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YNW Melly just scored a huge legal win ... because prosecutors in Florida dropped witness tampering charges against him on the cusp of his trial.

The "Murder On My Mind" rapper was set to stand trial on the state charges ... jury selection was set to begin Wednesday ... but now he can turn his attention to his double-murder trial.

Melly's attorney's Drew Findling and Carey Haughwout tell TMZ ... "On behalf of Jamell Demons, we welcome the dismissal of the alleged tampering and gang related charges in court this morning. As his newly retained legal team, it became immediately apparent to us that no crimes had occurred. Unfortunately, for 652 days while these charges were pending, the State did not reach the same conclusion until the cusp of trial."

Unclear why the charges were dropped ... prosecutors had alleged Melly was colluding with is co-defendant Cortlen Henry and another inmate to prevent Melly's ex from testifying in the double-murder case.

The Indiana Hoosiers love their quarterback, Fernando Mendoza -- especially Elijah Sarratt ... who gifted the Heisman winner a $20,000 watch right before the College Football Playoff championship game!!!

TMZ Sports has learned the star Hoosiers receiver reached out to ShopGLD with the idea of getting something special for Mendoza -- not only to recognize his leadership, but also for helping the team make it to the CFP title game.

Mendoza, 22, was captured on video receiving his gift this week ... and judging by the ear-to-ear smile, it's safe to say he loved it!

8:09 AM PT -- Nicki is continuing her bashing of Don on X, reposting a tweet by someone else who rips apart the independent journalist.

Nicki Minaj is so pissed at Don Lemon that she called the independent journalist a homophobic slur for reporting on a protest at a Minnesota church service.

On Sunday, the rapper went on the attack on X, writing in all caps that "DON 'COCK SUCKIN' LEMON IS DISGUSTING." Don is gay, and married real estate agent Tim Malone in 2024.

Minaj continued, "HOW DARE YOU? I WANT THAT THUG IN JAIL!!!!! HE WOULD NEVER DO THAT TO ANY OTHER RELIGION. LOCK HIM UP!!!!!"

Nicki blew her stack at Don after the former CNN anchor livestreamed a news report from Cities Church in St Paul, MN, where a bunch of demonstrators had interrupted the Sunday service to protest the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the state. Several media outlets have reported the pastor of the church allegedly has ties to ICE.

Former Nickelodeon child star Kianna Underwood has been identified as the victim in a terrible hit-and-run collision that left her dead after she was dragged down two Brooklyn blocks early Friday morning.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ the 33-year-old -- who appeared on the 2005 series "All That" -- suffered severe trauma to her head and torso ... when a gray vehicle, driven by an unknown suspect, was traveling west on Pitkin Avenue and struck her as she crossed the street at Pitkin and Mother Gaston Blvd.

We’re told Kianna was left lying motionless in the roadway after being dragged under the car for nearly two blocks.

A man in Georgia has been arrested after he went on a racist tirade against a security guard in an Atlanta suburb ... with video of the tense interaction going viral online.

Robert John Burke has been charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct in connection with the incident that occurred outside the Social Security Administration office in Gwinnett County Wednesday. Burke had his mug shot taken ... and he looks none too happy to be in lockup -- giving the camera a death stare.

If you haven't seen the video yet, fair warning -- it's upsetting. It's unclear what sets the man in the clip off, but he's screaming at a security guard ... calling him the n-word multiple times and seemingly squaring up to throw a punch.

Michael Rapaport is being slammed as homophobic online for comments he made about 'Bachelor' star Colton Underwood during a new episode of "The Traitors."

Check out the clip ... the comedian went after Colton's character during the roundtable before the cast decided who to boot. Directing his anger at Colton, he said ... "Nobody in this room would be better at holding a secret than you."

Colton immediately assumed Michael was speaking about his sexuality, which was a secret for a majority of his life -- even when he appeared on "The Bachelor" to find a wife in 2019. Colton swiftly replied ... “There it is. You think it was fun for 29 years of my life?”

Janice Dickinson is suing a British broadcaster over injuries she claims she sustained when she fell while filming a reality TV show ... and we now have the photos of the facial damage from the alleged fall.

Check out these photos TMZ obtained ... that purport to show the aftermath of a nasty spill in 2022 when she was filming "I'm a Celebrity... South Africa."

Janice's forehead, nose, lips and chin are busted, bruised, scratched and scabbing over ... she claims she suffered head and facial injuries after going to the toilet at night during the show's jungle camp, and tripping.

The alleged injuries are from 2022 and in September 2025 Janice filed a lawsuit in the United Kingdom against ITV Studios ... seeking six figures in damages. According to reports Janice claims in the lawsuit that she suffered permanent facial deformities and nerve damage when she tripped in the dark after being given sleeping medication by a medic.

The suit was filed by a law firm in London, Taylor Hampton Solicitors, which has previously repped Hugh Grant, Elizabeth Hurley and Sir Elton John.

Online users discovered Thursday morning that typing "Nazis.us" into a web browser instantly flips to the official homepage of the U.S. government's Department of Homeland Security.

Instead of whatever you’d expect to see (🙄), users are landing straight on the DHS website. Screenshots confirm the redirect, and for now, nobody seems to know why it’s happening.

There's a big question mark as to who owns the domain, whether it recently changed hands and was deliberately rerouted to the DHS ... or whether it's just a flat-out tech glitch. To be clear, anyone purchasing a web domain can redirect the URL to any other site on the internet if they so choose.

DHS Spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told TMZ Thursday morning ... "We've successfully blocked the redirect."

NBC has yanked a new episode of “Law & Order: SVU” that was to air this week ... because it features Timothy Busfield, who's facing child sex abuse charges.

A source with knowledge confirmed to TMZ ... this Thursday's 'SVU,' titled "Corrosive," will be shelved ... and a new episode scheduled for next week has been bumped up.

It's unclear if Timothy's one-off episode -- in which he plays Judge Warren Fels -- will ever see the light of day.

Actor and director Timothy Busfield, famous for his work on "The West Wing" and "Thirtysomething," is being accused of pedophilia ... prosecutors in New Mexico allege he sexually abused underage boys who were child actors on a TV production set.

According to a criminal complaint filed Friday in New Mexico, obtained by TMZ, Busfield is charged with child abuse and two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor under the age of 13.

The charges stem from allegations that he sexually abused two boys on the set of "The Cleaning Lady."

According to the complaint, one of the boys told law enforcement Busfield touched him in his "private areas" while on set after a scene had ended ... when the kid was just 7 years old. Prosecutors say the boy alleged Busfield touched him inappropriately 5 or 6 times between takes ... and they also claim the boy alleged he was inappropriately touched by Busfield multiple times when he was 8 years old.

Matt Prokop -- a former child actor who was once the subject of a restraining order for allegedly abusing Sarah Hyland -- has been arrested in Texas, TMZ has confirmed ... and child pornography is involved.

Law enforcement in Victoria County tell TMZ ... Prokop is currently in custody at the county jail and is being held without bail after being arrested on Christmas Eve on multiple charges, including alleged possession of child pornography and resisting arrest.

Prokop, who is from Victoria, Texas, was arrested for allegedly violating bond conditions from a previous set of charges filed in 2024 ... according to local TV news Crossroads Today.

Jason Lee was accused of both abusing his power as Vice Mayor and misusing $50,000 from the City of Stockton’s risk fund for a "Wild 'n Out" event last year ... but a thorough investigation has cleared his name!!!

California's Stockton City Council posted legal docs at the top of the month that they -- and the law office of Hanson Bridgett LLC -- held two hearings in August and December 2025 to determine if Lee was guilty of any financial violations, or even should have recused himself in deciding to push the event forward.

The investigation noted the event announcement carried the connotation it was to tout Lee's celebrity ... but it was ruled that his interests aligned with the city's well-being.

Boosie Badazz started 2026 staring down a potential prison sentence ... but thankfully, the judge decided to offer him leniency with time served!!!

If you recall, the rap star was looking at least a couple of years in the bing after pleading guilty to possessing a firearm as a felon in a case out of San Diego ... but his legal team pushed for alternative solutions -- and got their wish.

Boosie Badazz's attorney, Meghan Blanco, tells TMZ Hip Hop ... "He was sentenced to time served, three years of supervision, and 300 hours of community service. I’m so relieved he can finally move forward, continue making music, and be an inspirational role model for his kids and his community."

A Pennsylvania man took his ghoulish activities to the extreme, stealing more than 100 skeletal remains from gravesites and squirreling away most of them inside his home, according to prosecutors.

Jonathan Gerlach was arrested Tuesday after cops say they executed a search warrant at his home in Ephrata, PA, and discovered 100 sets of full or partial human remains in his basement.

Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse slapped Gerlach with a slew of charges, including criminal mischief, criminal trespass, intentional desecration of public monument and abuse of corpse.

Rouse told TMZ ... the abuse of corpse charge does not refer to necrophilia (sex with a dead body). Instead, Rouse said, the skeletal remains were considered abused because they were in tatters along with more than 100 skulls found inside Gerlach’s house and a separate storage facility.

Fetty Wap is starting his 2026 off with a bang -- with an early prison release!!!

The superstar rapper was sentenced back in May 2023 to 6 years in prison for his role in a drug trafficking ring, but reemerged on Thursday when he immediately stepped into The Shade Room and thanked fans for their unwavering support.

The Bureau of Prisons tells TMZ … Fetty was transferred yesterday to home confinement in Philly. He's scheduled to be fully released from oversight custody on November 8 this year.

Fetty will have to undergo strict and supervised guidelines for the next 5 years now that he's free ... which includes drug testing, in addition to being prohibited from opening any new bank accounts without approval from federal agents, while keeping the U.S. Probation Department in the loop with all his earnings and tax records.

It's January 6, so of course, there is chaos in Washington, D.C. ... and this time tensions are flaring at a march memorializing the Capitol Riot ... a fight broke out, and it's all on video.

Profanity-laced insults led to a physical confrontation Tuesday morning at the InterContinental The Willard hotel ... a large brawl ensued after a counter-protestor showed up to disrupt a memorial event honoring Ashli Babbitt and four others who died in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.

Proud Boys members and J6 convicts organized the event, and they didn't take kindly to a woman who showed up with a megaphone and started calling them "p****."

Check out the footage ... the mob surrounds the counter-protestor, shouting profanities at her and putting middle fingers in her face, and then a woman with an American flag comes over and kicks off the violence.