Crime

R. Kelly has just been found guilty on all counts in his federal sex crimes trial ... and could be staring down life in prison.

The jury started deliberating on Friday afternoon, had the weekend off, and took about half the day on Monday to reach its verdict on 9 federal counts ... including racketeering, sex crimes, human trafficking, obstruction of justice and kidnapping.

The trial wrapped a little over a month after it began ... with the prosecution calling far more witnesses than the defense. Kelly's team only called 5 witnesses over a couple of days. Kelly himself never took the stand.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 4, and now that Kelly's been convicted on all counts, he could get 10 years to life. Mind you, he's still set to go on a second federal trial in Chicago, and state trials in Illinois and Minnesota.

Monday's verdict in federal court in Brooklyn comes just over 2 years after Kelly was arrested in Chicago for multiple federal sex crimes in 2 different states.

Kelly's legal team called a handful of ex-Kelly employees and associates to take the stand in an effort to discredit allegations the singer sexually abused women, girls and boys.

Some of Kelly's ardent defenders said, under oath, they never saw Kelly abuse anyone. What's more ... some of the defense witnesses went as far as saying that, if anything, Kelly was "chivalrous" to his GFs.

Prosecutors, however, called dozens of witnesses to the stand to refute defense testimony and poke holes throughout. Some of the prosecutors' witnesses straight-up said Kelly had a small team made up of managers, bodyguards and assistants who rounded up Kelly's potential victims before the singer groomed them for unwanted sex, among other things.

These witnesses also testified saying Kelly's entourage would recruit potential victims ... either at his concerts, malls and even fast-food joints.

You'll recall one of the 2 women interviewed by Gayle King back in 2019 also took the witness stand ... and claimed Kelly was controlling them right then and there during the interview.

Britney Spears' lawyer is outraged and indignant over revelations his client was secretly recorded even in her bedroom, and he's filed legal docs suggesting Jamie Spears and the conservators may have committed a crime.

Attorney, Mathew Rosengart, is referring to the NYT doc, "Controlling Britney Spears," in which a former member of the security team Jamie hired claims there are hours and hours of recordings that should never have been made, especially those in Britney's bedroom.

Rosengart says in his docs ... some of what was captured may involve the attorney/client relationship, which are "a sacrosanct part of the legal system." Rosengart notes California is a 2-party state -- meaning all parties on a recording must have given their prior approval to be recorded, and if they're not, it's a crime.

And, Rosengart seems to have his sights set on Jamie for Wednesday's big hearing, and it seems this issue is coming up as even more ammo to get Jamie out of the conservatorship.

What's more ... Rosengart makes it clear in the docs ... he's going to depose Jamie and will ask about the recordings, and if Jamie invokes the 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination, it will be telling.

Rosengart's latest filing makes it clear ... he's doubling down to get Jamie out, but Britney's dad has already all but said he'll be gone for good Wednesday.

And, Rosengart ends with this ... once Jamie's gone, there must be a "prompt termination of the conservatorship."

The FBI paid Brian Laundrie's parents' home a visit to get some personal items in hopes they might have his DNA on them.

Several FBI agents went to the Florida home Sunday after authorities requested some personal items belonging to Gabby Petito's fiance to assist them with DNA matching. An attorney for Laundrie's parents said they complied.

It's interesting ... one would have assumed authorities could have gotten their hands on some of his DNA from items in the van. Not to mention ... they also searched his car not long after he was named a person of interest, so it's puzzling why they'd need more.

Then there's this ... there's new dispatch audio that shows cops talking about a domestic dispute involving Gabby and Laundrie during a stop in Utah back in August.

You can hear the cop saying "RP (reporting party) states seeing a male hit a female, domestic. He got into a white Ford Transit van, has a black ladder on the back, Florida plate."

As we've reported ... Laundrie allegedly slapped Gabby and hit her in the run-up to them being pulled over by cops in Moab, Utah. According to 911 audio ... the caller claimed to have witnessed the violence.

Gabby was seen on video distraught, but Laundrie denied any wrongdoing and claimed nothing happened between them. Cops didn't cite or arrest Laundrie. The Moab City Police Dept. is now reportedly under investigation for how it handled the domestic dispute.

A new force has entered the fold in the ongoing search for Gabby Petito's fiance, Brian Laundrie -- and that's Dog the Bounty Hunter ... who's already knocking at his front door.

The famed TV personality and real-life human tracker has thrown his hat into the ring to help try and locate Laundrie -- who's vanished and been missing for almost a couple weeks now ... and is currently the subject of a massive manhunt, as he's suspect #1 in this whole case.

Reporter Brian Entin got footage of Dog dropping into the Laundrie family home in North Port, FL ... but it doesn't look like they were willing to chat with DTBH.

He seems to poke his head around the side of the house -- where there are a few parked cars in the driveway -- and finally makes his way to the main entrance, where he knocks and lingers a bit. Nobody answers ... and eventually Dog heads back to his truck with his wife, Francie, right behind him. Entin asks what he's doing there -- and Dog tells him, "you know."

As for why Dog's doing this (and how), we have some answers. His rep tells TMZ ... Dog wants to help bring justice to the Petito family, and feels compelled to get out there and do what he does best -- capturing people and bringing them to the authorities.

We're told Dog is simply volunteering his services at this point, and has not yet made contact with the investigative powers overseeing this case -- namely, the FBI. But, we're told Dog will touch base with them eventually ... and turn over anything he finds along the way.

Jeffrey Jordan, Michael Jordan's 32-year-old son, is accused of assaulting staff at a hospital in Arizona Friday night, where he was being treated for an injury he sustained in a bar, TMZ Sports has learned.

Here's the deal ... Jeffrey was at Casa Amigos bar in Scottsdale when he "fell and hit his head," according to police. They say Jordan then became combative with security who were attempting to escort him out of the bar to receive medical attention.

Scottsdale PD, who were in the area for an unrelated call, were summoned to assist. Cops interviewed bar staff, and eventually deemed the incident "medical in nature," not criminal. An ambulance was called to transport JJ to a hospital.

After arriving at a local hospital, that's when things allegedly took a turn.

Jeffrey is accused of assaulting hospital staff while being treated for the injury he sustained at the bar. A report for aggravated assault, a felony, was taken at the hospital.

As for Jeffrey's side, our sources tell us he was confused and disoriented following the fall.

Jordan was NOT arrested or charged with a crime. As of this morning, he still remains in the hospital.

Police tell us the relevant reports will be sent to the Maricopa County Prosecutors Office ... where they will review the case and determine if charges are warranted.

6'1" Jeffrey, MJ's oldest son, played college basketball at the University of Illinois, before transferring to the University of Central Florida in 2010. He played 107 college basketball games over his career, averaging about 2 points a game.

J.K. Simmons knows a thing or two when it comes to homeowners insurance ... which should come in handy after someone broke into his pad.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the Hollywood tough guy and Farmers Insurance spokesman was the victim of a burglary after cops got a call from his San Fernando Valley home at around 8 PM Thursday night.

Our sources say one of J.K.'s workers showed up at the house and found a glass door smashed. Thing is ... we're told the house was not ransacked and it doesn't appear as though anything was missing. At least at first glance.

Cops say J.K. and his wife were not home at the time of the break-in ... they were out of town, so they'll have to assess what may or may not be missing when they return.

At this moment, it's unclear if an alarm went off at the house and scared the intruder away. But, it seems J.K.'s home came away unscathed ... aside from the broken glass door.

We're told the LAPD is investigating the burglary/attempted burglary. J.K., of course, is known for his role in the 'Spider-Man' films and TV roles such as "Law & Order" and HBO's "Oz." But, to most young folks ... he's the guy who pimps Farmers Insurance.

Brian Laundrie is brazenly attempting to check into Canadian hotels while on the run ... at least that's what one TikToker's suggesting, based on a sighting earlier this week.

According to the woman ... Gabby Petito's fiance -- or at least someone who looks like him -- was at a hotel in Toronto last Monday. She says she saw the guy "getting flustered" as he left the hotel and got into a car with another man.

The woman -- who is TikTok user @cwlynnn and also apparently a flight attendant -- claims she informed the hotel staff it may have been Laundrie, and was told whoever it was ... he didn't have the right hotel and didn't know where he was going.

She also posted a blurry photo of the man ... with a facemask around his chin. It's unclear if the woman reported the sighting to the authorities along with the hotel staff.

As we reported ... there was another potential Laundrie sighting earlier this week in Baker, FL -- about 500 miles from his home -- on a man's trail camera in the wilderness. Police later confirmed it was NOT Brian ... and the search is still on.

Laundrie is officially a wanted man after the feds issued an arrest warrant Wednesday and charged him with one count of use of unauthorized access devices. Specifically, prosecutors claim Laundrie used a Capital One Bank debit card belonging to Gabby, but made it clear that the warrant is "related to Mr. Laundrie’s activities following the death of Gabrielle Petito."

All hell broke loose at a recent Los Angeles Angels game ... when multiple fans grouped up to unleash a beating on a spectator -- and it was all caught on video.

No word on what started the chaos, but it appears a man in a white long-sleeved shirt was the center of it all ... with one fan throwing a huge batch of popcorn at the dude's face ... and another throwing a drink.

A woman -- who fans believe is the spectator's girlfriend -- is seen reaching over several rows of seats in hopes of bringing the guy out of the line of fire ... but that's when things get much worse.

It looks like at least 4 Angels fans rush over to continue the altercation ... unloading punch after punch on the guy from the level above.

What's even crazier ... the alleged girlfriend was still latched onto the male spectator as he got pummeled by the group of Angels fans.

That's when the video ends, but the violent altercation appeared all but over ... despite event security getting involved.

Fans have been getting into fights left and right in recent weeks -- from Browns tailgates to Cowboys and Chargers backers to Bears and Rams supporters getting in scuffles.

We've reached out to cops and the Angels to get more details on the incident and will update you once we hear back.

Brian Laundrie is now a wanted man by the feds ... an arrest warrant has been issued -- but NOT for Gabby Petito's death.

A Federal Grand Jury indicted Laundrie for the crime of Use of Unauthorized Access Devices. Specifically, prosecutors claim Laundrie used a Capital One Bank debit card. The document does not say it's Gabby's card, but that doesn't seem like much of a leap.

The indictment gives a timeline for the alleged unauthorized use of the card ... it was used from August 30 to Sept. 1 to purchase items totaling at least $1,000.

What's significant ... he returned to his parents' Florida home Sept. 1. And, the FBI first asked the public for assistance with Gabby's case around Aug. 28. She would later be reported missing on Sept. 11.

It's interesting ... the feds aren't linking the homicide to Laundrie, at least not yet. That's probably because there are still loose ends ... namely, there has to be probable cause to get a warrant for her death, and it's unclear if there's physical or other evidence at the crime scene linking Laundrie to the homicide. But, the indictment allows the feds to take Laundrie into custody ... that is, if they can find him.

The preliminary autopsy report has not been released, but it's expected any day. The manner of death will be critical in the investigation.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s name got dragged into R. Kelly's federal trial on multiple sex crimes in a pretty outrageous way -- his attorney says the singer should be acquitted because he's just like MLK.

Yeah, try to catch your breath. Closing arguments are going down Thursday in the federal court in Brooklyn, NY -- and defense attorney Deveraux Cannick drew the comparison by telling the jury Kelly is demanding prosecutors prove he's guilty beyond a reasonable doubt ... the same way Dr. King fought for Constitutional rights.

He went on to quote a part of MLK's "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech, declaring ... "Somewhere I read of the freedom of speech. Somewhere I read of the freedom of assembly. Somewhere I read of the freedom of the press."

His point seemed to be that Dr. King wanted the government to uphold the Constitution, and Kelly's doing the same ... in his sex crimes trial.

Mind you, Kelly's attorneys only called a handful of witnesses to the stand during the trial -- most of whom merely stated they hadn't seen Kelly doing anything illegal. The singer himself chose not to testify, although that's not uncommon.

Cannick also claimed prosecutors encouraged witnesses to lie on the stand.

Brian Laundrie's been missing for nearly 6 days now, and his parents are still not talking as the search for him continues as a person of interest in Gabby Petito's death.

Laundrie's mother and father were leaving their home in North Port, FL Thursday morning when they were asked if they have any info on his whereabouts ... and they had nothing useful to say.

This has been par for the course ever since their son showed up at their doorstep September 1 without Gabby, his fiancee, even though they were on a long trip across the country.

Brian's family has not been forthcoming with many details, other than letting authorities know he went missing last Friday after he was named a "person of interest" in Gabby's case. They said he took his backpack and went for a hike, but never came back.

As we reported ... Gabby's body was found 2 days later at a state park in Wyoming, a spot she and Brian are believed to have visited in the days after they had a domestic dispute in Utah.

The coroner ruled Gabby's manner of death homicide, and while the obvious suspect is Brian ... he's not officially been named one by police, at least not until they find out where he's at.

Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie had an aggressive and public dispute days before she allegedly disappeared -- and things got so bad, the couple was booted from a Wyoming restaurant ... according to a possible witness.

A woman named Nina Celie Angelo says she and her boyfriend were at The Merry Piglets, a restaurant in Jackson Hole, August 27 and spotted the couple in a "blowout of a situation." Angelo says Gabby and Brian were sitting at the table next to hers.

Angelo claims Gabby was hysterically crying, and at one point Brian and Gabby were even fighting with the restaurant hostess before Gabby went out and stood on the sidewalk.

Angelo says she doesn't know what started the fight, but thought it had to do with the bill.

Brian allegedly came back into the restaurant several times to argue with staff after Gabby left, and Angelo claims he had an "aggressive" demeanor.

We called Merry Piglets to ask about the incident, but they had no comment. They would not specify if they've spoken to authorities, but Nina said she's reported all this to law enforcement.

Brian allegedly returned to his parents' Florida home on September 1 ... without Gabby.

As we've reported, Gabby's body was discovered by investigators Sunday afternoon in Wyoming. After an autopsy, the coroner ruled her death a homicide, but has not released a cause of death yet.

Evander Kane says his estranged wife, Anna Kane, is straight-up lying ... saying in a statement Wednesday he NEVER sexually or physically abused her during their relationship.

Anna, though, says he did in fact do those things ... spelling out the allegations in new court docs, according to the San Jose Mercury News, that were filed in Santa Clara County earlier this week as part of her divorce case against Evander.

In the docs, Anna claims Evander forced her to have oral sex with him in March 2019 -- just after a funeral for their baby daughter.

Anna alleges the San Jose Sharks player then forced her to have intercourse again days later ... writing in the docs that Evander told her when she denied his advances, "you can’t rape your wife.”

"Evander again forced me, against my will," she said in the documents, "to have sexual intercourse with him even though I had not healed."

Anna claims Evander also roughed her up after one of his playoff games against the Las Vegas Golden Knights.

In the docs, Anna says after Evander had found out she had been drinking before the game with some of the other players' wives -- he snapped.

She says after the game, which the Sharks had lost, the 30-year-old winger, "began screaming at me and punching me on the upper side of my head above the hairline."

She added, "Evander grabbed my blouse forcefully and pushed me into the wall of the room, slapping me across my face. Evander was screaming at me and threatened to hurt me even worse if I 'disobeyed' him and had any drinks without him."

Evander, though, says it's all B.S. ... denying the claims in a lengthy statement issued by his attorneys.

"To be clear," Evander's attorneys said, "Evander denies ever abusing Ms. Kane or their daughter Kensington, whom he cherishes."

"He recognizes that they have many years ahead of them as co-parents, during which they will have to work together, which makes it that much more frustrating that she has chosen this path."

The attorneys added they're confident Anna's "lack of credibility" will be exposed at future court hearings.

Of course, this isn't the first time Anna has hurled accusations at Evander ... earlier this summer, she claimed the hockey player would bet on his own NHL games from to time.

Evander has vehemently denied those allegations, saying, "I love the game of Hockey and would never do any of what was alleged."

The NHL has launched an investigation into the claims.

Meanwhile, Evander, in his own court filings, has accused Anna of getting violent with him on several occasions in the past, including an incident where he claims she punched him in the face multiple times.

Gabby Petito's family's going after the lawyer for Brian Laundrie's family for using one of her photos on Yelp ... and they're warning him he better not do it again.

The Petitos' attorney, Richard Benson Stafford, sent a cease-and-desist letter to attorney Steven P. Bertolino demanding that he remove the photo of Gabby from his Yelp business page ... and gave him a deadline of 2 PM Wednesday.

It seems Bertolino complied, because Gabby's pic no longer appears there, but Yelp has added a notice to his page saying his business is being monitored.

In addition, Gabby's family's warning Laundrie's family lawyer to not use any of her photos on any of his other accounts -- social media or otherwise -- to promote his business ... or they'll take legal action.

As of now, it doesn't look like Bertolino has any other accounts featuring photos of her.

Obviously, the situation between the 2 families is very tense ... as the coroner has ruled Gabby's death a homicide and her fiance, Brian -- a person of interest believed to be the last person who saw her alive -- is also missing.

With all that happening, legal issues are inevitable ... and this seems to be just the start.

Gabby Petito's death has put her fiance, Brian Laundrie, in the crosshairs of law enforcement, but TMZ has learned prosecutors are not making a move until 2 primary loose ends are tied up.

Law enforcement sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Laundrie is their suspect, despite the fact he's being officially called a person of interest. That said, we're told federal prosecutors are now in a waiting game, in large part because they don't know if Laundrie is still alive.

What's more ... our law enforcement sources tell TMZ, even if Gabby was murdered -- which seems to be the case since the Coroner has already ruled her death a homicide -- they would need to prove who did it. Our sources point out, it's possible Laundrie left Gabby out in the wilderness and someone else killed her ... whether it's probable or not, it's still possible.

As for why federal prosecutors will handle the case, it's because Gabby was apparently killed in the Grand Teton National Park, which is federal land.

We're told law enforcement is viewing Laundrie as their prime suspect, but there's a leap between that and actually charging someone with murder.

As we reported, a witness called 911 and told the dispatcher Laundrie had slapped and hit Gabby shortly before she went missing.

Gabby Petito's body has, indeed, been recovered in Wyoming -- and the Coroner says this was a homicide.

As we reported, the Teton County Coroner was conducting the autopsy Tuesday on the remains cops found over the weekend in Grand Teton National Park. The Coroner's Office is now confirming the body is Gabby's. Attorney Richard Stafford said the same.

Before today, the feds simply said they believed it was Gabby. You'll recall the corpse was found near an area where the white van she and fiance, Brian Laundrie, were traveling in was spotted.

While Laundrie has not yet been named a suspect, the FBI is conducting a manhunt for him. As you know, Laundrie had returned to his parent's home in Florida ... without Gabby.

Plus, the guy has mysteriously disappeared without a trace ... although, there was a potential sighting this week. A man in Baker, FL reported that he believed he saw a man matching Brian's description pop up on his deer cam ... some 500 miles away from North Port, FL, where Brian lives.

Gabby and Brian had been on a cross-country road trip together for months now -- documenting their stops in a white van they'd taken out. Another thing that was also caught on camera was an alleged domestic disturbance ... the aftermath of which a police officer filmed on his body camera upon pulling them over.

While Gabby was distraught, Brian denied he'd hit her ... despite a 911 caller claiming he did exactly that. In any case, the cop cut both of them loose after they both refused to press charges.