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4:05 PM PT -- Paul's attorney Bobby Samini is doubling down on his client's comments ... telling TMZ the charges against him are totally false.

Samini says, "Mr. Rodriguez was a passenger in a vehicle that was pulled over by the Burbank Police Department last night. He fully cooperated with law enforcement at all times. Law enforcement asserted that the driver of the vehicle was in possession of a controlled substance. Mr. Rodriguez did not have any controlled substance in his possession, nor was he under the influence of any controlled substance.

"Mr. Rodriguez’s arrest and treatment constituted a violation of his civil rights. We look forward to establishing Mr. Rodriguez’s innocence in a court of law."

Paul Rodriguez was recently arrested for alleged possession of narcotics in Burbank ... but the comedian tells TMZ the drugs weren't his -- and he's leveling some serious allegations against police.

We broke the story that Paul was arrested Friday when the car he was in was pulled over for a traffic violation, at which time cops allegedly found narcotics. Paul was arrested for misdemeanor possession.

But the comedian tells TMZ that not only were the drugs not his ... he feels one of the officers overstepped during the arrest -- and it may have been racially motivated.

From what he says ... the car was Paul's, but he was asleep in the passenger seat when it was pulled over -- which is when the "Caucasian" officer allegedly slapped Paul to wake him up ... 'cause he was on a "power trip."

Legendary comedian Paul Rodriguez had a bad night Friday -- and we're not talking about one the stage, but, rather, he got arrested by the police!

Here's what happened ... Paul was driving in a vehicle in Burbank, California, when a cop pulled him over for a traffic violation, according to law enforcement sources.

We don't know what the violation was, but that's beside the point ... because our sources say that when the officer searched Paul's car, and allegedly found some type of narcotics inside.

We're told Paul was promptly arrested and taken to the clink for misdemeanor possession of narcotics, although he's expected to be released from jail soon.

Marsau Scott was arrested in Alabama ... but it seems the charges were minor, and he's already out of jail.

The "Love & Marriage: Huntsville" star was popped Friday night in Madison County ... and according to jail records, he was allegedly speeding and had a failure to appear warrant in the system.

Details are not clear at this time ... but we do know that Marsau was not in custody long, as the records show he paid the $300 bond shortly after being arrested.

One of the most coveted collectibles in Hollywood is on the open market ... an Oscar statuette from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

The Oscar for Best Cinematography from the 1930 Academy Awards is up for auction over at RR Auction ... and this Oscar is going to the highest bidder.

The golden statuette was presented to Clyde De Vinna for his work on the 1928 film "White Shadows in the South Seas."

Pastor to the stars John Gray III is reacting to Marvin Sapp's viral Church donation request -- telling ushers to close the doors until the congregation coughs up $40,000 -- and he says culture and context are key.

John tells TMZ ... Marvin is a good friend of his and he's seen a lot worse donation requests in other churches.

Pastor Gray says he understands why folks who weren't at the service are upset with the way Marvin went about raising money -- asking everyone in the crowd for $20 -- and he tells us why culture and context are being left out of the conversation in sole favor of optics.

Jake Paul just got engaged to his speed skater girlfriend Jutta Leerdam ... and even though they might not see eye-to-eye at the moment, Canelo Alvarez has some valuable advice for the soon-to-be Problem Husband!!

Alvarez has been with Fernanda Gomez since 2016 ... and the two officially tied the knot in 2021.

They've been thriving together ever since ... so, when TMZ Sports mentioned Paul's proposal this week, the 62-2 boxer gave Paul some helpful tips on how they can go the distance, too!!

Saraya and All Elite Wrestling have gone their separate ways ... and while the former WWE Superstar is excited to pursue opportunities outside of the squared-circle, she tells TMZ Sports she'd seriously consider a return to her old promotion.

We caught up with Saraya shortly after news broke of her contract with AEW coming to an end ... and she reiterated it was a mutual split from both sides.

"Tony [Khan] was great throughout the whole process," she said. "He was very supportive of everything. I just wanted to get my toes wet outside of wrestling."

The New York spotlight might scare some people away ... but new voice of the Yankees Dave Sims isn't sweating over his new gig, even though he has big shoes to fill -- telling TMZ Sports he's excited for the dream opportunity!!

We caught up with Sims on the streets of NYC ... and he explained he feels no pressure to fill the shoes of longtime radio announcer John Sterling, who retired after 36 years -- 'cause it's something he's experienced in the past.

"John had a great run," he said. "I had a great run in Seattle. I essentially replaced Dave Niehaus in Seattle. I've done this before. I'm back home in New York, I mean it doesn't get better than this."

"Breaking Amish" star Mama Mary Schmucker has died after a battle with cancer ... TMZ has learned.

Mama Mary died Friday at her home in Pennsylvania, the result of cancer complications ... according to her son, Andrew Schmucker.

We're told Mama Mary was briefly hospitalized this week before passing away at her home. The cancer had spread over her body.

Sexyy Red has a new pair of shoes ... and they're an expensive gift from a country singer she recently worked with.

TMZ obtained video of Sexyy Red being gifted a pair of $5,000 Christian Louboutin cowgirl boots ... courtesy of Caldwell.

Sexyy Red pulls up to their music video shoot for their collab, "Beer and Baddies," and Caldwell is waiting with the shoes in a gift box ... and he tells her he can be her "rich country baby daddy."

Brandon Moreno's heading into his main event fight, not with anger or aggression ... but instead with gratitude, telling TMZ Sports he's super thankful the UFC has given him the opportunity to fight at home!

"I'm just very grateful with the company, very grateful with the UFC to keep giving me these opportunities to show my skills to my country, you know, to Mexico. So I'm just enjoying the moment. I'm just enjoying the moment," the 31-year-old former Flyweight champ told us days before the scrap against Steve Erceg.

Erceg, 29 years old, is 12-3 as a pro ... and will be across from Moreno Saturday night at Arena CDMX in Mexico City.

Linda Hogan is ready for all-out war with Brooke after her daughter's shocking allegations of abuse ... 'cause their one-time rift has turned into an all-out feud that may get litigious fast!

Here's the deal ... the mother-daughter "Hogan Knows Best" duo are in a bitter public back-and-forth over their falling out years ago, which came to a head on Friday when legal threats were leveled.

Linda -- Hulk's ex-wife -- tells TMZ ... she's ready to take Brooke to court if her smear campaign continues ... namely her daughter accusing her of physical abuse when she was a child.

The Chainsmokers' Drew Taggart just can't seem to stop one particular uninvited guest from showing up at his L.A. home -- this time, she falsely claimed she was his WIFE ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Thursday morning, the woman popped up for the second time in two months at Drew's house.

We're told the woman then walked up to the gate and rang the bell, while Drew was chilling out inside the house.

Astronaut Mae Jemison is giving advice to Lauren Sanchez and Gayle King ahead of their upcoming mission to space ... and she tells us the final frontier is going to flip their world upside down.

We got Dr. Jemison Friday in New York City and our photog asked her what Lauren and Gayle should know about space before blasting off in a Blue Origin rocket.

Mae, who in 1992 became the first woman of color to go to space, tells us preparation is key ... but so is perspective.

Kim Kardashian could be one step closer to becoming an attorney ... after taking a pivotal test that's required to practice law.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... on Wednesday, Kim took the MPRE -- Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination -- a key test on legal ethics and professional conduct.

While the MPRE is technically not part of the bar exam, it's a mandatory step toward bar admission.

Race will almost inevitably play a part in the prosecution of Diddy, and his defense team is banking on jurors focusing on why prosecutors have invested so much in, as Diddy's lawyers put it, "taking down a successful Black man."

We get into it in the new documentary, "TMZ Presents The Downfall of Diddy: His Defense," available free on Tubi.

Criminal defense lawyers who have won some of the most high-profile celebrity criminal cases weigh in on how race will become an issue in Diddy's trial, set for May.