened Pure Food and Wine in 2004, but when they split up the next year, they asked investor Jeffrey Chodorow to choose which one to stay on board, and Sarma was picked.

SPOILER ALERT ... 'cause this is where "Bad Vegan" takes a real bizarre turn!!!

Sarma met Anthony Strangis through mutual friend Alec Baldwin in 2011, then tied the knot a year later. Anthony allegedly promised Sarma immortality for herself and her dog, but required large sums of money from her to prove she was worthy.

In the end, both were convicted for stealing nearly $2 million from the restaurant.

Restaurant employees protested outside the joint over unpaid wages, and the couple went on the run.

Gotta love how they got caught, though -- police got tipped off after Sarma and Anthony ordered chicken wings and pizza from Domino's in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Sarma served 4 months at Rikers Island, and was released in October 2017 with an additional 5 years of probation. In 2018, she filed for divorce from Anthony shortly after her release.

Soccer star Paul Pogba is revealing more information about the terrifying burglary that he says happened at his home earlier this month ... saying his World Cup championship medal was stolen in the heist.

The Manchester United midfielder made the revelation in an in-depth interview with Le Figaro this week -- saying in addition to the prized award, his mother's jewelry was also taken.

Pogba won the medal in 2018, after he and his French national squad beat Croatia, 4-2, in the 2018 World Cup Final.

But, in his interview, Pogba -- who said he was playing in a soccer match on March 15 at the time of the incident -- just seemed grateful that his kids and their nanny weren't hurt during the break-in.

"What scared me the most," he said, "was that my two children were at home with the nanny during this incident. She overheard everything, called my wife and security, then locked herself and the boys in a room."

Vladimir Putin likes to claim relative poverty in public, but behind the scenes he's allegedly rolling in it ... as evidenced by a super yacht some people believe he owns.

The massive vessel -- dubbed the Scheherazade, and valued at around $700 million -- has been docked at an Italian port off the Tuscan coast since September ... and amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, investigative groups have claimed Putin owns it.

The reason they believe that ... documents detailing the crew members allegedly show the majority of the guys aren't just Russian, but work for Russia's Federal Protective Service.

Of course, it might not be Putin's -- it could easily belong to another Russian oligarch -- but if this is Vlad's palace on the sea, it would fly in the face of what he says he's worth.

The Russian Prez has alleged he makes a salary of no more than $140k/year -- and that he lives in an apartment that's about 800 square feet. No one really buys that, and if this yacht is, indeed, his ... that characterization is almost certainly BS. His net worth has been speculated to be in the high billions, despite what he chooses to disclose to the world.

As for the yacht itself ... it's certainly fit for a king, or dictator. It's more than 400 feet in length, and features 6 decks -- not to mention 2 helipads, 3 saunas, a pool and a lot of other perks. It also accommodates 18 guests and 40 crew members.

Independent watchdog groups -- the same ones alleging the yacht is Putin's -- are calling for the Italian government to seize the boat and cut off Putin.

The U.S. government has finally been given access to Brittney Griner in Russia ... and in positive news, she's said to be "in good condition."

U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price made the announcement on CNN on Wednesday ... explaining Russia is now allowing the U.S. to provide consular access to Griner.

Price said an official from the U.S. embassy was able to see her "within the past couple hours" -- saying they checked in on her condition and found she's doing okay while detained.

"There's only so much I can say," Price said, "but what I can say is that our official found Brittney Griner to be in good condition. And we will continue to do everything we can to see to it that she is treated fairly throughout this ordeal."

Price vowed that the U.S. government will "work very closely with her legal team, with her broader network, to see to it that she is treated fairly."

"That is a message that we will continue to convey in no uncertain terms to the Russian Federation," he added.

As we previously reported, Griner has been detained in Russia since mid-February, after she allegedly tried to bring hash oil through airport security.

This is a first ... a Bev Hills jewelry store was hit by robbers who smashed the window that displayed super expensive bling right in the middle of the day and made off with everything inside.

It went down at Luxury Jewels of Beverly Hills just after 1 PM. The store was open when 5 people showed up and took some kind of instrument to the window, shattering it .... the thieves grabbed everything in the showcase and took off.

A source at the Beverly Hills PD tells TMZ they have never seen such a brazen robbery like this ... even with all the smash-and-grabs around town.

The robbers never went inside ... they just took what was in the display window and split.

One of Young Dolph's suspected killers apparently has some enemies behind bars ... because he was recently attacked by another inmate.

Justin Johnson, who is in custody on a slew of charges including first-degree murder, was punched by a fellow inmate at Tennessee's Shelby County Jail while in the middle of a phone call Friday ... his attorney tells TMZ.

Johnson's lawyer, Juni Ganguli, says JJ was on the phone in the jail's visitation area when an inmate walked up and socked him. We're told there is no word on a motive and Johnson was not severely injured.

A rep for the Shelby County Sheriff's Office tells TMZ ... there was an incident Friday involving Johnson and another inmate, and it's under investigation. We're told there were no reported injuries.

Remember ... Johnson was named as a suspect in Young Dolph's murder earlier this year, and in January he was captured and arrested by U.S. Marshalls. He claims he is innocent.

Jordan Hook, the victim in a viral Tesla stunt, says the crash isn't just taking a toll on himself and his car, it has his neighbors scared too, and it's time for the perp to fess up.

He says whoever was behind the wheel needs to come back and take a look at who they've affected ... grousing someone shouldn't just walk away from a wreck that bad.

Check out the vid ... the Tesla launches in the air as it approaches the street ... straight out of an action film. On its descent, the car hits a couple of trash cans and a car, before crashing into the back of Jordan's Subaru.

Jordan started a GoFundMe to help get a new car ... and he's already raised thousands ... but it hasn't all been roses -- internet trolls are now taking aim at him.

Jordan says he's been viciously attacked online ever since the fundraiser began ... people have been sending him direct messages claiming he's a horrible person for taking money from donors when insurance is going to cover the loss. Fact is, Jordan has no idea if insurance is going to cover any of the damages.

The largest donation he's received so far comes from YouTuber Alex Choi ... who ironically filmed the Tesla crashing into Jordan's Subaru. The video now has over 1 million views ... and Jordan's not happy about it, saying Alex misrepresented a lot about what went down.

Chael Sonnen ain't in the clear over his alleged role in a hotel fight after all ... TMZ Sports has learned he's just been hit with 11 charges -- including one felony -- over the December 2021 incident in Las Vegas.

According to court records, prosecutors filed the charges against the UFC legend last week ... hitting him with felony battery by strangulation and 10 other misdemeanor battery charges.

In the docs, officials accuse Sonnen of roughing up six people -- including one woman -- during some sort of altercation at a Vegas hotel on Dec. 18.

Officials say in the docs Sonnen choked a man, punched and/or struck a woman, and punched and/or kneed others in the head and face during the incident.

We obtained video shortly after the alleged altercation, showing Sonnen being led away in handcuffs.

As we previously reported, Sonnen had initially been slapped with 5 battery citations over the alleged fight ... but a judge in Nevada dismissed the case in January after the Clark County District Attorney told us "the citation’s notice to appear failed to comply with the legal requirements as set forth by Nevada law."

The case was dismissed in January "without prejudice" -- meaning the state could refile the charges if they chose to -- which it clearly opted to do earlier this month.

We reached out to Sonnen's team for comment ... so far, no word back yet.

The war in Ukraine is heartbreaking on so many levels ... millions fleeing their once-tranquil homeland, and images from before the invasion show the brutality of Russian aggression.

Ukraine was a vibrant country before Vladimir Putin brought war to their land, and it's interesting to look back at life for Ukrainians before they saw their cities bombed to ruins.

In a Spring without war, Mariinsky Park would serve as a romantic backdrop for a date ... a popular place for people to gather, and even kiss on a park bench.

Putin's invading Russian forces mean there's no more bike rides through downtown Kyiv ... which means Ukrainians are missing their annual Spring Festival Retro Cruise ride, where women liked to dress in retro outfits and tool around town.

We hear a lot now about the capital city, Kyiv, but Ukraine is so much more ... there's a beautiful town called Vylkove along the Danube Delta near the border with Romania, which is the Ukrainian version of Venice. The town's streets are a bustling network of streams and canals, and folks would get around by boat.

And then, there's Lviv, a popular tourist destination with its cobblestone streets and well preserved architecture.

Cops are desperate to get info on the driver involved in a now-viral video of a Tesla flying over a residential street, resulting in a dramatic collision ... offering a cash reward for their identity.

The video looks like a movie stunt, shot in Echo Park over the weekend, with the car driving full speed up over a hill and flying through the air. The LAPD calls the incident a misdemeanor hit and run ... and posting a $1,000 reward to anyone with info on the driver's whereabouts.

LAPD says, "the rental driver of a black 2018 Tesla S-BLM decided to perform a dangerous stunt, at Baxter Street and Alvarado Street, where he collided with several trash cans and two parked vehicles."

The Tesla was destroyed as a result, and a parked Subaru suffered major damage to the rear.

The event spread on social media after bystanders posted their footage online. While rumors about the mystery driver have circulated, police say they have "no description of the driver, and the Tesla was abandoned at the scene."

The incident reportedly occurred during a Tesla meet-up event, organized online.

Rejection from a spring break party turned into a mass shooting tragedy in Dallas ... where 10 people are nursing injuries, including an 18-year-old in critical condition.

The shots rang out last Saturday night at The Space, a venue in South Dallas ... where, according to cops, security guards had turned away multiple people who tried to enter the party with firearms.

Joe Morgan, who was working security at the party, told reporters the shooting suspects were pissed because guards tried to take their weapons during a search. He says, “They just got in their car and started shooting."

There was a long line outside the party and when the gunfire erupted, everyone in line began trampling security and running through the gate to take cover.

When first responders arrived, they found multiple gunshot victims, including an 18-year-old man who was taken to a local hospital in critical condition. Nine other victims, including a 14-year-old, were hospitalized in stable condition.

Several items that belonged to Demaryius Thomas -- including a jersey signed by Tom Brady -- were allegedly stolen after a break-in at the late football player's home earlier this month.

According to police documents, obtained by 95.5 WSB, several people broke into Thomas' Georgia home on March 13 -- just 3 months after the former NFL star died there.

In the docs, cops say Thomas' mother told them an ESPY award, a Brady autographed jersey, football memorabilia, a hyperbaric chamber, guns, cash and more were all taken in the incident.

A spokesperson for the Roswell Police Dept. tells TMZ Sports officers responded to Thomas' home after a family member had told them there were "several unauthorized individuals inside."

Cops say after questioning people at the home, three men -- 29-year-old Vashone Jones, 27-year-old Perfect Robinson and 30-year-old Malcom Daniels -- were arrested, and all later charged with criminal trespass.

In police documents, according to 95.5 WSB, cops say Jones told them that "he used to live at the home and helped Thomas with his medical issues" prior to his death. Jones allegedly told cops he still visited the place on weekends to check on it.

The outlet reported Thomas' mother, though, told police the home should have been empty and that they had changed the locks following Thomas' passing.

Police tell us Thomas' family members and reps met with them last week regarding items missing from the home following the arrests, adding "that theft investigation is still active and ongoing."

Spring Break in Miami Beach turned violent Saturday night ... after 2 people were shot and kids scrambled for their lives.

It all went down on famed Ocean Drive ... you hear the shots and people start running for their lives.

As for the shooting victims ... a woman was hit in the leg. The other person may have been more seriously hurt ... that person was carried out on a stretcher and taken to a hospital. The injuries were not life-threatening. We also don't know if cops caught the shooter.

It's been a tough Spring Break week ... three people were hurt after a shooting broke out in Texas.

Gabby Petito's parents are fighting to help other families whose loved ones have vanished by working with senators and governors to make a national missing persons database accessible everywhere.

Joe Petito, Gabby's father, tells TMZ ... national media coverage played a big role in his daughter's case, but he knows not everyone has that same benefit. Joe says every missing person deserves the same attention as Gabby, and that's why they're pushing for expanded use of the government program, NamUs.

NamUs is a national information resource center for missing, unidentified, and unclaimed people in the United States. The Department of Justice-funded program provides technology, forensic services and investigative support to resolve missing person and unidentified remains cases.

Currently eleven states must participate in NamUs, but all U.S. states can voluntarily participate.

Two months ago, Gabby's parents broke out a list of U.S. senators, and started calling all of them to muster support for expanding access to NamUs. Joe says they were overwhelmed by the wave of positive responses after getting through just half the list, and he adds ... they got the same reaction when they reached out to governors' offices.

Now, the family is speaking with policy teams for veteran Senators Elizabeth Warren, Ted Cruz and Dianne Feinstein ... just to name a few. So far, everyone seems open to creating legislation that includes NamUs, but Gabby's family won't be satisfied until bills are introduced federally and in every state.

Joe emphasizes this is not meant to be a partisan issue ... but something all Americans should rally around. More than 4 thousand unidentified remains are recovered every year, which hits home for him, as 7 bodies were discovered just during the search for Gabby.

As you'll recall, Gabby went missing on a road trip with her boyfriend Brian Laundrie. After a nationwide search and constant media coverage, Gabby's body was found in Wyoming a week after being reported missing.

The U.S. State Department is demanding Russia allow its officials to see Brittney Griner ... as the WNBA star sits in a jail cell awaiting her trial for alleged drug offenses.

In a statement released to AP on Friday, the U.S. State Dept. said it's "insisting" Russia "provide consular access" to Griner -- explaining the request has been repeatedly denied over the last few weeks.

It's all quite notable, considering it's the first time the U.S. State Department has used her name publicly.

You'll recall, when State Dept. Secretary Antony Blinken was asked about her case less than two weeks ago, he declined to get into specifics, saying only, "Whenever an American is detained anywhere in the world, we of course stand ready to provide every possible assistance."

On Friday, though, officials finally acknowledged in their statement that they "are closely engaged on this case." They added they are in "frequent contact with Brittney Griner's legal team."

As we reported, Griner has been detained in Russia since mid-February, after authorities say she went through airport security with hash oil in her luggage.

Griner's legal team asked a court on Thursday to allow her to be released on house arrest ... though officials denied that request. Griner is now expected to remain in detention in Russia until at least May 19, when she's expected to return to court.

The situation with Griner in Russia has been complicated ... as the State Department has "suspended operations" at embassies in Russia near where Griner is being held following the country's invasion of Ukraine.

Young Thug's family is suffering through an unimaginable loss, as the mother of one of his children was shot and killed after a fight at a bowling alley.

Law enforcement sources tell us the Atlanta Police Department responded to Metro Fun Center Thursday night on a report a woman had been shot. We're told when they arrived, they found LaKevia Jackson dead -- having suffered multiple gunshot wounds.

Cops say they've learned Jackson was involved in some sort of a dispute inside the venue over a bowling ball which eventually escalated to gunfire.

A local reporter spoke to Jackson's mom who said LaKevia was at the bowling alley to celebrate a friend's birthday ... and that the alleged shooter waited in the parking lot for about 20 minutes for her to leave.

Young Thug and LaKevia have a 14-year-old son, Kyvion, together ... the rapper has 6 children.