Crime

The federal government goes to great lengths to keep alien spacecraft secret from the public, even killing its own citizens ... at least that's what a whistleblower is strongly suggesting.

The bombshell claim was levied during Wednesday's historic Congressional hearing on UFOs ... with former Air Force intelligence officer David Grusch hinting murder has been a key part of a government conspiracy to hide evidence of extraterrestrials.

Ya gotta see the exchange on Capitol Hill ... Rep. Tim Burchett straight-up asks Grusch if he has any personal accounts of people being murdered over something they've seen in our skies.

The whistleblower's answer is revealing ... "I have to be careful answering that question. I directed people with that knowledge to the appropriate authorities."

Grusch is one of 3 whistleblowers from our military testifying under oath about UFOs and secret government programs allegedly involving extraterrestrial technology. He claims almost 95 percent of UFO sightings go unreported, mainly out of fear of being blackballed, or worse.

The 2 other men being sworn in are Navy fighter pilot commander David Fravor, a witness of the infamous "Tic Tac" UFO sighting, plus former pilot Ryan Graves.

Grusch also testified the U.S. has known about extraterrestrials since at least the 1930s, with the feds covering up a longstanding government program that retrieves and reverse engineers UFOs ... or as he put it, "non-human" spacecraft and pilots.

Kevin Spacey is cleared of sexual assault charges in his UK trial -- a London jury just found him not guilty.

The verdict was handed down in Southwark Crown Court Wednesday in London after 2 days of jury deliberation.

Spacey was originally facing 13 counts including sexual assault, indecent assault, and causing a person to engage in a sexual activity without consent. The 4 indecent assault charges were dropped, with the judge citing its removal as a "legal technicality." He was found not guilty of the remaining charges.

It's a huge victory for Spacey, who had been facing the possibility of life in prison if he'd been convicted.

As we reported, Spacey's been on trial in London for allegedly sexually assaulting 4 men from 2001 to 2013. The trial kicked off at the end of June, and he was spotted looking cheerful as he headed into court for the first day.

Prosecutors claimed Spacey performed oral sex on a man while he was asleep, was aggressively "touchy-feely" with one of his drivers, and even groped a man backstage -- something the alleged victim said was done "with such force it was painful."

A lot came out during the trial -- for starters, one of his alleged accusers compared him to his serial killer character in "Se7en" ... telling cops in a prerecorded interview the actor was "a bit like that. A bit creepy. Maybe not quite as bad."

Spacey took the stand last week, describing one of the accusers as funny and charming, describing himself as a "big flirt" and insisting what went down between them was gentle and consensual.

He admitted he really liked the man, but claimed he never knew he would "stab me in the back" 20 years later. Spacey said he thinks his 4 accusers were attacking him after regretting being intimate with him.

Elton John's name came up during the trial because one of the accusers claimed he was groped by Spacey while driving to the singer's annual White Tie and Tiara Ball in either 2004 or 2005.

The Rocket Man himself actually testified remotely during the trial, saying Spacey only attended 1 of his bashes in 2001, not 2004-05. Elton's husband, David Furnish, also said Elton's recollection of the timing was backed up by photos of the past events.

In closing arguments, Spacey's defense team told the jury, "It is not a crime to have sex, even if you’re famous" -- adding it's also not a crime to sleep with someone "of the opposite sex, because it’s 2023 and not 1823."

Carlee Russell has majorly ticked off a key member of her inner circle after news surfaced Monday that her kidnapping story was BS.

Thomar Simmons posted a lengthy statement on Instagram, slamming Carlee for her lies and now referring to himself as her "ex" boyfriend. He also scrubbed all signs of Carlee from his social media accounts and stopped following her.

Simmons wrote, "Carlee's actions created hurt, confusion and dishonesty. I was made aware of the false narrative after coming to the defense of my ex Carlee Russell."

He explained that he and his family reacted with love and concern at first, but they are "disgusted" with the outcome of the case.

Simmons went on to say they were totally blindsided by Carlee's phony tale, noting they've gained some closure with her confession while acknowledging the police investigation is ongoing.

As you know, Russell's attorney, Emory Anthony, issued his own statement, which was read by Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis Monday night at a news conference.

Anthony said Carlee made up the whole abduction story, as well as her claim she saw a toddler walking along the highway. He also apologized on behalf of Carlee and asked everyone to pray for her as she works on her issues. But Anthony failed to address why Carlee did what she did.

Meanwhile, the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office is reviewing the case to determine if Carlee should be criminally charged. Police spent many hours and tax dollars searching for Carlee after she called 911 to falsely report the child wandering on the interstate.

Quavo was on board a yacht in Miami when two men allegedly threatened the boat's captain ... and video shows the rapper being detained by police, although nobody ended up being arrested.

TMZ obtained footage from Sunday's incident on the Miami River, and you can see Quavo handcuffed with zip ties as he sits on the boat deck and appears to interact with at least three police officers.

Cops in Miami say they got a 911 call about an alleged strong armed robbery on a yacht, and police say folks on the boat told them two men got aggressive with the captain, who said the rental time was nearing its conclusion … allegedly prompting the men to demand a refund.

The incident report, obtained by TMZ, says one of the men threatened to kill the captain and throw him off the yacht if he turned the boat around.

One crew member told police he saw a man take the captain's wallet and cell phone, but cops say folks on the yacht gave conflicting statements on this allegation.

In the video, you also see a group of women sitting on the dock ... as police lights flash and Quavo sits near officers with his hands behind his back.

Police also say they found two firearms on the boat but add that the guns weren't used in any alleged threats.

Carlee Russell's kidnapping story is a fictional one -- she's now fessing up to it all being a big fat lie, and she's also apologizing to the community that rallied to search for her.

Russell's attorney, Emory Anthony, released a statement to Hoover, PD -- and the police chief read it Monday during a news conference. In part, Anthony's letter says, "My client has given me permission to make the following statement on her behalf. There was no kidnapping on Thursday, July 13th, 2023. My client did not see a baby on the side of the road."

He continues, "My client did not leave the Hoover area when she was identified as a missing person. My client didn’t have any help, this was a single act. My client was not with anyone, or not at a hotel with anyone. My client apologizes for her actions. Ask for prayers for Carlee as she addresses her issues and attempts to move forward, ask for forgiveness."

Russell's attorney did not elaborate further in his remarks about a possible motive for her fabrication. He is, however, meeting with HPD alongside his client to discuss next steps.

Unclear if charges are going to be filed ... Hoover PD says it's deferring to the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office on that front. Presumably, she could face serious punishment for this -- a lot of money and resources went into the 48-hour long search.

As we reported ... this saga had been questioned from the get-go. Some felt the facts of the case weren't adding up as the information started to seep out ... especially when Carlee turned up out of nowhere on Saturday night, with her family insisting she'd been abducted.

The police also had its doubts, saying last week they were unable to confirm her kidnapping story, or that a toddler was spotted on the side of a highway. There were a lot of other clues they say they stumbled upon ... like suspicious searches for things like amber alerts and the movie "Taken."

Thomar Lattrel Simmons was interviewed Saturday by the New York Post and made his desperate plea on behalf of Russell.

Simmons said, "The only thing I can say is, I want everyone to stop bullying her. I know what it seems like what she did. Just stop bullying on social media."

He continued, "Think about her mental health. She doesn’t deserve that. She doesn’t. Nobody deserves to be cyberbullied."

As we reported, Russell has come under intense scrutiny after she claimed she was abducted on the side of a highway while trying to help a child.

She called 911 on June 13 and told the dispatcher she saw the toddler wandering along the interstate as she was driving home from work.

Russell promised to wait with the child until the police arrived, but, when the cops got there, Carlee was nowhere to be found and neither was the kid.

Two days later, Russell returned home without so much as a scratch. Since then, police have investigated the incident and publicly stated they have not been able to verify Carlee's suspicious account.

7/22 -- Broward County State Attorney’s office confirmed this week they're gearing up for a retrial, with a hearing set for this Friday.

YNW Melly's years-long double murder case has just ended in dramatic fashion ... he's off the hook, for now, 'cause a judge just declared a mistrial.

The rapper got the good news Saturday in a Broward County courtroom -- where the jury actually came in on a weekend to reaffirm they had not been able to come to a unanimous decision, this after starting deliberations on Thursday ... following closing arguments.

It's one of the wildest hip hop murder cases to happen ... Melly and his co-defendant Cortlen -- aka, YNW Bortlen -- Henry were accused of killing their friends Christopher “Juvy” Thomas Jr. and Anthony “Sakchaser” Williams in South Florida circa October 2018.

Investigators used forensic evidence to argue Melly and Henry fatally shot the pair in the back of a Jeep Compass and staged the scene to look like a drive-by. The killings, at the time, were described as gruesome ... and alleged to have been carried out in cold blood.

Apparently, however, that wasn't enough to sway the jury ... at least not all of them, anyway.

Melly had been locked up since February 2019 while he awaited trial but the time away didn't hurt his rap career. Fans streamed his music faithfully and ran the numbers up ... his discography now has 10 platinum and gold plaques when he had zilch when he was initially arrested for the murders. Remember, he was facing the death penalty ... so high stakes.

Now, Melly's a free man ... that is, assuming prosecutors don't go after him again -- which they certainly can. It's unclear if the state plans to do it all over again ... stay tuned.

Carlee Russell's bad week just got worse ... because she was just fired from her job in Alabama.

Russell got sacked Friday from the Woodhouse Spa in Birmingham after her claims of being kidnapped have come under major scrutiny since she resurfaced alive and well one week ago, according to the New York Post.

Her former boss, Stuart Rome, told the media outlet ... Russell's former co-workers are furious with her because they feel they might have been duped.

Rome said his employees have reason to be annoyed ... they were super busy at the spa the Saturday Russell disappeared, but still found time to hand out fliers over their concerns for her well-being.

What's more, the spa received an influx of negative social media posts from trolls, blasting management for employing Russell, which has resulted in many terrible reviews. Rome said business is now so bad he's "just trying to keep the doors open."

Rome also said his workers spent an entire day deleting the nastygrams and closing down the comments sections on the company's Facebook and Instagram pages.

Cops in Florida are on the hunt for a man who was caught on camera beating the daylights out of a 63-year-old man ... allegedly because he was asked to switch seats.

Broward County Sheriff's Office just released video of the brutal incident, which went down earlier this month in a Pompano Beach AMC movie theater. You see the suspect violently shove the elderly man up against a railing, then land several blows to his head.

According to cops, the victim said he bought VIP tickets, which means he picked assigned seats for his wife and himself -- but when he got inside, he saw the suspect and a woman in his seats, so he asked them to move.

Cops say the suspect quickly became angry and hostile, getting in the man's face -- which is where the video begins.

The man and woman in question fled the theater right after the attack ... but surveillance cameras captured pretty clear shots of their faces in the lobby.

Finesse2Tymes is being accused of living out his rap name ... as Houston cops say he stole a rental car, and he's been brazenly driving it around the city for months!!!

According to the court docs we obtained, a man named Ronald Bell rented an Infiniti QX80 SUV on Feb. 28, 2023 from a Houston-area Enterprise location ... marked with a return date of March 10, 2023.

Authorities say the return date came and went so Enterprise sent Bell a notice to bring it back.

Cops say when they finally got in touch with Bell, he fessed up to Finesse being the one actually driving the vehicle.

The report states Bell set up a three-way call with Enterprise and the Rap-A-Lot Records rapper on April 20, where Finesse told the rental car employee his money was tied up in a Zelle twist-up but would have the vehicle returned in a few days.

The docs say when Finesse failed to return the Infiniti by April 24, Enterprise reported the vehicle, valued at $72k, as stolen and HPD issued a warrant for his arrest.

To make matters worse, cops say the stolen rental car continued to be spotted floating around the Houston area ... including a well-known recording studio in the area.

On April 25, HPD questioned a woman outside the studio, who told them she had recently been hired by Finesse days prior to run errands.

A mass shooting broke out in New Zealand near where the U.S. women's national soccer team is gearing up for this week's World Cup ... but, thankfully, officials for the squad said all of its players and staffers are safe.

According to New Zealand police, gunshots initially rang out on Wednesday morning at a construction site in Auckland's CBD -- just a few miles from where the USWNT and other countries are slated to compete in the prestigious soccer tournament.

Police said a shooter opened fire inside the site at around 7:22 AM ... and then continued moving through the building while repeatedly discharging his gun.

Cops say when they arrived on scene, officers attempted to engage the gunman ... who had barricaded himself inside of an elevator shaft.

"Further shots were fired from the male," cops said in a statement ... "he was located deceased a short time later."

Authorities say two people -- plus the suspect -- died during the incident. Several others, they added, were injured.

The USWNT said in a statement following the tragedy that "all of our USWNT players and staff are accounted for and safe."

"Our security team is in communication with local authorities," team officials continued, "and we are proceeding with our daily schedule."

New Zealand officials added that while the situation was "alarming," they believe the incident "has been contained and is an isolated" one.

"We can also advise that this is not a national security risk," they said.

The World Cup is slated to kick off in Auckland on Thursday ... when New Zealand takes on Norway at Eden Park.

We've learned Clemons did not own the Compton home where the Tupac murder weapon was found back in '98.

Also, KNTV got video of SWAT officers swooping into the neighborhood Monday night to execute the search warrant at Clemons' Henderson home.

The home cops raided in Vegas this week in connection with the unsolved Tupac murder belongs to the wife of a guy who says he was in the car with a man who shot and killed the late rapper.

TMZ has confirmed the address where Vegas Metro executed a search warrant Monday night ... it's owned by a woman named Paula Clemons -- who's married, we've learned, to Keffe D.

Folks familiar with Tupac lore know exactly who Keffe D is -- he's a former Crip, and for years now he's been doing interviews claiming to be the uncle of the late Orlando Anderson ... who's been suspected, at least on the streets, to have been the shooter.

Orlando and his crew -- including Keefe -- were in Vegas that night ... and Orlando was actually jumped by Tupac, Suge Knight and other Death Row affiliates at the MGM Grand. It's an altercation that was caught on surveillance video ... and many thought Orlando might have orchestrated a revenge shooting after the Mike Tyson fight that night. FWIW, Orlando himself had denied any involvement before he was killed in a shootout himself.

As for Paula, she also owned a home in Compton in the '90s ... what's interesting, in 1998, the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. recovered a gun in the backyard of a Compton home ... a home the Sheriff's Dept. said belonged to the girlfriend of known Crip who was in Vegas the night of the murder.

As we reported, cops raided Paula's Henderson, Nevada home Monday. The reason the raid is significant is because, to obtain that warrant, police had to show a judge there was probable cause to believe there was evidence in the home connected to Tupac's murder.

Cops are not saying what they recovered from Paula's Henderson home.

We covered it all on the latest of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Cops are clarifying some things after Carlee Russell was recovered following a 48-hour period of her having gone missing ... and it sounds like they, too, have more questions.

Hoover PD issued a new statement with a handful of details they say they can elaborate on as the investigation continues -- the most important of which, it seems, is the fact that even now ... they say they haven't gotten any further reports about a wandering child.

Remember, this was at the crux of the case from the beginning -- Carlee called 911 on the night she disappeared ... telling dispatchers she saw a toddler walking by itself along a local highway at night, and reiterated that to family members as well before pulling over.

After that, she vanished ... only to turn up 3 days later, with not very many answers as to what happened to her -- other than her loved ones claiming she was kidnapped, that is.

There's more info HPD is relaying in their new remarks ... including the fact that they say there's residential surveillance footage that apparently shows Carlee walking down the sidewalk in her neighborhood alone -- this before she showed up to her parents' front door.

The police are also clarifying reports -- citing dispatch chatter that went over the airwaves -- of Carlee having been transported to a hospital in an unconscious state. They say that's not true ... all that happened is that somebody called 911 reporting she was unresponsive -- but they say she was, in fact, awake and speaking when paramedics actually arrived.

One last important detail ... HPD says it's waiting for Carlee to be made available for a follow-up interview, claiming they've only been able to obtain a preliminary statement from her.

On its face, it sounds like they're somewhat suspicious themselves about this whole thing -- which echoes the growing public sentiment at this point ... people are raising an eyebrow.

Thus far, her family members have stuck to the same story ... namely, that she escaped her abductors, and that she fought for her life. They've also scoffed at the notion that anybody would question what happened to her ... and yet, folks still have their doubts regardless.

There's apparently some new life in the investigation into who killed legendary rapper Tupac Shakur ... as Las Vegas cops descended on a home in connection to the murder.

Detectives from the Las Vegas Metro PD served a search warrant Tuesday at a home in Henderson, Nevada ... about 20 miles away from the LV city limits. Cops were brief in the details surrounding the search, only adding it was, "part of the ongoing Tupac Shakur homicide investigation."

Law enforcement sources confirm to us the home was in the area of Interstate 11 and Wagon Wheel Drive but, as of now, no arrests have been made.

Pac died on September 13, 1996, after being shot multiple times just off the Las Vegas Strip.

The "All Eyez On Me" rapper's afterlife spawned one of the biggest-selling music careers, not to mention one of the biggest fandoms ... but his family just wants closure.

Carlee Russell's boyfriend is explicitly stating what most everyone has assumed about her disappearance -- declaring definitively that she was, indeed, kidnapped.

Thomar Simmons made the claim in a Facebook post Sunday, in which he both thanked supporters for their ongoing prayers and offered more insight into what he says happened to his significant other since she vanished Thursday in Hoover, Alabama ... this after pulling over on the I-459 highway on the heels of her reporting seeing a lone child walking at night.

He writes, "All I asked from everyone right now is to be respectful of Carlee’s situation. She was literally fighting for her life for 48 hours, so until she’s physically & mentally stable again she is not able to give any updates or whereabouts on her kidnapper at this very moment."

Simmons adds, "I also want to thank the people on social media who has been understanding & respectful about what she’s been through in these past few days. Once again I can’t thank you guys enough for helping us bring Carlee home! God bless you all."

Carlee's mother echoed similar sentiments, saying they were overjoyed to have Carlee back -- and that they would provide more details to the media in due time. Interestingly, Carlee's mom also had this to say ... "Just as we made a commitment to not entertain negative thoughts during the time our daughter was missing, we surely will not entertain negative thoughts/statements, unvalidated opinions, or sheer ignorance at such a joyous time."

What she may be referring to is the fact that people are already jumping to conclusions and floating conspiracy theories about this case ... as some feel like info doesn't line up.

For example, the police's statement about how exactly Carlee came to be found -- in which they said they got a call that she had shown up to her residence on foot -- fails to mention the fact that dispatchers in the Hoover-Vestavia Hills area were talking about Carlee possibly being at a nearby motel well beforehand ... a convo captured around 6:53 PM CT.

As you can hear ... the dispatchers describe a caller saying Carlee's family had reached out to say they had gotten a call from Carlee herself -- who apparently told them she was at the Red Roof Inn along the Montgomery Highway ... only about 5 miles north from where she disappeared. The wording's a little confusing, but it seems the caller was a Red Roof worker.

The first responders also say the front desk staff said they had no one checked in under Carlee's name. It also sounds like Carlee's family was itching to get to the Red Roof Inn to see if she was actually there. It's unclear if they did or not, but cops certainly responded ... as heard in the audio, where somebody gets on the radio to say units have arrived.

Bottom line ... there are still a number of unanswered questions, but it's clear her family/loved ones are leaning toward the notion that she was abducted by a still-to-be-discovered culprit.

Bryan Kohberger heard one of the Idaho murder victims was a huge fan of his, so he took it upon himself to seek out the late college student's family ... with none other than an invite.

The country singer touched base with Ethan Chapin's mourning loved ones ... this according to Ethan's mother, Stacy, who recounted the sweet move on social media. Sounds like she and the rest of the Chapin household got the VIP treatment for MW's SoCal show Friday.

She says Ethan once sent her one of Morgan's songs, telling her he loved the dude -- a story Stacy's publicly shared since his death. Welp, Morgan heard about it and did something.

Stacy writes, "Last night, we met Morgan Wallen! He kindly gifted our family and friends tickets to his show in San Diego. Morgan's mom, Lesli, even flew in! It was an incredibly bittersweet full-circle moment."

She continues with this ... "Truthfully, the show would have been enough. We were all over the moon, and then Morgan handed us a donation check to the Ethan’s Smile Foundation. It was one of the kindest gestures in my life. I still cannot believe it happened, and it isn’t easy to recognize it all came at a massive cost to our family." Stacy ends by thanking Morgan.

Obviously, the family posed with Morgan for a handful of photos ... and just like she says, they all looked overjoyed to be there. Of course, it also must've been somewhat painful.

Ethan was one of 4 University of Idaho students who were killed last year ... the others included his girlfriend Xana Kernodle, and her roommates, -- Madison Mogen and Kaylee Gonclaves. All of them had been brutally stabbed to death at a house they were renting.

Prosecutors say they have the alleged killer ... Bryan Kohberger, whom they claim carried out the grisly murders and who'll now stand trial -- with the death penalty on the table.