Legal

Brian Trascher helped search for Nolan Wells by air before the 18-year-old's body was found along Horn Island's shoreline ... and he believes dangerous water conditions may explain how Nolan ended up surprisingly close to where he was last seen alive.

The United Cajun Navy vice president tells "TMZ In The Know" ... weather conditions forced his team to switch tactics as the search stretched into its second day -- ultimately taking to the sky to cover more ground.

Brian says he and the pilot had been searching for about two hours on July 6 when they noticed several law enforcement boats converging on the northwest tip of Horn Island ... and they swung in close and saw a body floating face down in the water near shore.

D4vd's asking if he can ditch his handcuffs for his preliminary hearing in Celeste Rivas' murder case.

According to NBC 4 Los Angeles, the singer filed a motion requesting his cuffs and other restraints be removed for the prelim, which is set to start tomorrow.

D4vd's attorney, Blair Berk, said in the motion that he's never tried to escape or been disruptive, arguing that his 5 court appearances have all been uneventful.

Former NFL linebacker Thomas Davis's ex-wife cut a deal in her assault case ... avoiding a criminal trial over an alleged attack on a woman she believed had hooked up with the athlete.

Kelly Davis entered a pretrial diversion program Monday and agreed to complete a Cognitive Behavioral Intervention course, stay away from alleged victim Laura Watterson, and pay $1,380 in restitution, according to North Carolina court records obtained by the California Post.

Kelly's attorney, James J. Exum, told the outlet the charge will be dismissed if she completes every condition of the program ... calling it a "very fair resolution" for someone with no criminal history.

Andrew and Tristan Tate are used to a life of luxury ... but now the two brothers are cooling their heels in a federal lockup -- and eating crappy prison food instead of lobster and steak.

The brothers are currently incarcerated at FCI Miami -- a low-security detention facility in Florida -- while awaiting extradition to the United Kingdom to face charges of rape and sex trafficking.

The food in the UK gets a bad rap ... but it's a delicacy compared to jail menus in the United States ... and we fond out what they've been eating since their arrests.

Blac Chyna claims her ex-boyfriend, Twin Hector, has been calling her nonstop ... she says he sounds possessive and refuses to accept their relationship is over despite their ongoing legal battle ... and now she says she's "extremely frightened."

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Blac Chyna details the alleged calls ... claiming Twin Hector called her repeatedly on April 28, 2026, throughout the afternoon and evening.

Chyna said she answered one of the calls and he spoke for 10 minutes while she remained silent. She claims he eventually told her, "So you can run as long as you want, but you're never gonna be able to hide from me."

Offset scored a light sentence as part of the criminal case accusing the rapper of assaulting a weed shop security guard ... TMZ has learned. 

Court records obtained by TMZ show Offset, whose real name is Kiari Cephus, was ordered to serve 12 months of probation. 

In addition, Offset was ordered to stay away from the weed dispensary where the scrap took place, not make threats against any person, and not own or possess any dangerous weapon.

Offset will also have to pay an undetermined amount of restitution, perform community service, and complete an anger management class. 

Tulsi Gabbard's brother Bhakti's family was pushing for him to get help due to an alleged mental health episode before he was arrested for allegedly trying to lure children into a hotel room ... at least according to his wife.

Bhakti's wife, Kimberley, filed for a temporary restraining order on July 17 ... the same day he was charged for an alleged July 12 incident at a Waikīkī hotel pool. In her petition, obtained by TMZ, she said her husband of nearly a decade has been exhibiting bizarre behavior.

Kimberly claimed Tulsi's brother recently renamed himself "Batarti" and "Jim Morrison Jr." ... and she says he had a "psychotic break."

She claims to have "photos and video to prove this erratic, impulsive, and bizarre behavior that has made me concerned and feel/fear for my safety."

Stefon Diggs' male sexual assault accuser, Christopher Griffith, is firing back after the NFL star's baby mama, Cardi B, trashed him as a "light skin albino lizard" ... he says he's going to win big in court.

We got Christopher in Burbank and our photog asked him about his ongoing legal battle with Stefon and Cardi's recent rants, which got real personal.

Christopher says Cardi can spout off all she wants, but name-calling won't stop him from having his day in court ... and he's confident the "truth will shine bright" and a judge and jury will side with him over Stefon.

Al Sharpton is putting his money where his mouth is ... offering $50,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction in Nolan Wells' death ... and Tyler Perry is following suit.

Sharpton announced the reward Monday while delivering remarks at the 18-year-old's funeral ... saying he and the National Action Network are ready to put up the cash.

Watch the clip ... Sharpton says anyone with information can contact attorney Ben Crump's office. Crump is representing Nolan's family.

Sharpton said Nolan "was not on that island by himself" and insisted somebody knows more about what happened during the Fourth of July trip to Mississippi's Horn Island, where Nolan was found dead two days after going missing.

"Long Island Lolita" Amy Fisher is back in the headlines ... this time over a disturbing animal cruelty case involving her eldest son, who is being accused of microwaving his pet cat.

25-year-old Brett Anthony Bellera is charged with aggravated animal cruelty ... after authorities say his pet cat, Reaper, died in December 2024 in what investigators describe as a horrific incident inside a South Florida apartment.

Investigators say a forensic examination determined Reaper suffered extreme pain before dying from "involuntary heat exposure" ... and the injuries are consistent with microwave radiation, immersion in hot water, or exposure to hot water vapor. Investigators have not publicly concluded which method caused the fatal injuries.

According to the Broward County Sheriff's Office, Bellera' girlfriend -- Jennifer Armenti -- is also charged.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers star running back Le'Veon Bell was busted over the weekend ... and it's connected to child support payments, or an alleged lack thereof.

Le'Veon's attorney, Thomas Shaffer, tells TMZ ... Le'Veon did not make support payments, which are based on a healthy NFL salary -- a salary he's not earned in years.

Shaffer notes the support guidelines by law are based on current income, not his NFL salary, so computing these guidelines on inaccurate information is unfair.

Le'Veon allegedly owes more than $50,000 for child support.

The child in question lives in Michigan ... which is why the Michigan Attorney General has the case.

Nolan Wells' grieving mother says someone sent a cruel piece of hate mail straight to her home ... mocking her push for answers about her 18-year-old son's mysterious death.

Christine Wonsley shared the anonymous mailing on Facebook ... a photo showing Rev. Al Sharpton and attorney Ben Crump supporting her alongside her husband, Elmore Wonsley -- now defaced with arrows pointing from the men toward Christine and dollar signs seemingly implying they were exploiting her grief for money.

Christine fired back, writing ... "Whoever sent this to my home, may the good Lord have mercy on your soul."

Liam Payne's close friend, Roger Nores, is officially in the clear in the investigation into the One Direction star's death ... but prosecutors aren't done with the case just yet.

Court records obtained by the NY Post show Argentine businessman Nores has now been fully cleared of all criminal charges tied to Payne's fatal October 2024 fall from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires. Prosecutors did not appeal the ruling, making the dismissal final.

As TMZ previously reported, Nores had been accused of abandoning Payne despite allegedly knowing the singer was struggling with addiction. Nores maintained he was simply Liam's friend -- not his caretaker -- and insisted he'd done everything he could to help him.

Taylor Frankie Paul is breaking her silence after explosive court filings in her ongoing custody case became public ... saying there are both true and false claims circulating, and that anything she believes is "way off or misconstrued" will be addressed by her attorneys in court.

The 'Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' star posted a lengthy Instagram video Saturday, telling followers she hasn't felt the need to read the documents because she "lived" the events they're describing and knows "the truth."

Taylor also explained why she previously asked to have the juvenile case sealed, saying it wasn't to protect herself but to protect her children. She said the request was denied from the start and maintained the details would eventually come to light anyway.

Kai Cenat is facing some legal heat ... because his company is getting sued by a man who claims he nearly suffered a heatstroke not once but twice at one of Kai's Streamer University events.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, a guy named Caleb Gottfried aka SNVRK claims he attended Kai's Streamer University event at a college in Manhattan last month ... and conditions at the event were so severe he had two separate near misses with heatstroke ... and NYPD officers were there to witness it!

Adding insult to near injury ... Gottfried says his image was used in a commercial for it without his consent.