Legal

DMX is off the hook for a potential probation violation ... the feds found no wrongdoing on his part when he and his entourage mistakenly drove away from a restaurant in someone else's Corvette.

TMZ broke the story ... DMX and his crew left a Los Angeles restaurant in another diner's car following a mix-up with valet, and the car was reported stolen. But, the bigger issue for DMX was a question of whether he was behind the wheel. 

The feds felt X could've violated probation in his tax evasion case if he was the one driving the "stolen" Vette.

X's attorney, Murray Richman, tells TMZ ... DMX met with his probation officer and everything is fine. We're told the rapper's in the clear as far as a potential probation violation goes.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York -- which prosecuted DMX for tax evasion -- declined to comment on its investigation. 

R. Kelly was arrested Thursday night for multiple federal sex crimes in 2 different states.

Kelly was arrested Thursday in Chicago on charges contained in a 13-count indictment returned in the Northern District of Illinois. The U.S. Attorney's Office of the Northern District says the indictment includes charges of child porn, enticement of a minor and obstruction of justice.

He was arrested in Chicago while walking his dog. Various law enforcement officials assisted in the arrest, including Homeland Security and Chicago Police.

But, that's not all. There's a second federal indictment out of Brooklyn, where Kelly is reportedly charged with various crimes, including sex trafficking. That indictment is expected to be unveiled Friday.

The singer will be arraigned in Illinois and then taken to New York where he will face a judge in that case.

R. Kelly was in court in Chicago in June on new state charges, where he pled not guilty to 11 felonies related to sexual assault and various abuse in Illinois. The Cook County State's Attorney's Office charged him with 5 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, 4 counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault and 2 counts of criminal sexual assault.

In those legal docs, Kelly is accused of forcing contact between his penis and the alleged victim's mouth and committing an act of sexual penetration on a victim listed only as "J.P." The alleged incident occurred in January 2010, when the victim was under the age of 18.

Tyreek Hill is now in a full-blown custody war with his baby mama -- who's demanding sole custody of their days-old twins amidst allegations the NFL star physically abused their older son. 

For years, it seemed Hill and ex-fiancee Crystal Espinal had buried the hatchet and were working together following Hill's domestic violence conviction stemming from a 2014 incident with Espinal. 

But, things took a turn ... she had claimed Hill physically abused their 3-year-old son in disturbing audio tapes that surfaced earlier this year. Hill can also be heard making menacing statements to Espinal. 

Espinal gave birth to twins earlier this month -- but it's clear she has no intention to amicably co-parent with Hill. She's filed new court docs demanding sole custody with Hill only getting supervised visits. She also wants the K.C. Chiefs star to pay child support. 

She's also demanding a paternity test to prove Hill is the father. 

In the court docs, filed in Kansas, Espinal also notes she and Hill "are not married, never have been married, and do not intend to be married."

It's the latest chapter in a rocky relationship for the two ... back in 2015 Hill pled guilty to domestic violence after she alleged he roughed her up in 2014.

The couple has also been under investigation over allegations they were responsible for injuries their 3-year-old son suffered during the NFL season.

For his part, Hill denied all of the accusations in a newly released, 11-minute audio that was secretly recorded by Espinal sometime in the past year.

Toni Braxton took an oath to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth Thursday, and told a jury she's heartbroken that the guy on trial stole her engagement ring and other precious jewelry.

A guy who works for an airplane cleaning service is on trial for allegedly rifling through a piece of carry-on luggage she forgot after landing in L.A. We're told three other employees from the cleaning service say they were on the Delta jet and saw the defendant pilfer Toni's $1 million engagement ring, 4 super expensive watches -- including 2 Rolex's and a Cartier -- and 2 pairs of vintage earrings. The grand total of the theft -- $2.5 MILLION.

The bad news -- the jewelry is still missing. Birdman gave Toni the ring when he proposed to her in February 2018. As for why the ring wasn't on her finger during the JFK to LAX flight ... because her fingers tend to swell when she flies as a result of a medical condition -- lupus.

Salt-N-Pepa's DJ, Spinderella, is really pushing it by suing her groupmates ... mainly because she doesn't even have her facts straight, at least according to people close to Salt and Pep.

Sources connected with the group tell TMZ ... the ladies think Spinderella's suit is really about her own insecurities -- that she feels like a third wheel, and has ever since 2007's 'Salt-N-Pepa Show' on VH1. Spin was only a featured guest.

We broke the story ... Spinderella sued, claiming she got cheated out of royalties and says Salt-N-Pepa excluded her from a bunch of gigs and appearances before getting unceremoniously axed from the group.

However, our sources say Spin's not entitled to any royalties in her contract -- including the $125k she says she's owed from the 1999 'Best of' album. We're told she was always paid as an independent contractor, but S and the P still made sure Spin always got the finest accommodations to go with her paycheck 

As for the TV show ... our sources say it was TV producers who didn't want her involved and it was out of Salt and Pepa's hands. We're told they think Spinderella's bitterness also stems from talk shows regularly requesting only the 2 front women for interviews.

Our sources also say the Salt-N-Pepa brand is owned by Salt and Pepa, not Spinderella ... so her claims of trademark infringement in her suit are also baseless. We're told they haven't used her name or likeness once since her departure from the group. 

Farrah Abraham held no punches in talking smack about her former "Teen Mom" costars Amber Portwood and Jenelle Evans' legal troubles.

Farrah was in L.A. Thursday and said she flat out saw Amber's troubles coming from a mile away ... she certainly didn't show any empathy for Jenelle either.

As we reported ... Amber was arrested on 3 felony charges, including domestic battery and criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon. She allegedly went after her BF, Andrew Glennon, with a machete and threw a shoe at him. She also lost custody of her and Andrew's infant son.

Jenelle, on the other hand, regained custody of her kids not long ago but only after going through weeks and weeks of turmoil. And now ... cops say Jenelle admitted to them she made up the whole David-Eason-shot-our-dog incident and called it a PR stunt.

YNW Melly is putting on a brave face as he awaits trial in his double murder case ... flashing a huge grin and looking generally happy during a court hearing. 

Check out this footage from Melly's court proceedings Thursday in a Broward County courthouse ... he's smiling like a kid on Christmas and yukking it up with his legal team, despite being heavily shackled in his jail jumpsuit.

Not much happened in the hearing ... some procedural paperwork to officially add a couple lawyers to his defense team, but the mundane process didn't seem to bore Melly. 

At least from the outside, it seems like the rapper's upcoming trial doesn't have him fretting much, which is interesting ... considering prosecutors have already said they will seek the death penalty. 

Jenelle Evans' husband, David Eason, won't be charged for the killing of their family dog ... and investigators say halfway through their findings, Evans switched up her story and said the whole thing was a PR stunt. 

The Columbus County Sheriff's Office says when deputies first responded to Evans' home, she stated David took the dog outside and she heard a gunshot ... though she never saw the dog get shot. Investigators say several weeks later, during a follow-up interview, Jenelle walked her story back, saying she never even heard a gunshot and didn't know what happened to the dog.  

According to investigators, Evans claimed the whole thing was simply for publicity. However, cops say Jenelle disclosed she just wanted the whole thing to go away ... so it's possible the publicity stunt excuse was just to end the investigation and protect her family.

Cops claim they did a thorough search of the property and never found a weapon nor any blood or evidence of an animal killing. Combine that with Evans saying she made the whole thing up ... and investigation wrapped. 

As we reported ... the saga began May 1 when Jenelle claimed on social media she was heartbroken and distraught over the loss of her French bulldog, Nugget. Her husband, David, said he killed the dog because it bit the couple's 2-year-old daughter, Ensley.

The alleged dog killing had serious implications for Jenelle's family ... she temporarily lost custody of her three children in the fallout.

The Columbus County Sheriff's Office says it's closing the investigation and will not file charges against Jenelle for filing a false police report.

Pablo Escobar's brother says Elon Musk ripped off the "not-a-flamethrower" idea and beat him to the punch -- but now he's got his own (hot) take on the gizmo ... and a possible legal fireball for Elon.  

The Colombian kingpin's bro, Roberto, just launched his own flamethrower -- which is basically a glorified propane torch -- and it is eerily similar to Elon's product from early 2018. There's a reason for that, according to Escobar's camp ... he claims Elon and co. jacked the idea after one of his engineers paid a visit to the family compound in mid-2017.

We're told while Elon's guy was out in Medellin that summer, he and Robeto allegedly got to talkin' about a toy flamethrower that could "burn money." Burning cash -- literally -- is apparently a favorite pastime of the Escobars ... ya know, 'cause of how rich they were from all drug smuggling and whatnot in Pablo's heyday. Torching dinero ... the new wealth brag.

Anyway, Roberto's camp claims nothing ever came of that convo -- until, suddenly, in January of 2018 ... Elon announced his 'The Boring Company Not a Flamethrower,' which raked in millions in the first few days on digital shelves. We're told the Escobars were pissed.

Now, they've got their own version out in the marketplace -- which retails for $500 -- but more importantly, our Escobar sources say Roberto and la familia are weighing their options on potential legal action against Musk and TBC for alleged intellectual property theft.

Might be an uphill battle for the fellas down in Colombia -- it's likely Elon got his own flamethrower patented from the jump ... so proving anything they're claiming could be difficult in court, if not impossible.

But hey, crazier things have happened ... like a Colombian drug lord running the international narcotics game for over two decades, or a fart app. Light it up, Escobars. 

Oh, and we've reached out to The Boring Company for comment ... so far, no word back.

Ja Rule remains on the hook for allegedly defrauding thousands of Fyre Fest ticket buyers after shooting his shot with the judge ... and coming up short.

Ja had filed a motion to dismiss the class action lawsuit filed by Fyre ticketholders and attendees in which they claim he lied through his teeth with social media posts promoting the legendarily doomed music fest.

The good news for Ja is the judge agreed with him that several of the allegedly fraudulent social media posts either could not be attributed to him, or don't constitute fraud. 

However, the judge did rule the case can go forward based on one of Ja's tweets. On April 27, 2017 -- the day before Fyre was supposed to begin -- he tweeted, "The stage is set!!! In less than 24 hours, the first annual Fyre Festival begins. #festivallife."

Of course, that is not what happened. Not even close. Unless you're a lover of cheese sandwiches.

In docs, the judge notes the plaintiffs claim several performers had been told by Ja and other Fyre organizers not to attend by the time of Ja's tweet. The plaintiffs also claim Ja knew by then Frye did not have promised amenities in place. 

Amber Portwood's boyfriend and baby daddy wants an emergency hearing to get sole custody of their child ... according to new legal docs.

Andrew Glennon filed docs Tuesday seeking custody of their 1-year-old son, James, following Amber's arrest last weekend for domestic battery. 

We broke the story ... Portwood was arrested Friday in Indianapolis just before 6 AM. According to police, Andrew claimed she assaulted him around 2 AM during a heated argument, but more importantly, while he was holding James. 

Dispatch audio of the incident reveals Andrew claimed his and little James' lives were in danger. According to the police report we obtained, he texted an officer that very thing and added, "I need help."

The report says Andrew told cops Portwood hit him with her shoe on the right side of his neck, causing pain and abrasions. An officer saw the marks on his neck and took photos for evidence. Andrew said James was unharmed.

According to the report, Andrew told officers this was not the first time she had struck him, and added Amber threatened to physically harm him countless times.

Portwood allegedly admitted hitting her baby daddy, but said it was lightly on his shoulder -- and also claimed she only did it because he was recording her.

Amber and Andrew just had a pregnancy scare on "Teen Mom OG," and she also hinted they might soon get married.

Offset will NOT be prosecuted by Georgia for gun possession -- the charges have been dropped, but they were only dropped so the feds could continue an even bigger investigation.

The Clayton County D.A.'s office tells TMZ ... prosecutors dismissed all charges on July 1 against the Migos rapper. However, according to docs, the D.A. decided to stand down at the request of the U.S. Attorney's Office. Turns out the feds are in the middle of an investigation ... and that's the only reason Offset was pulled over in the first place.

In docs, county prosecutors say the feds were concerned if they took Offset to trial for gun possession they'd have to tip their hand about information related to a larger investigation. Prosecutors aren't disclosing what that investigation is about, but say pursuing Offset's case "would alert other potential future parties to the investigation and evidence that may support federal charges against said parties."

TMZ broke the story ... Offset was slapped with a felony gun possession charge back in April. It had been the latest fallout stemming from his arrest last summer in Atlanta. He was also facing 2 separate charges -- possession of weed and making an illegal lane change, both misdemeanors.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, prosecutors say ATF agents contacted officers in Clayton County, asking them to pull over Offset's vehicle, if there was probable cause, and identify all passengers.

Prosecutors say the probable cause was failing to maintain his lane and tinted windows. ATF merely wanted to know who was in the vehicle -- but when Clayton Co. officers smelled weed, they decided to search the car ... leading to Offset's arrest for gun possession.  

As we told you first ... Offset's lawyer said he believes the rapper was targeted because he's rich, successful and black. Based on these new docs, though, Offset might have an even bigger problem ... with the federal government.

You pay for my son's college education ... and I'll drop my lawsuit against you.

That's how Antonio Brown's legal war ended after he was sued over a 2018 furniture-tossing rampage at his exclusive Florida apartment complex.

Remember, back in April, Brown struck a settlement with Ophir Sternberg -- who accused the Raiders star WR of nearly crushing his 22-month-old son with furniture that Brown allegedly tossed off his balcony.

AB had adamantly denied being the one who threw the objects -- but reached an agreement with Sternberg a few months ago to close the case.

Now, new court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, show part of the settlement includes Brown making a contribution to Ophir's son's college fund. 

"The net proceeds to the minor will be invested into Florida Prepaid College for the minor's sole benefit," the docs read.

The docs do not say how much cash Brown will contribute to the fund -- but we're told both sides are happy with the agreement. 

The docs also show Brown is making a contribution to an unspecified charity as another part of the settlement.

For his part, Brown released a statement on social media (that's now deleted), saying, "The legal dispute between Ophir Sternberg and me has been resolved with a confidential sum of funds being donated to charity."

"I am sorry that an incident occurred. I apologize for any statements we made in court filings or otherwise to Mr. Sternberg and family."

Cardi's rep tells TMZ, "Tasha K's counterclaims are completely frivolous and have no merit. Tasha K clearly seems to think that this lawsuit and the courts are her social media channel where she thinks that she can say anything she wants, without regard for the truth, harassing Cardi and her friends to try to gain reader to her blog at the expense of Cardi. 

This is failing -- Tasha's own words in interviews and documents show that her claims are completely false. Cardi fully expects that Tasha K's claims will be dismissed, and that at the end of this case, Cardi will be victorious and Tasha K will be held accountable for the blatantly false things she has said, written and posted about Cardi, that Tasha K knew were false."

Cardi B's sworn legal enemy is turning up the pressure by claiming the rapper assaulted her -- even though they were never in the same room -- and by dragging the FBI into their battle.

Latasha K is the blogger Cardi sued earlier this year for accusing Cardi of being a drug abusing prostitute with an STD. Tasha countersued Cardi for slander, but now she just amended that lawsuit to claim Cardi caused harm to her unborn child.

Tasha's new claim of assault centers on alleged threats made by Cardi and Skeemo ... Cardi's former roommate and BFF. In the suit, Tasha says Skeemo posted "violent messages" about her on social media. 

As for Cardi ... Tasha claims the MC encouraged gang members to "handle" her ... which Tasha took as a violent threat. If that wasn't enough, in the suit, Tasha says Cardi referred to her as a "dumb ass b*tch" and a "hoe" multiple times on IG.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Tasha was in the first trimester of a "high-risk pregnancy" at the time of the alleged threats, and she says doctors put her on mandatory bed rest.

Although she's not suing Skeemo, Tasha says his alleged violent threats scared her enough to call in the FBI ... but according to her, the agency simply told her to move if she was so concerned.

Tasha says she took their advice and moved -- which is why she's suing Cardi for moving expenses as part of her $3 million lawsuit.

We've reached out to Cardi's camp for their response to the new allegations ... no word back yet.

Ex-Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach is chiming in on Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun's beef and he's got some advice for her ... grow up, then you'll realize you didn't get screwed. 

We got Sebastian and his wife, Hawaiian Tropic model Suzanne Le, out at LAX and got his take on Taylor blasting Scooter for scooping up her early music catalog at Big Machine Records.

Sebastian says Taylor's NOT being bullied, she's just too young to understand this is how the music biz works. The 51-year-old rocker adds the very contract she claims screwed her over is the the same one that helped her become a household name. 

SB says very few artists own their early music, and admits he's gone through the same thing. One thing's helped him come out the other end, though, and he thinks it'll work for T-Swift too.

Channing Tatum had to step up and get the law involved in a squatting situation -- taking out a restraining order against a woman who's made herself very much at home ... in his home. 

A judge granted the actor protection from a woman who Channing says broke into his Hollywood home (which was vacant at the time) at some point in June, and stayed there for 10 days, even bringing her personal belongings with her.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, the woman was eventually discovered by one of CT's assistants ... and was held under citizen's arrest until cops arrived and took her into custody. She claims Channing invited her to stay, but he says that's BS. 

Channing does say that the woman has tried contacting him in the recent past, and he was aware of her existence prior to her squatting. He believes she's not in her right mind.

As part of his restraining order request, he also asked the court for protection for his ex, Jenna Dewan, whom he still lists as his spouse -- their divorce isn't finalized yet -- as well as his daughter, Everly, and his 2 assistants. He didn't include his GF, Jessie J, though.

Well, a judge partially granted Channing's request -- giving him the court-ordered force field he wanted, but only for himself, Jenna and Everly. The assistants are on their own -- at least until a court hearing to hash out the facts.