Crime

R. Kelly is trying to score a win in his federal sex crimes case by citing public health laws in order to get the herpes-related charges tossed.

The singer's filed new legal docs in the Eastern District of NY, obtained by TMZ, asking the court to throw out charges for knowingly exposing sexual partners to herpes because ... he says the legislature didn't include herpes in the law because it's "Not An Acute, Bacterial Venereal Disease."

You might recall, federal prosecutors accused Kelly of exposing 2 people to an STD in March 2020, and the charges were tacked on to his already long list of federal charges for allegedly sexually exploiting underage girls and young women.

According to the new docs, however ... Kelly's legal team claims herpes does not fall under the umbrella of STDs -- like syphilis or gonorrhea -- based on how the term has been defined by the New York State Dept. of Health and the World Health Organization.

He points out those orgs classify herpes as a virus, not a bacterial venereal disease -- and therefore, he wants the herpes-related counts dismissed.

As we've reported ... Kelly's also gearing up for his criminal trial in Chicago, and dealing with the recently added allegations that he groomed and molested a 17-year-old male he met at McDonald's.

Robert Easter Jr. -- a former boxing champ -- is now a wanted man in Ohio for allegedly punching a woman and knocking her out cold.

According to reports, the ex-IBF lightweight titleholder is being sought by authorities in Toledo after a warrant was issued for his arrest this past weekend -- this after a woman went to police and alleged he'd slugged her in the side of the face with a closed fist.

The alleged attack happened very early Saturday morning -- the woman claims to have been rendered unconscious, and cops say they saw a busted lip and chipped tooth ... enough evidence for them, it seems, to have called for Easter's arrest on a simple assault charge.

It doesn't appear he's in custody quite yet -- and no other details have emerged about the alleged altercation.

O.J. Simpson has some cajones on him -- saying with a seemingly straight face that he won't return to Los Angeles out of fear of running into the actual person who murdered his ex-wife.

The disgraced ex-NFL'er -- who was acquitted for the murders of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman, but found liable in a civil suit shortly thereafter -- dished his thoughts on visiting the City of Angels anew in a wide-ranging interview with The Athletic ... and he says he doesn't entertain it for one very specific, ass-backward reason.

O.J. is quoted as saying ... "I have trouble with L.A.," going on to add, "People may think this is self-serving, but I might be sitting next to whoever did it. I really don’t know who did this."

That's pretty much what his hesitation boils down to -- that he might, perhaps, end up running into the "real" murderer ... and maybe get murdered himself. At least that's how it sounds on its face here. BTW, O.J. had more to say on the so-called one who got away.

He says, "I figured eventually somebody would confess to something, you know? I had one suspect I told my lawyers to look at. I still think he might be involved, but I can’t talk about it." O.J. also feels he lives a "good life" now in Vegas -- despite what people may think.

While O.J. was limited to just Nevada after getting parole, it appears the guy's been given a longer leash over time -- with reports saying he's gone to Florida of late to visit his kids, with permission from his P.O., of course. So, it does seem he could come to L.A. if he wanted.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo could soon be facing criminal charges for allegedly groping a woman's breast, because one of his accusers has filed a complaint with cops.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the complaint against Cuomo was filed this week with the Albany County Sheriff. The woman behind the complaint is reportedly Cuomo's executive assistant, who claims he groped her breast in the Executive Mansion last year while they were taking a selfie.

Cuomo's accuser claims he pulled her in for a hug while they were snapping the pic and says he reached under her blouse and grabbed one of her breasts. She also claims he's kissed and hugged her in ways that made her uncomfortable.

A Kanye West fan tried to join the show during the rapper's second "Donda" listening event ... but got taken down by security before he got too close.

About midway through Ye's performance Thursday night at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium -- his second in as many weeks -- a man dressed in orange breached security in the stands and made a break for the stage.

As the guy made his way through the large crowd of backup dancers, that's when a security guard came out of nowhere with the big tackle. Unfortunately, it looks like he may have been injured in the collision.

While we hope the guard's okay, the fan was apprehended by several other guards after the take-down and hauled away. However, it seems police were not involved because we're told they have no record of the incident.

As we told you ... Kim Kardashian and all their kids attended the "Donda" listening party 2.0, which was supposed to lead up to the public release of Kanye's 10th studio album after already being delayed.

Turns out, the second time around yielded the same result, as of Friday 7:30 AM PT ... "Donda" is still not out.

Allen Glover -- the man hired by 'Tiger King' star Joe Exotic in his failed plot to kill Carole Baskin -- just got busted for another DUI ... this time in South Carolina.

According to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Department ... Glover was pulled over Wednesday around 10 PM when cops say they spotted a defect on his vehicle, and the deputy suspected Glover was under the influence.

Glover was ultimately arrested and booked on several charges -- driving with an open container, driving on a suspended license and driving under the influence. He was taken to Beaufort County Detention Center.

This is not the first time booze has gotten Glover in trouble with the law. As we first reported ... he was busted for DUI in Oklahoma back in June 2020.

In that case, cops say they first noticed Glover staggering across the parking lot of a strip club. Body cam footage showed Glover bombing his field sobriety tests.

Simone Biles says the abuse she suffered at the hands of Larry Nassar likely triggered feelings that eventually forced her out of the Olympics.

The 24-year-old gymnast was asked whether her horrific experiences with the Team USA doctor affected her mental health while at the 2020 Tokyo Games, during an interview with the "Today" show.

"Now that I think about it, maybe in the back of my head, probably, yes, because there are certain triggers. You don't even know, and I think it could have."

Remember, Biles backed out of the team competition last week citing issues with her mental health. She eventually returned for the beam event on Tuesday ... winning a bronze medal.

The superstar gymnast is one of more than 150 victims who came forward and accused Nassar of sexual misconduct ... saying back in 2018, "It is not normal to receive any type of treatment from a trusted team physician and refer to it horrifyingly as the 'special' treatment."

Biles said she wanted to compete so the Nassar scandal would not be forgotten.

"I knew that still being the face of gymnastics and the USA and everything we brought, it's not going to be buried under the rug, and it will still be a very big conversation," she said Wednesday.

The scandal has taken a toll on the 4x gold medalist, recently revealing on her "Simone vs Herself" Facebook series that she would constantly stay in bed because "sleeping was better than offing myself."

"It was my way to escape reality. Sleeping was like the closest thing to death for me at that point, so I just slept all the time."

57-year-old Nassar was convicted and sentenced to up to 175 years ... and is currently rotting in a prison cell.

Vikings corner Jeff Gladney -- a star rookie for Minnesota in 2020 -- has just been indicted on a felony domestic violence charge ... and his football future is now very much up in the air.

Gladney was accused of violently beating his girlfriend in the Dallas area back in April ... after cops say the couple got into an argument over the contents of the woman's cell phone.

According to court docs, Gladney's accuser told officials the football player snapped after he found something on her phone ... hitting her, choking her, and dragging her by her hair across the ground.

Gladney was eventually arrested and posed for a mug shot.

It took several months, though, for a grand jury to hear the case ... but on Tuesday, it was revealed they indicted Gladney on a felony charge of third-degree family violence assault.

It's a VERY serious matter for the NFL player -- who's been away from the Vikings since his arrest -- because if convicted, Gladney faces up to 10 years behind bars.

With the case now moving forward -- potentially even resulting in a trial -- Gladney could now be asked to stay away from the Vikings indefinitely ... or even find himself cut from the roster.

Gladney is also facing a civil lawsuit from his accuser, who filed docs in court last month seeking $1 million in damages.

In her suit, the woman says after Gladney was violent with her, he "attempted to bribe, threaten, blackmail, and manipulate" her to keep quiet about it all.

Gladney has not publicly commented on the allegations.

The former TCU star -- a Vikings first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft -- started 15 games for Minnesota last season, recording 81 total tackles and 3 pass breakups.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, including employees in his office, according to New York's Attorney General.

NY A.G. Letitia James announced the results of her investigation Tuesday, and said the NY Governor had sexually harassed former and current employees from 2013 to 2020 -- and had even retaliated against an ex-employee who reported allegations.

According to the report ... the sexual harassment included unwanted and inappropriate groping, kissing, hugging and comments that were "deeply humiliating, uncomfortable, offensive or inappropriate."

James says Cuomo and his office fostered a "toxic" workplace that enabled "harassment to occur." The AG's probe took 5 months, and found Cuomo and his senior staff intended to discredit and disparage at least one of his accusers.

The report's bottom line is Cuomo's actions violated multiple state and federal laws ... not to mention the Executive Chamber's own written policies.

The allegations first surfaced in December 2020 with multiple women coming forward. Investigators say nearly 200 individuals were interviewed and investigators combed through more than 74,000 documents, emails, texts and pictures.

As part of the investigation ... Cuomo was interviewed and the A.G.'s office says Cuomo gave "blanket denials" or didn't recall specific incidents.

The AG's investigators say his denials stand in stark contrast to the corroborating evidence and credible witnesses they found through the course of the investigation.

New York's 2 U.S. Senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, have called on Cuomo to resign ... as have other Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

T.I. says cops in Amsterdam busted him over a bike incident involving an officer -- but he says they never put handcuffs on him, and he's already out of jail after posting bail.

The rapper recorded a video Tuesday while he says he was in custody in Amsterdam. According to T.I., he was riding his bicycle and didn't stop when crossing the street. He says instead ... he kept going and his handlebar broke off a cop's side mirror.

What are the chances??? Still, Tip's taking it in stride ... you can tell in the video, it's probably the chillest anyone's ever been while dealing with the police. He says the cops were chill too, and escorted him to the backseat of their car without ever taking out their cuffs.

It seems he was quickly released ... 'cause T.I. later went on Instagram Live and said he wasn't even tripping about the incident. When a friend of his called the incident "bulls**t" ... T.I. quickly responded saying it wasn't and that "everybody has a bad morning."

Some fans sitting outside a nearby joint recognized him and asked for a picture. The rapper pulled up and sat right next to them and ordered drinks.

Dog the Bounty Hunter is getting dogged over a lawsuit he lost back in the day, and the financial cloud hanging over his head has traveled from Mexico to California ... and now to Hawaii.

Here's the deal ... we're told Dog was arrested in Mexico in 2003, and hired a lawyer who ended up helping the reality TV star out of a jam, but they got into a disagreement over the fees. Dog ended up suing, the lawyer sued back, and it became a big mess.

At the end of the day, Dog took the 'L' -- he was hit with a judgment in 2013 for around $880,000. That was filed in California, but according to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... the lawyer is still trying to collect and now he's filed docs in Hawaii -- where Dog has a home -- hoping to chase down the money.

According to the docs, Dog now owes $880,916 plus interest ... so it's no wonder he's getting hounded.

Skateboarding star Terry Kennedy has just been charged with 1st-degree murder ... TMZ Sports has learned.

A spokesperson for the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office tells us the charge was formally filed Monday afternoon ... after the man Kennedy allegedly attacked at an Illinois motel last week died over the weekend.

We're told Kennedy appeared in court for a bond hearing after the filing ... though the proceedings were continued until Tuesday morning.

Kennedy is now facing up to life behind bars if convicted.

As we previously reported, officials say Kennedy attacked 23-year-old Josiah Kassahun in Oakbrook Terrace, IL on July 27 and then fled the scene.

Details of the incident are still unclear.

Kennedy was eventually located, arrested, and initially booked for several charges, including aggravated battery in a public place and threatening a public official.

But, we're told Kennedy was hit with the murder charge after the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office ruled Kassahun's death on Saturday as a homicide.

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

Kennedy is a big star in the skating world ... he's appeared in the popular "Skate" video games -- and has often boarded with Rob Dyrdek over the years.

USC WR Bru McCoy -- who was expected to have a breakout season with the Trojans -- was arrested last week in L.A. for felony domestic violence ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

And to make matters worse for the 21-year-old, McCoy has also been suspended from the football team.

Here's the deal ... a spokesperson for LAPD tells us McCoy was arrested July 24 for "intimate partner violence with injury" -- a felony.

We're told the alleged incident which led to Bru's arrest went down near the USC campus around 5:30 PM.

The charge is described in California Penal Code as ... "Any person who willfully inflicts corporal injury resulting in a traumatic condition upon a victim described in subdivision (b) is guilty of a felony."

This afternoon the Trojans announced they were suspending McCoy, writing ... "USC does not condone violence of any kind. We are aware of the situation, and USC’s Office for Equity, Equal Opportunity, and Title IX is reviewing it," according to Keely Eure.

USC added ... “The student-athlete has been temporarily removed from team activities.”

McCoy -- who was the MaxPreps Player of the Year while starring at Mater Dei -- caught 21 balls for 236 yards during the 2020 season. However, Bru was expected to be a key member of the offense ... as one of starting quarterback Kedon Slovis' favorite targets.

McCoy's bail was set at $50k ... which he posted hours after being arrested.

Bru is scheduled to appear in court on November 5 ... 2 months after the Trojans season kicks off.

Kyle Kuzma's SUV was stolen ... and then taken on a joy ride that led to a high-speed chase, and an eventual crash.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... Kuzma's Chevy Tahoe SUV was stolen somewhere in Hollywood and eventually became involved in a police pursuit around 1:30 AM early Sunday morning. The chase, we're told, ended with the suspect hitting a cop car, and sending an officer to the hospital with minor injuries.

The suspect was eventually nabbed, and we're told he'll be booked on a number of charges. Eyewitnesses on the scene tell us the Tahoe came to a halt when it finally crashed into a gate at Belmont High School, just outside of DTLA ... which is a ways from Hollywood proper.

We're told the driver was detained, and taken to a hospital ... as they appeared to have suffered some sort of a leg injury. Some of the aftermath of that wreckage was captured by photogs who showed up on the scene ... and it looks like a lot of police were called in to deal.

It's unclear if the vehicle was stolen from Kyle's house, or just off the streets somewhere.

In any case -- sources familiar with the situation confirm to TMZ that the SUV is, indeed, registered to Kyle ... but we've been assured, he had nothing to do with the incident itself. We're told Kyle's manager drives the car, and is the one who filed the police report. Kyle wasn't even made aware the car was gone until sometime Sunday morning.

Famed skateboarder Terry Kennedy will likely be facing homicide charges now -- the man he allegedly attacked in an Illinois motel has died ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office tells us 23-year-old Josiah Kassahun passed away Saturday. TMZ Sports broke the story ... Kennedy was arrested last week after cops say he attacked Josiah in an Oakbrook Terrace motel, leaving him with a fractured skull and a concussion.

Those injuries have proven fatal, and while Kennedy had initially been booked for the assault ... prosecutors will now have to consider adding a manslaughter or murder charge. We've reached out to the DuPage State's Attorney's Office for clarification.

As we first reported, Kennedy was also booked last week for repeatedly threatening to murder the cops who tracked him down and arrested him for the alleged attack on Josiah.

A police spokesperson says Kennedy told cops, "I will kill one of you police. We kill police where I'm from."

It's still unclear what prompted the alleged motel attack, but based on social media postings ... it appears Kassahun and Kennedy were friends at one time.

Kennedy -- a big-name skater who's ridden with Rob Dyrdek and appeared in several skating video games -- is still behind bars. The 36-year-old's bail had been set at $100,000 during a hearing last week.

It will likely be jacked up much higher, now that Josiah has died as a result of the attack.

A white cop mounted a Black teen in Texas, who was being smothered by his body weight and screaming "I can't breathe" ... all this to apparently prevent her from killing herself.

18-year-old Nekia Trigg had 911 called on her Tuesday after she was spotted in a Forney, TX neighborhood partaking in what eyewitnesses seemingly thought was suicidal behavior -- namely, allegedly walking in front of cars in what some took as attempts at self-harm.

A Kaufman County Sheriff's deputy is said to have shown up shortly thereafter, and seems to have physically intervened ... which is where the video starts -- after Nekia's family members showed up to the scene and started recording a chaotic 7-minute plus episode with officers.

At the moment the clip begins, you can see Nekia pinned to the ground by the deputy -- ID'd as Officer Conner Martin -- who's literally straddling her and holding her arms down above her head. She's frantically screaming for help, and yelling out she's short of breath ... and appears to either be vomiting and/or foaming at the mouth throughout the ordeal.

Nekia's family plead with the officer, as well as others who show up not too long after, to let her up and that they can manage things ... but the cops insist on cuffing her to make sure she's okay -- as they clearly believe she's suicidal, saying the word a few different times.

The family disputes the characterization of what Nekia was doing from the outset, insisting she was simply walking across the street -- although, body cam footage the Kaufman County Sheriff released gives some context of what happened before, and Nekia does indeed seem distraught from the get-go ... but things escalate quickly with Officer Martin.

Anyway, they eventually get Nekia up and start to escort her to a police cruiser ... at which point her mom jumps in and appears to get physical with some of the cops as well.

The cops end up restraining her too, and they ultimately arrested her for assault of a public servant, among other charges ... so says the woman's other daughter, who posted this footage. Nekia ended up getting taken to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation.