Crime

R. Kelly doesn't want the feds to be given a chance to prove he had sex with a male -- because the jury isn't ready for that wrench ... and might take it out on him in a verdict, assuming they're homophobic.

The singer's legal team fired back to what federal prosecutors submitted last week -- namely, a request to have new evidence they say they have touching on several new allegations ... the most shocking of which being R. Kelly groomed and molested a 17-year-old boy.

You'll recall ... prosecutors filed a bombshell just mere weeks ahead of the start of Kelly's Chicago case, the first of his many cases that'll start before any of the others. In addition to bribery, they claimed he started a relationship with a male minor in the mid-2000s -- this after supposedly meeting him at a McDonald's and taking him under his wing.

There was another 17-year-old boy the feds claim R. Kelly met as a result of this relationship -- but it sounds like things didn't turn sexual until years later for that second John Doe, per their filing. At any rate, Kelly's team says NONE of it should be allowed into the record.

Of the many reasons they list in their docs, obtained by TMZ, Kelly's attorneys -- Thomas A. Farinella and Nicole Blank Becker -- list timeliness (or a lack thereof), ongoing anonymity, purpose and jury selection as their main concerns for why this stuff shouldn't be heard.

The jury thing is perhaps the most interesting though -- it speaks to what Kelly's team appears to be anticipating in terms of jurors who may or may not have a bias on the issue of same-sex relationships. That's important ... 'cause the jury questionnaire is already filed and submitted, which his lawyers say is messed up considering this late, new development.

Long story short, his attorneys argue the questionnaires potential jurors will see soon are "void of a single question about their opinions or feelings on same-sex relationships" -- which they think is important, since that could end in bigots on the panel who may decide unfavorably against Kelly simply due of the nature of the evidence/allegations ... aka, the implication that R. Kelly is gay and/or bisexual. His attorneys say ... that's not fair.

The 2 attorneys further tell TMZ that it's no secret the issue of sexual orientation is still a lightning rod issue in 2021, and needs to be vetted to give Kelly an impartial jury.

Gonzoe the rapper -- a friend of Tupac and Ice Cube -- has been murdered.

Police say Gonzoe was shot 3 times in the chest near a gas station in Seattle, Washington. The gunman is still at large and cops are on the hunt.

The 45-year-old rapper -- real name Ronald Moore -- was from Los Angeles. He was a member of the Outlawz and got his nickname from Tupac himself. His albums include "If I Live & Nothing Happens," and he contributed on "Kuruption" and "Godzilla."

After Gonzoe was shot he ran to a Shell gas station that was close by and then collapsed. He was rushed to a hospital where he died overnight.

It appears he was shot while driving ... cops found a vehicle riddled with bullets in the area.

Gonzoe was a member of Kausion ... a '90s group supported by Ice Cube. The group's album, "South Central Los Skanless," rose to #37 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.

Rapper C-Bo paid his respects to Gonzoe on social media, posting a throwback video of the two of them out together

Gonzoe was reportedly "working on numerous business deals after the high-profile fight with Boskoe, with whom he started a boxing league with after squashing their beef," All Hip Hop explained.

Gonzoe had started a boxing league with fellow-rapper Boskoe100. The 2 of them got in the ring and fought it out to a draw back in April.

Gonzoe was 45.

Terry Kennedy -- a famous skateboarder who's ridden with Rob Dyrdek and appeared in several skating video games -- was arrested Tuesday after he was accused of several heinous crimes, including threatening to murder cops.

A DuPage State's Attorney's Office spokesperson tells TMZ Sports ... it all started after law enforcement responded to a report of a battery at a motel on July 27 in Oakbrook Terrace, IL.

The spokesperson says Kennedy was accused of violently attacking a man at the motel -- leaving the guy with a fractured skull and a concussion -- and then fleeing the scene.

It's unclear what provoked the alleged attack ... but we're told Kennedy was eventually located and taken into custody.

During the booking process, though, the spokesperson says the skater became aggressive toward cops.

Kennedy allegedly threatened to murder officers NINE different times ... with the spokesperson saying Kennedy told cops, "I will kill one of you police. We kill police where I'm from."

The spokesperson says Kennedy then referenced a 2017 cop-killing incident in Whittier, CA. ... claiming the skateboarder said, "We killed ya'll in Whittier, California. We killed ya'll bitch ass."

Kennedy was ultimately arrested and booked on multiple charges including aggravated battery in a public place and threatening a public official, court records show.

The spokesperson said Kennedy had been out on bail due to a previous arrest earlier this month ... so he was also booked on a charge of violation of bail bond.

Kennedy showed up in court on Wednesday ... and his bail was set at $100,000, the spokesperson said. Jail records show the 36-year-old skater is still currently behind bars.

His next court date has been set for late August.

We've reached out to Kennedy's reps for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Kennedy is one of the more famous figures in the skating world ... appearing in the "Skate" video game franchise as well as often riding at Dyrdek's fantasy factory.

In fact, back in 2010, Justin Bieber did a trick over Kennedy and Dyrdek at the famous skate spot.

Jean-Claude Van Damme is so damn famous, all eyes were glued on him instead of a nearby thief -- with great timing -- who made off with millions in jewels ... on a scooter.

So, get this ... a grey-haired man in a suit reportedly held up the high-end jewelry store Chaumet in Paris earlier this week. Cops say he pulled a knife during the robbery, and while no one was injured ... the suspect took off with a "monumental haul" in jewels and gemstones. Cops say he nabbed somewhere between $2.4 million and $3.5 mil.

What's shocking is the guy got away on a green, electric scooter ... which makes ya wonder how he was able to pull this off -- and that's where JCVD comes in.

Law enforcement says there were plenty of potential witnesses nearby, but they were all distracted by Van Damme ... who was inside a nearby optometrist's office.

The "Bloodsport" and "Street Fighter" star had inadvertently drawn the attention of just about everyone on the block ... allowing Scooter McJewelThief to make a clean getaway.

Well, nearly clean. Cops did have surveillance cameras, and we've confirmed they arrested 2 suspects in connection with the heist. We're told cops also recovered a substantial part of the stolen jewelry.

Officer Michael Fanone says his testimony for Congress is triggering the hell out of someone who left him a vile voicemail ... filled with hate speech and wishing death on him and other police officers.

The Washington D.C. police officer says this message was waiting for him after he testified Tuesday on Capitol Hill, and it's clear the person was watching him on TV at the time. The caller said, "You want an Emmy, an Oscar? What are you trying to go for here, man? You're so full of s**t you little f****t f**ker."

Typically, we would censor much of this recording, but we think it's important to hear the venom this caller spewed. His disgusting rant continued with ... "How about all the scummy Black f**king scum for 2 years destroying our cities and burning 'em?"

Fanone has been outspoken about the violence that rioters unleashed on him and other officers during the Jan. 6 riot -- but the caller thinks they got off easy. He added, "That was s**t on the God damn Capitol. I wish they woulda killed all you scumbags. They stole the election from Trump and you know that, you scumbag."

Fanone is one of several officers who testified this week for the Jan. 6 insurrection hearing convened by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Reacting to the voicemail, Fanone told CNN, "This is what happens to people that tell the truth in Trump's America."

Celebrity dermatologist Dr. Alex Khadavi is under investigation by a governing body of medical professionals ... following his homophobic rant.

A spox for the Medical Board of California tells TMZ ... they're aware of Dr. Khadavi's recent episode and are reviewing it to see if any disciplinary action is warranted.

As for what that punishment could include ... the board wouldn't speak specifically to Khadavi's case, but did say the range of possibilities include everything from public reprimand to license revocation when it comes to violating the standards of patient care. Of course, Khadavi's incident didn't involve patient care, but was disturbing nonetheless.

The Board also pointed out Dr. Khadavi has no record of discipline on his license at this time.

As we reported ... Khadavi was caught on camera having a meltdown in the lobby of his apartment complex -- where he made homophobic comments, including using the f-word. He appeared to be fuming over a couple of neighbors.

The neighbors -- a gay couple -- filed for a restraining order over this ... claiming they'd been told Khadavi had made mention of wanting to kill them, and that he also allegedly once flashed a gun at the concierge, seemingly to show he was packing and meant business.

Todd Chrisley's daughter had the cops called on her after allegedly throwing a drink at one of her brother's friends -- but she says the guy was getting in her and her friends' faces.

Lindsie Chrisley -- who's appeared on her parents' show, 'Chrisley Knows Best' -- is under the microscope of the Atlanta PD after a pal of her younger brother, Chase, filed a report this weekend following an altercation that went down Saturday night in the ATL.

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ, a guy named Austin Duriez claims he was at a bar in town where Lindsie also happened to be. He says, for some unexplained reason, she threw a glass with a drink at him -- which he says hit him in the head. He says he flagged down a bouncer and had her removed.

He says after she was bounced, Lindsie made a scene -- so he decided to leave. Austin called the cops the next day ... he wasn't sure if he wanted to press charges since Lindsie is his friend's sister. There's body cam footage of his interaction with cops -- and this all seems to harken back to the 2019 drama.

You'll recall ... the Chrisleys faced tax evasion charges at both the state and federal level -- mucked up further by allegations of an affair Todd claimed Lindsie had started with a tax official, which is what he believed led to the authorities getting the dirt they needed.

It was a whole ordeal, and essentially left Lindsie estranged from a good chunk of the family, including Chase.

As for what she has to say about all this ... her attorney, Musa Ghanayem, tells TMZ, yes, Lindsie may have gestured toward Austin as if to throw the drink ... and that if any liquid made contact, it was a tiny bit. The real perpetrator though, according to the lawyer, is Austin.

Ghanayem says Austin accosted Lindsie and her group at their table ... and then started to harass and intimidate them, to the point one of her friends had to push him off her. He also claims Austin was trying to snap pictures of them, and made them feel uncomfortable.

Deshaun Watson is open to settling with the 20-plus women accusing him of sexual misconduct -- but only if confidentiality agreements are NOT involved ... this, according to the NFL superstar's attorney.

The Texans QB's lawyer, Rusty Hardin, gave an update on his client's legal battle to ESPN on Monday ... saying he's not opposed to hashing out a financial settlement with accusers -- but any deal HAS to remain public.

"I do not want anybody to be saying that this guy paid off women to stay quiet and so, if there ever was a settlement of any kind, it would have to be public and therefore both sides, [Watson] and the women, would be able to say to the world at large whatever they wanted," Hardin said.

As for the accusers, lawyer Tony Buzbee has previously made it clear there will not be any settlements ... saying, it's "not happening."

Hardin also says 10 women have filed criminal complaints with police ... adding 2 of those women are not involved in the civil case.

R. Kelly is facing new allegations in his criminal case out of Chicago -- which is about to go to trial next month -- including claims that he sexually abused a male minor ... whom he's said to have met at a McDonald's.

Prosecutors in Kelly's federal sex trafficking case filed the bombshell Friday, seeking to enter new evidence they say supports their accusations of a slew of new crimes they insist Kelly committed ... including alleged abuse of a male under the age of 18 in the 2000s.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Kelly met a 17-year-old boy in 2006 at a McDonald's ... whom they say Kelly then invited to a party at his Chicago residence. The kid went with his parents, but the feds say Kelly told him to swing by next time by himself ... and, apparently, the 17-year-old did -- at which point, things allegedly turned sexual.

The feds say that upon returning visits to Kelly's place -- and under the guise of trying to help jumpstart the boy's singing career -- Kelly began a sexual relationship with him. Soon after that, prosecutors claim the 17-year-old intro'd Kelly to yet another minor male -- who was either 16 or 17 at the time -- and they say Kelly sought to sexually abuse him too.

It wasn't until years later, it seems, that something materialized between the second John Doe and Kelly, so say the feds. They say Kelly did, in fact, begin a sexual relationship with him as well -- but that he allegedly would command the guy to have sex with women in his orbit ... and allegedly filmed a lot of those encounters. There are new Jane Does sprinkled in the filing as well, BTW ... on top of the ones he's already alleged to have trafficked.

The McDonald's thing is interesting ... we know he's a fan of the Golden Arches. He went there for after posting bail and (temporarily) being sprung from jail more than 2 years ago.

Anyway, there are even more accusations the federal government wants permission to support with new evidence it says it's obtained ... including the claim that someone on R. Kelly's team successfully bribed a Cook County official for inside info on the case back in 2019.

Allegedly, that CC official took $2,500 from this Kelly team member ... as well as a burner phone so they could communicate. The official is said to be a clerk ... but is unnamed.

A judge has yet to rule on what Uncle Sam wants -- namely, to submit this new evidence they say they have, to have it looked over, which they hope leads to even further charges filed against the singer. This trial is supposed to get underway in about 4 weeks.

R. Kelly has other legal trouble in other states ... but the federal case seems to be the one that'll get started first. He's been given more time to secure and confer with new attorneys in the wake of much of his old legal team jumping ship in the past several months.

A couple of New York cops are being hailed heroes after this INSANE encounter where they saved a baby girl who was pinned underneath a car -- and after watching this video ... you might give 'em a round of applause yourself.

This wild episode went down Friday in Yonkers ... where a vehicle that was cruising through a not-so-busy street lost control while trying to make a simple left turn at a stop sign -- slamming into a parked car, then accelerating into a woman carrying an infant ... and then into a building.

The car actually crashed straight into a barbershop ... where this lady and her 8-month-old ended up getting dragged into after the vehicle came barreling through the wall, with them on the hood. The 2 cops who saved the day, Officers Fusco and Samoyedny, were at a nearby shop ... and responded after hearing the commotion. Luckily, they sprung into action as quickly as they did ... 'cause the kid ended up getting trapped underneath somehow!!!

You gotta watch this body cam footage to see what they did. With the help of bystanders, they lifted the car enough to be able to grab the girl and pull her out from under the rubble. You can hear her crying, and her mother screaming, as they finally lift her to safety.

The Wisconsin police department that had one of their own accused of planting drugs in a Black man's car says the claim is BS -- and they say they got the full video to prove it.

The Caledonia Police Dept. posted an update into their investigation -- which they say isn't done yet -- but based on what they've found so far ... they feel confident saying the officer who was caught on video tossing a baggie into the back seat is being wrongly blamed.

The Chief of Police, Christopher Botsch, says the car was pulled over for speeding in a 45 MPH zone, and after the front seat passenger refused to ID himself -- and finding the rear passengers weren't wearing seat belts -- the cops apparently decided to conduct a search.

CPD uploaded portions of two body cameras from what appears to be 2 different officers -- the first shows the cop in question being handed a little baggie -- which the department says was an empty "corner tear" -- by another officer who was checking it out and then going back to the car and throwing it back in ... which is where the OG video picks up.

The police say that little baggie -- which, again, they say was not illegal in and of itself since it was empty, albeit indicative of drugs -- was found when they searched one of the rear passengers, something they say you can see in a second body cam video they uploaded.

Since there was nothing in it, CPD says the cop essentially discarded it back into the car, which they say probably wasn't a great idea, but note ... nothing sketchy happened. Their video also shows the convo that happened after ... something GlockBoy Savoo's didn't.

Caledonia Police say there's over 6 hours of footage to review since there were four officers present -- so they say they're gonna need more time to get the full picture. However, they reiterate that thus far ... it doesn't appear as if anything criminal was done -- on either end.

Rodney Alcala (AKA, "The Dating Game Killer") -- who killed several women in Orange County, as well as a child -- has died.

The California Dept. of Corrections made the announcement Saturday, saying Alcala passed away of natural causes Friday while hospitalized in a hospital near the city of Corcoran, where he was on death row after being tied to, tried and convicted over the murders of multiple women in and around the Orange County area during the 1970s.

His case is one of the more famous ones among CA's serial killers -- as the guy actually appeared on (and won) an episode of the famous 'Dating Game' in '78 ... after which his would-be date, Cheryl Bradshaw, reportedly canceled their plans after actually meeting him.

Supposedly, she found him to be "creepy" ... and in hindsight, good on her for following her intuition -- because a jury, years later, found that he had, in fact, been on a killing spree even before his TV debut. Who knows what would've happened if she went out with him.

Alcala was initially charged and tried in the 1979 kidnapping and murder of a 12-year-old girl, Robin Samsoe, in 1980 ... for which he was convicted and sentenced to death row. That judgment was reversed, however, in '84 by and Alcala was given a new trial.

There, too, though he was found guilty again ... only to have a federal court of appeals overturn the sentence yet again years later in 2003 -- and a new trial was granted once more. Finally, he got nailed ... and it was all due to the advent of technology.

In addition to Samsoe's murder, OC prosecutors say they found DNA evidence linking him to the murders of four other women in Orange County between '77 and '79. Later, he was indicted for two more murders in NY -- dating back to '71 -- to which he pled guilty.

He was charged with yet another murder out of Wyoming as recently as 2016 -- allegedly killing a woman named Christine Thornton in '78, who was 6 months pregnant. It doesn't appear as though that case was resolved though. BTW, several other jurisdictions across the U.S. either suspected or linked Alcala to murders in their states as well, including WA, AZ, NY and NH. His true victim count is unknown.

No, Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner did NOT apply for unemployment benefits ... but some goon in Michigan managed to defraud the state out of thousands of dollars using the famous names.

So, check this out ... someone filed a couple of unemployment claims back in May 2020 under "Kimberly Kardashian" and "Kylie Jenner" with an address in Traverse City ... four hours northwest of Detroit.

Thing is ... nobody checked if the claims were legit before paying "Kimberly" and "Kylie" some 8 weeks of backdated unemployment pay ... to the tune of more than $7,000 each.

The payouts, BTW, hit the bank accounts just days before the state's fraud management software flagged the claims because the agency needed additional ID verification. But by then it was too little, too late.

Apparently, the unemployment agency's been rife with fraud. As the Detroit News first reported ... the agency approved thousands of claims at the height of the pandemic well knowing nearly 10% would be fraudulent claims.

So, why approve all the claims? Because if the agency had to sort through it all and ID fraudulent claims it would have held up thousands of legit claims.

And that's how this "Kardashian" and "Jenner" got paid ... not to mention some other goofball's fraudulent claim ... which included copies of a fake ID with a photo of "The Office" star John Krasinski.

The Philadelphia police officer who allegedly deleted witness video during an arrest just got hauled in by his own boys in blue over the incident ... now he's facing criminal charges and is soon to be out of a job.

Officer Burnett -- the Philly PD cop identified as the one who allegedly scrubbed Jacob Giddings' footage during a gas station stop in March -- was arrested and arraigned Wednesday on several charges ... according to the Philadelphia D.A.'s Office.

The D.A. tells us Burnett's been charged with evidence tampering, attempted official oppression and obstruction of justice. It's unclear at this point how exactly the arrest went down -- be it Burnett turning himself in, or cops coming to nab him.

Burnett was first placed on administrative leave, launching an internal investigation, not to mention a civil suit filed against him -- and now ... criminal charges against the officer.

Of course, the smoking gun seems to be the body cam video. You'll recall ... his body camera was rolling while he was attempting to get Giddings out of the car -- capturing what Giddings claims is brutality and assault -- and it was also rolling when he appeared to delete video Giddings was taking of him in the run-up to the actual detainment and arrest.

Giddings provided even more videos that he says help his case ... offering extra photos from other body cameras which show Burnett fiddling with the phone.

No word on whether Burnett has entered a plea or not. As for Philly PD ... they say their Commissioner, Danielle Outlaw, has suspended Burnett for 30 days -- and plans to dismiss him entirely as soon as that's up. They also say he's been on the force for all of 4 years.

Harvey Weinstein's back on the West Coast, and just faced the judge in his L.A. sexual assault case -- he's now been formally indicted, and denied wrongdoing ... with an official plea.

The one-time movie producer appeared in person for a hearing Wednesday in an L.A. County courthouse where the 11 charges he's facing were read to him, one by one.

The charges are for alleged sexual assaults over several years, involving 5 different women. In response, Weinstein entered a not guilty plea -- something he was expected to do based on how he'd pled in the recent past.

Now, we're told Weinstein will remain in the custody of L.A. authorities while the case is pending. If it ends up going to trial -- which it appears it will at this point -- that could mean he'll be here for a long time.

As we reported ... Weinstein was extradited from NY to L.A. Tuesday. TMZ posted the first shots of HW getting off the plane, and he appeared to be in civilian clothes ... not a prison jumpsuit. Remember, he's already doing hard time in a NY state prison for sexual assault.

Harvey Weinstein is currently aboard an airplane for the first time in over a year -- but it's not for any type of vacay ... the guy's on his way to L.A. to face even more charges.

The disgraced movie producer's attorney, Mark Werksman, tells TMZ ... Weinstein's legal team was notified their client is being extradited Tuesday, and is said to be on a flight right now from New York to Los Angeles for a possible hearing in court Wednesday.

Another attorney of Weinstein's, Norman Effman, adds that he believes Weinstein is on a federal aircraft medically equipped to handle his many ailments. We haven't confirmed that just yet, though. In any case, it sounds like HW is California-bound for the first time in a while.

Remember, he's been on the East Coast since at least 2019 ... fighting a rape case that he was ultimately convicted in just last year, and sentenced to 23 years behind bars. That was just a New York matter, though ... he's still got Los Angeles charges to face, which is why he's being brought out here.

As we've reported ... Weinstein was indicted on 11 counts of sexual assault involving 5 different women, following an investigation on the heels of scores of women coming forward to accuse him of either sexual misconduct, or full-blown assault ... coast-to-coast.

As for how exactly this transfer is supposed to go down ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ that the FBI is assisting in transporting Weinstein from NY to LA, and will turn him over to the authorities when they touch down.

Weinstein's rep, Juda Engelmayer, tells TMZ ... despite trying to negotiate an agreement to waive Weinstein's extradition, he knew this would probably be coming eventually. Engelmayer also says he's disappointed in the L.A. County District Attorney for not waiting for a judge's ruling.

Engelmayer says the team will be fighting for Weinstein to receive the medical care he needs, while also adding he has a right to due process ... and is presumed innocent until proven guilty.