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Michael Jackson put on a cheap disguise to go shopping for jewelry with a young boy back in 1989, and it turns out the child was James Safechuck.

Surveillance video from a Zales in Simi Valley showed Jackson wearing a costume that included a phony mustache, fake teeth and a wig. Security thought he looked suspicious and actually stopped Jackson, thinking he was going to rob the store. Several media outlets covered the story back then because it was Michael Jackson getting questioned as a potential thief.

TMZ has confirmed the boy in the video is Safechuck. No one knew that at the time, and the child was barely mentioned in any of the reports about Jackson being stopped by security.

A report from when the story first broke said Michael only purchased toys and some sunglasses that day.

It's interesting because in the HBO documentary, "Leaving Neverland" ... Safechuck talks about the "engagement ring" he says Jackson bought for him. We're told the purchase didn't happen during this trip to the store.

Dwight Howard says allegations he threatened a man for not signing a non-disclosure agreement is pure BS -- telling TMZ Sports he's never even met the person behind the lawsuit.

The NBA star is being sued by Masin Elije -- who claims in a lawsuit filed in Georgia that Howard approached him in Nov. 2018 and asked him to sign an NDA "regarding their communications."

Dwight tells us ... "I don't know this person, never seen him. Any allegation said about me is false."

TMZ Sports obtained a copy of Elije's suit, filed in Georgia. In the documents, Elije does not say what Dwight was allegedly trying to keep quiet -- but says he REFUSED to sign an NDA and tried to end all contact with Dwight.

Elije claims Howard then began acting hostile -- and made "threats on his life."

The lawsuit says ... "Mr. Elije started receiving threats to his safety and well-being via a multitude of phone calls, text messages, communications on various social media platforms and emails, all of which were from unfamiliar or disguised sources."

Elije claims he reached out to Dwight's family members and also police in the hopes of getting the threats to stop ... "all to no avail."

Elije is now suing for assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress -- and he's demanding punitive damages.

BlackSportsOnline first reported the news about Elije's lawsuit.

He's also asking the judge to force Dwight to cover all of his legal expenses -- because he's racked up a fortune in costs due to Dwight's alleged actions.

Someone in Chicago called 911 to report a mass suicide was about to go down at R. Kelly's Chicago home, but it turned out to be a false alarm.

Police descended on Trump Tower in Chicago Tuesday afternoon, after an anonymous caller claimed Azriel Clary and 4 other women who were alleged victims had a suicide pact and were planning on carrying it out.

Sources close to the embattled singer tell TMZ that police officers just left after going inside R. Kelly's unit and speaking to R. Kelly's attorneys, who assured them everyone was fine.

Turns out the call was from the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

1:15 PM PT -- William H. Macy just showed up at the federal courthouse in Downtown Los Angeles. His wife, Felicity, is scheduled to appear before a judge around 2 PM PT.

12:47 PM PT -- Singer has now pled guilty to charges including racketeering conspiracy and obstruction of justice.

9:15 AM PT -- The U.S. Attorneys Office broke down the alleged scheme during a news conference ... and named William Rick Singer as the ringleader. They say he created a fake non-profit, charitable foundation which served as a front to launder the payments from parents.

The feds said most parents paid between $200k and $400k for Singer's help. Some payments apparently went as high as $6.5 million. All told, they say investigators uncovered about $25 million in bribes.

Singer allegedly instructed the parents they could write off the alleged bribes as tax-deductible "donations" ... to his non-profit.

Feds say Singer will plead guilty to racketeering charges.

Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin have been charged along with 48 others in a massive bribery scam involving some of the most elite colleges in the country.

Court records show the actresses and others allegedly paid hefty bribes -- as much as $6 MILLION -- to get their kids into various schools, including Yale, Stanford, Georgetown and the University of Southern California.

The charges include conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. We've learned Felicity has been arrested and is presently in custody. We're told she will be released on a signature bond ... which essentially is a promise to appear in court.

The alleged scam was reportedly unearthed after authorities found a California businessman who ran an operation helping students get into the college of their choice. Authorities say parents would pay the man a predetermined amount which he would funnel to an SAT or ACT administrator or a college athletic coach.

The feds say if the money went to a college coach ... the coach would arrange a fake profile that listed the student as an athlete. If the money went to an exam administrator, the administrator would either hire a proctor to take the SAT/ACT or correct the student's answers.

As for Loughlin, she and her husband -- Mossimo Giannulli, the founder of Mossimo clothing -- allegedly paid $500,000 to have their 2 daughters designated as recruits for the crew team at USC ... despite the fact they did not actually participate in crew. However, the feds say Mossimo sent action photos of their daughters on rowing machines, including one of his older daughter on an ergometer to Singer via email.

Mossimo, who was also charged, took a cheap shot at one university. According to the indictment, he wrote an email saying he wanted to "make sure we have a roadmap for success as it relates to [our daughter] and getting her into a school other than ASU!"

Loughlin's daughter caught some flak last year when she posted a video about starting college. She stated, "I don't really care about school," and explained she was excited about partying and game days mostly -- which angered viewers who commented, calling her "spoiled" and "privileged." She later apologized for her "super ignorant and stupid" comments.

As for Huffman, she and her husband, William H. Macy, allegedly made a charitable contribution of $15,000 to participate in a college entrance exam cheating scheme on behalf of their eldest daughter.  The indictment says the daughter was given twice the amount of time to take the SAT as other students and the paid proctor agreed to secretly correct her answers afterwards.

The indictment says the girl received a score of 1420 on her SAT ... an improvement of approximately 400 points over her PSAT.

Macy was not indicted.

According to the docs, the FBI recorded phone calls in which Loughlin and Huffman talked about the scheme with a witness who was cooperating with authorities.

And, the federal indictment out of Boston has a twist ... it says most of the kids admitted to the schools had no idea their parents allegedly greased the wheels to get them in.

We reached out to the reps for both Felicity and Lori ... so far no word back.

3:43 PM -- GOOD NEWS!!! Lupe just announced his sister's been found. The rapper doesn't offer any specifics about her whereabouts but he thanked all the fans for their prayers and support. Awesome!!

Lupe Fiasco's little sister is missing ... and he's hoping someone out there has some info that can lead to her safe return.

The Chicago rapper shared the news Tuesday on social media, letting his followers know his 16-year-old sister, Keziah, has been unaccounted for since Monday afternoon. He says she went missing in West Atlanta.

According to the missing person's report ... Keziah's mom told cops her daughter left their home Monday around 2:30 PM. She says when she got home from work around 11:30 PM, Keziah wasn't back yet.

The mother says Keziah's never run away before and nothing out of the ordinary has gone down the past few days. Keziah was last seen wearing a gray t-shirt, black leggings, a gray fanny pack with her hair in 2 afro puffs.

The mom's unaware of where she might go or who she might be with because they are new to the area, and says Keziah doesn't have a cell phone.

Fiasco's asking anyone with info to contact the Atlanta PD right away, and shared 4 photos of his sister to keep a lookout.

Chalk this one up as a WIN for Warner Wolf -- the legendary sportscaster's charge has been DROPPED in his battle over his gated community's "plantation" sign.

As we previously reported ... officials say Wolf ripped the word, "Plantation," off the sign of the private community where he lives, "Classics Plantation Estates" because he believes the word is offensive.

Wolf had lobbied the homeowners association to make the change for years -- but on Nov. 30, the 81-year-old was fed up and did the job himself.

Wolf was charged with felony criminal mischief last month ... but the 81-year-old says it was all worth it ... 'cause the case has been dismissed, he tells us.

“My attorney, Shannon Mcfee, called me last night and said the prosecutor had decided to have the charge dismissed. Criminal mischief,” Wolf says.

“I gave them $1,100 [for the damages] ... I was in jail for 4 hours. It wasn’t fun.”

Wolf is a sports broadcasting legend -- he worked for ABC Sports and called Monday Night Baseball, football and the Olympics. He also had a cameo in "Rocky IV."

Jussie Smollett's case could cost him way more than just his gig on "Empire" ... many on the show fear his situation could bring the whole show down in the process.

Production sources tell TMZ ... anxiety is high among the "Empire" cast and crew, because Fox has yet to renew the show for a sixth season. We're told people who've been working on the show for years are griping they should've heard the news one way or another by now, and expected to get word on the fate of the show around 2 weeks ago.

For the record ... Fox has typically renewed the show in January ... 5 months ahead of the season finale. The exception ... this past season. Fox waited until a few weeks before the season 4 finale was set to air ... in May.

We're told folks involved in the production feel like Jussie and his case will be a big factor in how things shake out.

As for how Jussie's character is being handled on the show now ... Lee Daniels and co. have already announced Jamal is being removed from the final two episodes of season 5, which is set to return from a hiatus on Wednesday night.

Our sources say Jussie's character will be "out of the country."

Here's the kicker ... our production sources tell us even if Fox does renew the show, higher-ups have expressed serious reservations about Jussie returning ... as have many folks on the cast and crew ... even some who have publicly supported him.

5:30 PM PT -- Jussie's attorney, Mark Geragos, just released a scathing response to the indictment, telling us, "The fact of an indictment was not unexpected. We knew that there is no way they would expose their evidence to a public airing and subject their witnesses to cross-examination. What is unexpected, however, is the prosecutorial overkill in charging 16 separate counts against Jussie."

Geragos continues, "This redundant and vindictive indictment is nothing more than a desperate attempt to make headlines in order to distract from the internal investigation launched to investigate the outrageous leaking of false information by the Chicago Police Department and the shameless and illegal invasion of Jussie's privacy in tampering with his medical records. Jussie adamantly maintains his innocence even if law enforcement has robbed him of that presumption."

2:45 PM PT -- We've now read the indictment, and it appears the grand jury hit Jussie with one count for EACH allegedly false statement he made during the 2 interviews with cops.

Jussie Smollett just got slammed by a Cook County grand jury, which has returned a 16-count felony indictment against him for filing a false police report.

Smollett was originally charged by the State Attorney's Office with a felony of disorderly conduct for filing a false police report. The new indictments obviously take the case to another level.

As for why there are so many counts ... the grand jury reportedly handed up 2 sets of charges -- one for Smollett's initial report to Chicago PD, and the other charges are for Jussie's second interview with cops.

We're told Ola and Abel Osundairo told grand jurors Jussie hired them to stage the so-called "attack." The brothers were caught on camera buying a bunch of supplies before the incident ... including ski masks, gloves, bandanas, sunglasses and red hats.

Chicago PD has come out strong against Jussie ... making it clear they had a lot of issues with his version of events -- including the fact he took them to the scene and immediately pointed to a camera which he said captured the incident. Turns out, the camera was pointed in the wrong direction.

Abel and Ola told police they drove with Jussie in the days prior to the incident scouting a location and even rehearsed the "attack."

As for the hate mail sent to Jussie at Fox Studios in Chicago ... police say they believe the "Empire" star is behind that too. However, we know the FBI hadn't confirmed that when Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson blasted Jussie in his news conference.

We also know the brothers told police they had nothing to do with the letter, and only saw it in a photo on Jussie's phone.

Originally published -- 2:11 PM PT

San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer and his wife have both met with law enforcement as a part of the investigation into their physical altercation that was caught on video, TMZ Sports has learned.

The SFPD launched a probe into the March 1 incident -- in which Baer was seen trying to wrestle a cell phone away from his wife, Pam, knocking her to the ground in the process.

TMZ Sports obtained footage of the altercation -- which took place in a public park area in San Francisco -- and you can hear Pam scream for help.

Cops responded on the day of the incident and spoke with witnesses. Now, we've learned investigators reached out to both Larry and Pam ... who also agreed to speak with authorities.

Larry's attorney, Cris Arguedas, tells us Baer and Pam had separate meetings with law enforcement, but fully cooperated ... and they're confident no charges will be filed.

The case has been kicked over to the San Francisco District Attorney's Office -- which will review the evidence and decide whether or not to bring charges against Larry.

Arguedas tells TMZ Sports she's "never been more confident" Larry will not be prosecuted.

Pam has already commented publicly about the case -- chalking the incident up to a marital spat ... and stating that she still loves her husband.

Larry has stepped away from the Giants while cops and the MLB investigate the situation -- but he's also expressed remorse.

Baer has been involved with the Giants organization for decades. He was named chief operating officer in May 1996, team president in October 2008 and CEO on January 1, 2012.

Dak Prescott's pit bull is possibly facing the death penalty after attacking a neighbor in Frisco, Texas last week ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Prescott's dog, Icon, was quarantined last Monday after it escaped from the Dallas Cowboys QB's home and attacked a woman who was transported to a nearby hospital to be treated for her injuries.

Icon was supposed to be held in quarantine for 10 days -- which means it was scheduled to be released today -- but there's been a change of plans due to the seriousness of the incident.

Law enforcement tells us ... the case has been referred to the City of Frisco Municipal Court for a hearing to determine if the dog will be, or should be classified as a "dangerous dog."

If found to be dangerous, we're told there are multiple options on how to deal with it -- one of the options is euthanasia.

One official tells us the goal is to work with all parties for an amicable resolution -- but putting the dog to sleep is a real possibility. Another option could be removing the dog from city limits.

Mike Trout has officially reached legendary status ... 'cause after just 8 seasons in the MLB -- his rookie card just sold for an INSANE $186,000!!!

Okay ... it ain't just your average rookie card -- it's signed AND numbered to only 25 ... but that price puts the Trout RC in ultra-rare air.

Consider this ... a Michael Jordan autographed JERSEY card only sold for $95,000 last year -- while a WILT CHAMBERLAIN rookie card fetched just $60,000.

And, if you really want perspective on how insane that price is for Trout's card ... a similar Tom Brady autographed RC famously just sold for $400,000 -- AND HE'S THE G.O.A.T.!!!

So, what makes this card so special? Well, Trout has been absurd through 8 MLB seasons so far ... batting .307 with 240 home runs and 189 steals.

But, the card is graded out at a 9.5 (out of 10) with a perfect 10 surface and perfect 10 corners ... according to Goldin Auctions.

The craziest part of the auction? We're told the same Trout card sold for just $50,000 a little over a year ago ... and just $13,000 back in April 2016!!!

2:38 PM PT -- According to the docs -- obtained by TMZ -- Parker lists their date of separation as February 28, 2019. Trey is asking for joint legal and physical custody ... and wants their prenup enforced.

"South Park" creator Trey Parker has filed for divorce from his wife after nearly 5 years of marriage.

Parker filed docs in Los Angeles Tuesday to split from Boogie Parker. The pair got hitched in 2014, and they had a daughter named Betty together before tying the knot. Betty has worked on the show for years, voicing Ike, Kyle's adopted Canadian brother.

This was Parker's second marriage -- he was also married to Emma Sugiyama from 2006-2008.

Trey also has an incredible resume, creating "The Book of Mormon" with Matt Stone. He also wrote the movie, "Team America."

Parker started "South Park" with Matt Stone and Brian Graden in 1997 ... he met Stone at University of Colorado in Boulder when he was studying music and Japanese.

Shane Ray is heading into free agency with some INCREDIBLE new body art ... the ex-Broncos stud just got his leg tatted -- and it might be the best $10,000 he's ever spent!

The stud pass rusher -- Denver's 1st-round pick in 2015 -- wanted to get some warrior-themed artwork done to represent all the battles he's faced in his NFL career so far.

So ... Shane hit up his friend and renowned tattoo artist, Katrina "Kat Tat" Jackson -- and they got to work.

Kat tells TMZ Sports she started on Ray's leg in L.A. a couple of weeks ago at Enigma Beverly Hills ... but the majority of the piece was done at Shane's Denver home this past weekend. And yeah, Shane paid for the plane ticket to fly her out. How baller is that!?

Kat says the sleeve took 3 sessions -- a 14-hour first day, 8 hours the next day and 4 more hours to cap it off ... and it all led to a SICK piece that features warriors of all shapes and sizes.

In all ... Kat tells us the tat took around 30 hours total to finish -- and cost in the area of $10,000 to complete!!!

By the way, Kat was the artist behind Shane's epic back piece that got the pass rusher in trouble with Denver fans because of the prominent Kansas City Chiefs logo.

(FYI, Shane's from the Kansas City area and the tat is a tribute to his hometown).

But, Ray is about to be a free agent later this month ... and Kansas City COULD always use another pass rusher -- so could that be where he ends up???

Stay tuned.

Young Dolph got suddenly and shockingly screwed out of HALF A MILLION BUCKS Friday ... when someone busted into his whip and made off with his watches, electronics and a bunch o' cash.

Dolph was minding his biz, eating lunch at Cracker Barrel in Fairburn, GA -- and according to a police report, a restaurant staffer interrupted his meal to say, hey ... someone just smashed the window of your Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon! Cops say this is what the thieves nabbed in the heist:

-- Richard Mille watch worth a whopping $230k

-- Patek Philippe watch worth $85k

-- 2 diamond chains worth $84k

-- 2 Cartier sunglasses worth $24,700

-- Apple MacBook, iPad, AirPods worth $3,700

-- Pirelli backpack worth $300

-- Louis Vuitton wallet worth $700

-- $2k in cash (all $100 bills)

Interestingly, cops say a Glock handgun was also stolen.

We're told police checked nearby surveillance cameras and found footage of a silver car pulling in front of the G-Wagon, and someone smashing its window. The suspect then fled in the silver car.

Dolph might be asking himself, where's comedian Russell Peters when you need him?

12:10 PM PT -- Demaryius Thomas is addressing the accident for the first time, telling TMZ Sports ... “Over the past several days I have had time to really think. It saddens me that I caused pain to those whom I love most.”

DT's rep added ... "Demaryius is extremely remorseful for exceeding the speed limit which led to the automobile accident in Denver, February 16th. Demaryius is taking full responsibilities for his actions and ensures that nothing like this will ever happen again!"

NFL wide receiver Demaryius Thomas was arrested Wednesday night for "vehicular assault" -- in connection with a February 16 crash in Denver, authorities say.

Officials say Thomas was driving at speeds exceeding 70 MPH in a 30 MPH zone -- which not only qualifies as reckless driving, but also felony vehicular assault.

If convicted on the felony charge, Thomas faces up to 3 years in prison and a $100,000 fine.

Officials say they conducted an investigation into the crash using "information from the vehicle and preliminary speed analysis" to confirm Thomas was traveling at over 70 miles per hour.

Thomas is listed on the police report as 6'3", 230 pounds.

We've obtained DT's mug shot -- you can see Thomas suffered a left eyeball injury.

As we previously reported, the 31-year-old ex-Broncos star was driving around Denver around 12:20 AM. We spoke with witness Michael Tafoya, who said he lost control of his car, hit a curb and rolled 3 times before landing in a grassy median.

Cops and emergency personnel arrived to the scene a short time later and took over -- managing to free Thomas and his 2 passengers.

Cops say all 3 people in the car were transported to a nearby hospital to be treated for injuries. One of the passengers suffered serious bodily injuries as a result of the crash.

A witness tells TMZ Sports ... Thomas seemed to be fine other than a "hellacious knot" on his head.

Kim Kardashian's put herself squarely in the middle of the modern-day ghost story known as the "Momo Challenge."

Kim is begging YouTube to help remove all "Momo Challenge" videos. If you haven't heard about it ... the videos contain a creepy figure popping up, instructing kids to kill themselves ... and intimidating them to keep the video secret from parents.

Kim posted a plea for YouTube to get on the stick and shut it down, but the video platform tells us they've seen no evidence the 'Momo' clips actually exist. At this point ... it's more urban myth than a real thing.

Kim reposted a bunch of messages from concerned parents who've heard about the "Momo" -- although we suspect none have seen it themselves.

YouTube tells us it hasn't received any evidence of videos showing or promoting the "Momo Challenge" on its platform. If it does exist, YouTube says it would be a clear violation of its policies ... and would, therefore, be removed immediately.