Crime

Michael Pitt has been arrested on sexual abuse charges ... with authorities accusing him of sexually assaulting his then-girlfriend and later attacking her with several blunt objects.

According to the indictment, prosecutors say Pitt's charges stem from four domestic incidents that allegedly took place between April 2020 and August 2021.

Cops claim the alleged incidents occurred at the actors Bushwick home with his then-girlfriend ... where they say fondled ex on one occasion and then -- months later -- allegedly sexually assaulted and struck her with a wooden plank.

Nicole Westmoreland -- the newest lawyer on Diddy's team -- is a survivor of sexual assault ... because she was allegedly raped back in 2001.

The powerhouse attorney -- who officially joined Diddy's team this morning -- was just 19 years old back in 2001 when she worked for a company that helped people reinstate suspended driver's licenses.

According to Westmoreland, Bryan Williams -- vice president of Cash Money Records -- and a man named “Stone” met her and asked her to make a sales pitch to the company at Patchwerk Recording Studio in Atlanta.

Diddy's legal team hasn't won the case yet ... but, they're off to a good start in the wardrobe department -- crushing prosecutors in the battle of fashion.

We have reporters inside the courtroom monitoring the trial ... and, they say the defense team's style choices are causing a stir among some members of the gallery. We also caught a few of Diddy's female attorneys coming out of the courthouse in their fancy duds -- and one of them actually spoke to our photog about her fashion sense. Check out our video.

Meanwhile, three women who make the "Rotten Mango" podcast were particularly floored by Teny Geragos, daughter of Mark Geragos (who cohosts our "2 Angry Men" podcast) ... she wore a chic ensemble -- a black print Veronica Beard dress accompanied by a short matching blazer. She finished off the look with 4.5-inch pointy black suede Aquazzura heels, complete with bows decorating the backs. She also sported a vintage black Chanel bag.

Diddy's defense team and federal prosecutors are adding 16 more potential jurors to the pool ... and one of them has strong feelings about the Cassie beating video.

After 2 days of jury selection, there are now a total of 35 people in the jury pool. Today's selections break down like this: 5 white men, 4 Black men, 3 Black women, 2 white women, 1 Latino man and 1 woman whose ethnicity isn't clear.

Perhaps the most interesting selection among that group was a man who told the judge he had seen the hotel surveillance video of Diddy attacking Cassie. He said Diddy looked "angry and hostile and entitled" during the brutal scene.

Diddy's lawyers and prosecutors are making headway on putting together a jury pool ... but, it's slow going -- 'cause there are so many landmines that are getting people tossed.

The second day of jury selection is proceeding in a Manhattan federal courthouse Tuesday ... and, while some people are making it through to the next round of jury selection, many more have been excused for cause.

Juror 149 -- one of many potential jurors who have been questioned to begin this week -- told the judge his son was beaten up and robbed while at George Washington University.

A$AP Rocky's whirlwind Met Gala hosting duties wouldn't have been possible had he been found guilty at his shooting trial ... a moment that's affected his music career -- but boosted his filmography!!!

While speaking to Variety, Rocky spoke out on how the attempted murder allegations levied by his ex-associate A$AP Relli were both “gut-wrenching and nerve-racking," but he was able to channel his emotions through his "Yung Felon" character in Spike Lee's "Highest 2 Lowest" film.

The trailer was released to match Met Gala's energy ... Rocky says portraying an inmate allowed him "to act like a piece of s*** who was going away for a long time but didn’t realize the consequences, because in real life, I knew exactly what the consequences felt like."

Diddy's former employee Rodney Jones will have to refile his lawsuit against Cuba Gooding Jr. and Justin Combs if he wants to pursue legal action ... because the case has been dismissed due to failure to serve them papers.

The case was dismissed Tuesday morning ... with the court pointing to Jones' attorney Tyrone Blackburn's inability to effectively serve the two stars as the main reasons for the dismissal without prejudice.

According to the docs, Blackburn waited until the service deadline was imminent before making any meaningful efforts to serve them ... and failed to show any good reason for failing to get it done. Jones' lawsuit was filed back in February 2024.

The man allegedly behind the planned bombing of Lady Gaga's recent concert in Brazil was deported from the United States just last month ... this according to Brazilian investigators.

Luis da Silva and a 17-year-old male were arrested hours before the massive free concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio, which brought out more than 2.5 million fans Saturday to cheer her on. Cops allege the two suspects planned to blow up bombs near the stage and execute fans, including children, at the show.

The New York Post reports authorities are now saying da Silva was kicked out of the United States in April ... however, they're still looking into the reason for the deportation.

Federal prosecutors are under pressure relating to one of their star witnesses in the Diddy trial ... because they revealed in court today they may not be bringing an alleged victim into the courtroom to testify.

The alleged victim in question is a woman and the feds revealed Monday the woman does not live close to New York City, where the trial is being held, and they say she's told the court she might not even show up despite being subpoenaed.

Prosecutors claim they are having difficulty contacting the woman and her attorney ... and the judge asked lead prosecutor Maurene Comey if the prosecution planned to drop the woman's name in opening statements.

The first day of jury selection in the Diddy sex trafficking trial is in the books ... and there were a few standouts ... including one prospective juror who said Joe Rogan turned them on to Diddy parties.

The juror told the judge they heard about Diddy parties involving sex and drugs on an episode of Joe's podcast, "The Joe Rogan Experience" ... but the juror was not excluded.

Another highlight ... Juror No. 20 was caught shoplifting from Universal Studios ... and he told the judge he had to get a lawyer after busted trying to get a five-finger discount on a wand from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Diddy's got all sorts of emotions as jury selection begins in his sex trafficking trial ... and he sounds anxious.

The Bad Boy Records founder is in court as potential jurors are questioned by the judge ... and at one point Diddy spoke up to reveal some of the nerves he's feeling.

Diddy told the judge, "I'm sorry your honor, I'm a little nervous today."

Diddy is already facing off with prosecutors in his sex trafficking trial that kicked off Monday in an NYC courtroom ... but he may also have to stare down several accusers who have filed civil lawsuits against him, TMZ has learned.

Florida-based attorney Ariel Mitchell -- who represents 3 of Diddy's alleged victims in civil cases and potentially a fourth -- says she might fly up to the Big Apple to attend the music mogul's federal criminal trial ... with her clients.

As you know, Diddy is on trial for allegedly committing a slew of crimes, including racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He's also accused of forcing women to engage in "Freak Offs" ... marathon sex sessions that include male sex workers, according to federal prosecutors.

Jason Pierre-Paul says his luxury Richard Mille watch was jacked while he was partying in Florida on Saturday.

The two-time Super Bowl champion said in an Instagram post Sunday the heist went down while he was at DAER Nightclub in Hollywood.

JPP claims when he was trying to make his way through a crowd at the venue, he "got a bad feeling" someone might have taken something from him. He later said when one of his friends asked him for the time, he noticed his $400,000 watch was no longer on his wrist.

Karen Read looks to be taking her retrial for murder in stride ... appearing relaxed after a recent court appearance -- having a drink and chatting with strangers.

TMZ has obtained photos of Read at SAVR, a bistro in Boston's Seaport District -- not long after she finished up another week of her retrial on Friday.

Eyewitnesses tell us Read was with her legal team -- including powerhouse defense attorney Alan Jackson ... who we're told flattered everyone in the bar, working the room and schmoozing like a pro.

A woman was killed in Greece over the weekend after a bomb she was allegedly carrying through the streets exploded.

According to reports ... a 38-year-old unidentified woman was carrying around a live bomb in northern Greece when the bomb detonated in her hands, killing her around 5 AM on Saturday.

In photos from the scene, you can see the destruction left behind from the explosion. Complete storefronts and cars are totaled from the blast.

Elizabeth Smart’s kidnapper Wanda Barzee may or may not be smiling after her arrest on Thursday ... but there’s no doubt she was one happy camper posing for her mugshot for Utah’s Sex Offender Registry.

TMZ has obtained the photo of Barzee from the registry -- and the convicted criminal could not have looked more jovial. Check out her big fat grin, showing off her yellow-stained teeth.

She also flashes her wild eyes and messy white hair with moles on her face and neck. The registry lists, among other things, her height, weight and 11 aliases along with details about her federal conviction for abducting Smart.