Crime

2:45 PM PT -- A judge restored Bijou and Danny to the status of single persons Friday afternoon.

Bijou Phillips is officially cutting her ties with Danny Masterson ... and her daughter's ties too, especially when it comes to her last name.

TMZ’s got the docs ... Bijou just filed to change her 11-year-old’s name from Fianna Francis Masterson to Fianna Francis Phillips, to scrub any link to her convicted ex.

She’s just waiting on a judge to sign off ... it’s a big move -- especially since Bijou stood by Danny through both his criminal trial and retrial, before finally filing for divorce a week after he got slammed with 30 years to life in prison for 2 counts of forcible rape in 2023.

FBI Director Kash Patel blasted ESPN sportscaster Stephen A. Smith during a Fox News interview Thursday, calling him out for saying the "single dumbest thing I’ve ever heard out of anyone in modern history."

Patel launched his verbal assault on Smith after Smith gave his theory on national TV about who he thinks was really behind the federal takedown of a major gambling ring that saw the arrests of Portland Trailblazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier — as well as members of 4 out of the 5 New York mafia families.

According to Smith, President Trump is on a retribution tour against what he perceives as his enemies in the sports world, including the NBA, for protesting against him. And, Smith says, the WNBA might be next on Trump's hit list.

Former Mafia captain Michael Franzese -- who once ran his own crew with the Colombo crime family -- says the NBA should blame itself for Thursday's shocking Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones arrests.

The ex-mobster explained to Harvey and Charles on "TMZ Live" that the league's growing relationships with various gambling platforms have invited all kinds of trouble for its employees.

Franzese told the guys that by partnering with the betting sites, they've sent a "Hey, it's OK, you can gamble" message to players and coaches throughout the league.

A dwarf influencer says she's being stalked by another little person who seems to be obsessed with her ... and now she's gone to court to apply for a restraining order!

Rachel Wherley filed for a protection order against Eric Pullon, a little person in Las Vegas ... and she wants her spouse and children covered under the order as well, according to court documents obtained by TMZ.

Wherley claims Pullon first reached out to her in 2016, sending her messages on social media. Since Wherley is a popular content creator who advocates for people in the dwarf community, she says she didn't find Pullon's messages unusual at first.

1:03 PM PT -- Effortless Motors, the company that sold Shaq the Range Rover, is shedding more light on the situation ... while also putting up a $10k reward for info leading to the recovery of the vehicle.

"Effortless Motors was the authorized selling dealership and arranged transport through a third-party company that appeared fully verified. Upon the vehicle’s scheduled delivery, it was discovered that the company’s internal systems had been compromised and hijacked, resulting in the car being unlawfully taken during transit," we're told.

“We take the security and trust of our clients very seriously,” said a spokesperson for Effortless Motors. “This was a highly coordinated criminal act targeting the transport company’s network. We are working closely with law enforcement and federal investigators to recover the vehicle and hold those responsible accountable.”

Shaquille O'Neal's brand-new, tricked-out 2025 Range Rover was jacked this week in Georgia ... and the story is pretty crazy!

The Lumpkin County Sheriff's Office (GA) tells TMZ Sports they received a report on Wednesday alleging the Hall of Famer's black Land Rover Range Rover, which had undergone extensive custom work at a local shop in Dahlonega, GA, was missing.

This is where things get weird.

The intent was to transport Shaq's car to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but it never arrived, despite allegedly being picked up by a shipping company.

Cops now believe someone might've impersonated the shipping company, acting as if they were the legit transporters ... when in reality they were stealing the Big Fella's whip.

The Department of War has ordered the destruction of another boat allegedly carrying "narco-terrorists" ... and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth released video of the fatal strike on social media.

Hegseth posted the clip Wednesday morning ... explaining in the caption the strike went down Tuesday, and was carried out on a boat operated by a member of a "Designated Terrorist Organization" -- though he doesn't specify which one -- cutting through the water in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

The video shows the boat moving at a high speed ... before it's stopped abruptly by a barrage of missiles. A massive fireball engulfs the ship and burns atop the water before the 23-second clip ends.

Dramatizations of infamous serial killers use real pain to make a quick buck, and "Monster: The Ed Gein Story" is just the latest show to do it ... so says a prominent filmmaker with a connection to the series.

We spoke to Osgood Perkins -- son of the legendary actor and star of "Psycho," Anthony Perkins -- about the new series ... because his dad plays a prominent role in at least one episode.

If you haven't seen the show, or know about the story, then spoiler alert ... Ed Gein's a vicious real-life killer and necrophiliac whom Robert Bloch -- the writer of the novel "Psycho" -- loosely based his main character, Norman Bates, on. Perkins played the character in the Alfred Hitchcock film classic.

Playboi Carti's alleged assault on a limo driver was even more sinister than originally thought ... because he's now accused of threatening to shoot the chauffeur.

TMZ obtained the audio dispatch calls from the October 2 incident in Utah ... and, as you can hear, cops sprang into action after driver Carl Reynolds reported what allegedly happened to him while driving the rapper to his tour rehearsal. with his GF, Giovanna Ramos.

Investigators responded to an intersection in Park City, where Carl had pulled over after Carti allegedly socked him in the face during a heated argument with Ramos.

New details have surfaced in the daring jewelry heist at The Louvre in Paris ... as well as a photo showing one the alleged thieves doing their handiwork.

Let's start with the shocking video, which captures the suspect  — dressed in black and yellow from head to toe — sawing through a glass case with a small chainsaw to steal the expensive jewels at the world famous museum.

Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau also gave an update on the case, saying Sunday's robbery could have been commissioned by a collector and that organized crime figures might have been involved.

Wendy Osefo is speaking out for the first time since she and her husband, Eddie were arrested on a slew of fraud charges and she's leaning on faith and fashion to make her point.

"The Real Housewives of Potomac" star took to Instagram Sunday, posting two glamor shots of herself in a plunging black gown, writing ... "And through it all, GOD remains faithful."

She continued, "Thank you for the outpouring of love, support, and prayers for myself and most importantly my family during this time. We are forever grateful🙏🏾."

Rashee Rice is officially back in the game ... making his long awaited return to Arrowhead Stadium after a wild year filled with injury, controversy, and suspension.

The Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver hit the field Sunday at Arrowhead, ahead of the team’s matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders, after missing the first six games of the season while serving an NFL suspension for violating the league’s personal-conduct policy ... punishment tied to his role in a car crash back in March 2024.

Video posted to social media showed Rice arriving at the stadium before kickoff -- a moment fans had been waiting on for over a year.

6:50 AM PT -- George Santos told CNN Sunday morning he learned about his sentence being commuted while still behind bars ... saying other inmates saw it on TV before he did. "The President was very kind," Santos said. "It was humbling to speak with a sitting President ... that's not something that happens where I come from."

Santos added he had "no expectations" of a commutation and only found out when fellow inmates called him over after seeing the news on a prison TV. "I'd just been released from 41 days in isolation for no valid reason," he said. "I was shocked when I found out. My family confirmed it after I called them."

When asked to address the outrage over his controversial commutation, Santos said Trump could pardon Jesus Christ himself and people would still be mad.

George Santos has broken his silence following his surprise release from federal prison ... thanking President Donald Trump for giving him what he calls "a true second chance at life."

In a lengthy post on X Saturday, the ex-Congressman said he was deeply moved by Trump's "kindness" and "generosity" after the President commuted his seven year sentence for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

"Yesterday, I was given something I never thought I’d have again: a true second chance at life," Santos wrote. "First and foremost, I want to thank our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for never abandoning me... I also want to express my deepest gratitude to President Donald J. Trump."

A major heist rocked The Louvre over the weekend when thieves scaled the iconic Paris museum with a basket lift and made off with priceless jewels in just seven minutes.

According to Le Parisien, the thieves targeted the Apollo Gallery, using a freight elevator to reach the jewelry collection of Napoleon and Empress Eugénie. The outlet says nine pieces were stolen, including Eugénie's crown which was later found broken outside the museum.

France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez called it a "major robbery," saying the crew entered from the outside using a basket lift and swiped gems of inestimable value. The job was "clearly carried out by a team that had done scouting," Nuñez said, noting the panes were cut with a disc cutter.

Playboi Carti got into some trouble while on tour -- he was charged with misdemeanor assault during his time in Utah earlier this month, law enforcement says.

Here's what we know -- cops say a limo driver named Carl Reynolds told them the "Rather Lie" rapper assaulted him while he was driving him and his entourage from the Waldorf Astoria in Park City to rehearsals on Oct. 2. Carti was in town for his Antagonist Tour at the time.

Carl claims things took a disastrous turn when Carti and his other half got into a heated argument -- apparently over sex -- in the back seat ... and he says Carti threatened to beat up both her and Carl after he intervened.

Aaron Phypers was all smiles after he bonded out of jail Friday night -- with his attractive bail bondswoman by his side -- and we've got a pic to prove it!

Check it out -- the estranged husband of Denise Richards is grinning as he poses with the beaming bondsman. He's well-dressed ... rocking dark jeans with a light blue button-down tucked in, plus a black suit jacket.

It's likely what he wore to court earlier that day -- we broke the news ... he was booked into the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station Friday following a bitter courtroom clash with Denise.

The private investigator hired to probe Celeste Rivas' death case has made a harrowing revelation -- he thinks there was a "sadistic" plan made to "get rid" of the teen.

Check out Steve Fischer's interview on "Law&Crime Sidebar with Jesse Weber" -- he says the purported "scary" plan didn't have to do with how she died, but how her body was to be dumped following her death.

He says he can't spill much ... but thinks the original plan went wrong at some point, and that the Tesla where her dismembered corpse was found in early September was supposed to be a holding spot.