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A cryptocurrency investor has been arrested and charged in New York City after he allegedly tortured a man for weeks -- with reports claiming he was trying to obtain passwords related to cryptocurrency.

John Woeltz -- a 37-year-old Kentucky man -- was arrested Friday after a 28-year-old man allegedly escaped a house in the city's SoHo neighborhood. NYPD tells TMZ he told a police officer he'd been held captive and tortured for weeks.

According to reports ... Woeltz allegedly lured the man -- who is believed to have had prior business dealings with Woeltz -- to a house on May 6.

"Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, has been released from prison.

Hannah was serving 18 months after being convicted by a New Mexico jury ... and the state's Department of Corrections tells us she was let out of prison on Friday morning.

Authorities tell TMZ ... HGR will be on parole for one year as part of her "Rust" sentence and she has 18 months of probation on a separate firearms charge.

"Selling Sunset" inseparable besties Chrishell Stause and Emma Hernan haven't been seen together in months ... and TMZ has learned the gals have put their friendship on ice.

Fans caught on to the noticeable separation, taking to a recent post on Chrishell's Instagram and asking the question all 'SS' fans are wondering ... and Chrishell did not hold back in her response.

The Netflix star urges the fan to go and ask Emma themself about her "MAGA boyfriend" -- Blake Davis -- who has told Chrishell that "pronouns are dumb" and that he "likes to use the N word" ... according to Chrishell.

Billy Joel says he's been diagnosed with a brain disorder ... and as a result, he's canceling all of his scheduled concerts.

The singer announced Friday he is suffering from Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus ... which is a brain disorder where excess fluid accumulates in the brain's fluid-filled cavities.

Billy says his condition has been exacerbated by his recent concert performances ... and he's having trouble hearing, seeing and balancing.

Rapper Skilla Baby has been hospitalized after he was injured in a drive-by shooting ... which police are calling a "targeted attempt on his life."

Edward French, the lead investigator on the case for the Redford Township Police Department in Michigan, tells TMZ ... Skilla Baby -- whose real name is Trevon Gardner -- was driving alone in the 8 Mile and Beech Daly area of Detroit around 7 PM Thursday night.

French says the suspect's car pulled up alongside Skilla's vehicle and fired roughly 25 rounds ... causing the rapper to swerve off the road and crash into a commercial building. The impact left significant damage, creating a large hole that had to be boarded up.

The alleged sex worker known as Ash Armand, who was allegedly involved in Diddy's "freak-offs," looks a bit worse for wear in his latest prison mug shot after he was convicted of manslaughter in the murder of his girlfriend years ago.

TMZ exclusively obtained the booking photo in 2021 ... Armand -- who also starred in the reality show  "Gigolos" -- has packed on a few extra pounds behind bars and appears disheveled with messy hair.

His days being a hot gigolo seem to be behind him ... no longer will we see him walking red carpets for Showtime’s "Gigolos," which follows the day-to-day lives of five male escorts based in Las Vegas.

Tom Holland and Benson Boone were spotted having dinner together recently and TMZ has learned a new Hollywood friendship is taking shape.

Tom was photographed arriving to Soho House Holloway in West Hollywood around 5 PM on Friday. We're told Benson snuck into the members-only club, where shortly after he joined Tom for dinner on the roof of the swanky club.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Tom and Benson are fans of each other's work and this is a budding friendship to becoming good friends.

3:35 PM PT -- Blake's attorney Michael Gottlieb just filed a motion to strike Justin Baldoni's letter from the court docket as "baseless, unnecessary, improper and abusive."

Blake Lively's attorneys allegedly tried to force Taylor Swift into publicly supporting Lively in her beef with Justin Baldoni by threatening to release Taylor's private text messages if she didn't play ball ... at least according to Baldoni's lawyer.

In new legal docs obtained by TMZ, Baldoni's lawyer Bryan Freedman claims the subpoena he sent to lawyers for Taylor was intended to get information related to possible witness tampering and evidence spoliation.

Freedman claims he has it from a good source that Blake allegedly requested that Taylor delete their text messages.

Justin Baldoni’s blown so much cash on his legal mess with Blake Lively that the charitable arm of his Wayfarer Studios has taken the hit -- and now it’s shutting down for good.

Sources with knowledge make it clear to TMZ the shutdown’s tied to the ongoing lawsuits and the toll that’s taken -- financially and emotionally -- on Baldoni and co-founder Steve Sarowitz, though Wayfarer Studios itself is still chugging along.

Sources tell us the closure is a gut punch, especially given the foundation’s powerful mission and impact -- funding causes from criminal justice reform to gender equality, LGBTQ rights, and uplifting diverse communities.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman says he will NOT recuse himself from the Erik and Lyle Menendez case ... despite their attorney calling for Hochman to step aside.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Hochman says there's no legal reason for him to recuse himself ... and he blasts the defense for what he sees as a "drastic and desperate step" ... claiming they are trying to sidestep the central issue here ... resentencing, which Hochman opposes.

Erik and Lyle's attorney, Mark Geragos, previously called for Hochman to recuse himself.

Lil Durk is still in for the legal fight of his life ... prosecutors introduced a new charge against the Chicago rap star, alleging his stalking tactics led to the victim's death!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained the new legal docs filed against Durk on May 1 ... prosecutors have now charged him with one count of stalking resulting in death.

Prosecutors maintain Durk's rap career is not on trial, but claimed he still poses a flight risk for his alleged role in the execution of Quando Rondo's cousin, Saviay'a Robinson, in August 2022.

John "LJ" Scott Jr.'s death is sparking outrage ... with new video of his arrest appearing to show police dragging him across the ground in a police station.

If you don't know ... Scott died on April 22, about a week after he was taken into custody by Decatur Police in Alabama on April 15 -- with cops saying he suffered a medical emergency and passed away in the hospital.

Police reportedly arrived at an apartment complex on April 15, where they say they found Scott "sweating heavily and exhibiting erratic behavior."

2:25 PM PT -- Prospect Park Police tell TMZ the poo-petrating suspect has been identified as 44-year-old Christina Solometo ... and she's now facing charges of indecent exposure, disorderly conduct creating a hazardous or physically offensive condition, criminal mischief - property damage, harassment, and depositing waste on the highway.

The Prospect Park police chief told us they've spoken to Solometo on the phone and in person, and she's fully cooperated ... she hasn't been taken into custody yet, but she'll be turning herself in to be booked in the near future.

Talk about a holy s*** moment! Sneak a peek at this video ... which shows a woman literally taking a dump on the hood of a car in Pennsylvania.

Here's the poop ... oops, we mean scoop! PA police are investigating a road rage incident that quickly turned crappy when the woman jumped out of her vehicle and sprayed the other car with her fecal matter. What's worse, it was all caught on video!

The disturbing clip shows the aggressor -- dubbed on social media as the "Delco Pooper" -- walking from her black car over to a silver sedan, squatting, and proudly defecating on the hood of the car.

She seems to be giddy as she walks away, leaving behind a splatter of what looks more like diarrhea. Nothing like a good road rage incident to anger the bowels.

Adrian Peterson was busted for DWI Thursday night in Minnesota ... where the Vikings legend was booked into the county jail, even posing for a mug shot.

TMZ Sports has learned the former league MVP was pulled over at 3:20 AM in an Audi Q5 ... after a state trooper says they saw AP speeding, going 83 in a 55 MPH zone.

The cop suspected Peterson, 40, was drunk ... and when the future Hall of Famer ultimately submitted a breath sample on the scene, he blew a .14.

Kanye West claims he hasn't been around his son Saint at all this year ... but we know that's not even remotely close to the truth.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ … Ye can see his kids whenever he wants and mostly chooses not to, but he has definitely seen Saint in 2025.

Kanye's kids mostly live with their mother, Kim Kardashian, in California ... but we're told Ye spent about 3 months in Los Angeles this year and didn't ask to see Saint or any of his kids, aside from North ... until a week before leaving town.

Shannon Sharpe has just been sued for allegedly raping a woman on multiple occasions ... and the plaintiff in the case is asking for tens of millions in damages.

The lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, was filed by a Jane Doe on Sunday in Nevada ... after she says Sharpe brutally sexually assaulted her several times at the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025 -- following a yearslong, abusive relationship.

According to the suit, Doe met Sharpe in 2023 at a gym in Los Angeles -- when she was 20 years old and he was in his mid-50s. She stated in the docs during their first encounter, Sharpe told her he would "buy her fake t**s" if she won a weight-loss competition with him.