Legal

'Tiger King' star Joe Exotic's divorce from Dillon Passage is extremely close to being finalized, TMZ has learned ... because the 2 are just waiting on a judge to sign off and make things official.

Joe's lawyer, Autumn Blackledge, tells TMZ ... divorce docs between Joe and Dillon are finished -- they just need a judge's signature to officially close things up.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, there are no joint assets or marital property between them, so they're each entitled to whatever separate property they have.

The docs say they've waived the right to any alimony, and there's a nondisparagement agreement -- meaning one ain't allowed to bad-mouth the other.

Dillon also has to give up "any right to distribute, profit from, sell, transfer or use" any of the likenesses of Joe Exotic from Tiger King and "Joe Exotic For President."

Joe is dropping Dillon's last name, which he had taken when they got marriage -- so he'll be Joseph Maldonado once again.

TMZ broke the story, Joe filed for divorce earlier this year, saying the marriage was irretrievably broken. Joe tweeted shortly after filing, "Dillon, please just sign it and go away."

Dillon's lawyer Parastoo Majd tells TMZ ... Dillon is very happy to close this chapter of his life, move on and leave Tiger King behind.

Todd Chrisley is gearing up for his lengthy prison sentence ... and here's a detailed look at how things are run at the prison where he'll be serving his 12-year sentence.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Todd's set to report to minimum security FPC Pensacola in FL on January 17 ... and the facility has a specific uniform for inmates -- green pants, green shirts, white socks and black steel-toed boots.

As for the daily routine, lights come on at 4:45 AM daily -- and breakfast is served from 5-6. From there, beds must be made military style by 6:30, and his room should be completely clean ... likely not an issue for the self-professed germaphobe.

The work day begins as late as 7:30 AM and ends between 3 PM and 5 PM. There are a bunch of gigs Todd could pick up while behind bars ... jobs like cook, plumber, librarian, landscape worker, dishwasher or laundry worker.

Lunch is served at 11 AM, and he'll get an evening meal from 4:30 - 5:30 ... followed by mail call until 8:30. The compound then closes down shortly after, and lights out at 10:30.

A bunch of sports are offered at Todd's facility -- things like softball, flag football, basketball, soccer and volleyball. They also have the ability to do weight training, music, hobby crafts like art or woodworking and horseshoes.

As far as visiting hours ... he'll be limited to no more than 5 people at a time under the prison's policy.

We should say -- Todd has filed a motion asking for bail pending his appeal -- so if the judge grants that and EVERYTHING goes in his favor on the appeal, there's technically a chance he won't see any prison time.

Disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried must be worried about serious prison time for his multiple fraud charges ... but have no fear -- because "Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli's advice is to listen to some rap before hitting the slammer.

Shkreli, the once-pharmaceutical exec and hedge fund manager, offered his questionable tips and tricks to Bankman-Fried while on Laura Shin's "Unchained" podcast ... saying he should be educating himself about gang culture and "the streets" -- claiming a good dose of rap music should do the trick.

He also thinks shaving his head is a must to ft in ... adding Bankman-Fried comes off as pretty effeminate. Shkreli says deepening his voice while locked up could do him some good, too.

As we reported, Shkreli was released early from prison this year ... after being convicted on securities fraud charges back in 2017 -- and raising the price of the life-saving drug Daraprim, an antiparasitic medication commonly used by AIDS patients and others with suppressed immune systems, from $13.50 per pill to $750.

And as for Bankman-Fried, he was arrested in the Bahamas and charged with wire fraud, money laundering, and more ... and he reportedly could be facing 115 years behind bars if found guilty on all counts.

Kim Kardashian broke down in tears while opening up about her struggles co-parenting with Kanye West amid their split ... and says she's gone to great lengths to keep the drama away from their kids.

Kim got candid on the "Angie Martinez IRL" podcast ... saying hiding the noise from her kids while trying her best to co-parent with Kanye is a serious struggle -- but jumps through hoops to make sure the negativity isn't brought to their kids.

She sheds some tears while reflecting on her dad, Robert ... and hopes to give her kids the same great memories Robert gave to her -- but admits it's tough during multiple waves of controversy.

As Angie points out, Kim ain't co-parenting with a nobody ... and Kim sheds some more tears -- hoping North, Chicago, Saint, and Psalm will thank her later in life for not bashing their pops.

Kim also opens up about her experience during Balenciaga's backlash ... saying her response to the controversy didn't come quick enough to the public -- even though she claims she was in the dark about the ordeal at first.

Tory Lanez's family and friends are banding together to help him avoid prison time ... and they're going after the jury, the music industry, Jay-Z and even suggesting Tory is a sacrificial lamb to do a solid for African American women.

Soon after Tory was convicted for shooting Meg Thee Stallion, an online petition -- Appeal Tory Lanez Verdict -- surfaced. So far, 19k people have signed on, and it doesn't look like it's slowing down anytime soon.

The petition claims Tory's trial was a "circus of speculation, insufficient evidence, inconsistencies, and drunken memories [that] left us without much moral certainty of any truth."

What's more ... Tory fans are attacking the jury, calling them irresponsible, claiming they rushed their decision and unjustly found Tory guilty on all 3 felony firearm counts.

The petition then lasers in on some wild claims -- "This case is also about branding, marketing, label heads and a music industry that pushes narratives based on who they have personally invested millions into. Could Jay-Z or RocNation be involved??"

And then, it becomes racial ... "Was this case taken because of a political pressure to fake protect black women? African-Americans went along with hashtags that didn't protect anyone & instead caused division between black women and black men."

An organization that helps people bail out of jail -- and supported by big celebs -- has shut down after getting sued by a man who was shot days after the shooter was released on bail ... bail posted by the org.

The Bail Project has a list of big celebs behind it, including John Legend, Danny Glover and Richard Branson.

The Bail Project posted $3,000 bond for Rashawn Gaston-Anderson last December. He had been arrested on burglary charges and had a long rap sheet, including attempted grand larceny, carrying a concealed weapon, felony burglary and auto theft ... this according to 8NewsNow.

Six days after being released on the $3,000 bond, Gaston-Anderson shot a Las Vegas man, Chengyan Wang, 7 times.

Gaston-Anderson copped a plea on charges of attempted robbery, mayhem with enhancements for using a deadly weapon. He was sentenced to 7-18 years.

Wang, who apparently has permanent injuries, is now suing The Bail Project, claiming it did not do due diligence before posting bail for Gaston-Anderson. The Clark County D.A. who prosecuted Gaston-Anderson said, "One can say, in a sense, they are vouching for the person."

The Bail Project, which has posted bond for 51 people in the Las Vegas area since 2021, called the incident "an absolute tragedy."

Tory Lanez is now behind bars awaiting sentencing after being convicted for shooting Megan Thee Stallion -- and on Christmas Day ... here's what's waiting for him in the cafeteria.

TMZ has gotten a rundown on what the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department is cooking up Sunday for their inmates in jail ... and with Tory now being one of them, for the time being, he's definitely getting the same meal as everyone else -- and it doesn't sound half bad.

According to LASD, their corrections facilities have quite the food lineup ... including 4 oz of roast turkey, 4 oz of mashed potatoes, 2 oz of gravy, 1 oz of cranberry sauce, 4 oz of green beans, 1 cup of tossed green salad, a dinner roll, a pumpkin muffin and a chocolate milk.

The jails also have religious/medical diet options ... Halal, vegan, diabetic and everything in between -- none of which sound quite as appetizing as what's listed above. FWIW, Tory's currently being held at the Men's Central Jail just outside of Chinatown ... not too far from where he was in court for the past couple weeks, and where a jury found him guilty Friday.

Speaking of Friday, here's a photo of what may have been Tory's last meal on the outside. During an afternoon break amid jury deliberations ... TL and his crew were seen grabbing some pizza in DTLA.

Darris Love, who played Ray Alvarado on Nickelodeon's "The Secret Life of Alex Mack," was arrested Christmas Eve ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

LAPD sources tell us ... police were called to the actor's Los Angeles home just before noon for a domestic disturbance.

When cops arrived, Love's girlfriend told cops she was going to the house to pick up some stuff and before leaving, she got into an argument with him. She claimed Love hit her in the back of her head. Our sources say she was not injured and there were no visible marks.

After cops spoke with both, the 42-year-old Love was arrested and booked for misdemeanor domestic violence.

Love played the best friend of Alex Mack on the show ... he appeared in 77 episodes. He's also been on "E.R.," "Shameless," "CSI," "The Shield" and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."

After spending about 10 hours in custody, Love was released after posting $20,000 bond.

Megan Thee Stallion might still not have all of hip hop in her corner after the Tory Lanez verdict -- but she's got one of the biggest pop stars around backing her ... Adele.

The singer sent a heartful message of support Friday to MTS ... who was just vindicated after a jury unanimously decided Tory had, in fact, shot her in 2020 ... and was guilty of the charges brought against him. In light of that, Adele's wishing her peace for the holidays.

Check it out ... Adele name-dropped Meg at her Vegas residency show, saying she hopes she has a "very, very, Merry, Merry Christmas" ... going on to say that she can now do whatever the hell she likes without this thing hanging over her like it has for the past 2 years.

The crowd cheered, and it's clear ... Adele fully supports Meg -- unlike some of Megan's peers in the rap industry, who've cast doubt on her story and painted her as a liar.

All of that turned out to be moot this week, however ... because, as you know, Tory was convicted and taken into custody immediately -- right in front of his kids and family. Megan wasn't in the courtroom Friday, but she's had ample support from folks right outside.

Tory Lanez is guilty of shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the foot back in 2020 ... a jury has decided.

The verdict came in Friday, just before the holiday -- where a group of L.A. jurors found the Canadian rapper guilty of all three charges against him -- felony negligent discharge of a firearm, assault with a semiautomatic firearm and carrying a loaded and unregistered firearm.

After the verdict was read, several members of Tory's family -- including his dad and stepmom -- shouted, "This system stands before God!" and calling the court system evil. Deputies surrounded his family members and escorted them out of the courtroom.

Tory was filmed entering court before the verdict was read, telling cameras his spirits were high.

Tory now faces more than 22 years in prison, which will be determined during sentencing on January 27. Sources connected to the case tell us Tory's lawyers were in touch with immigration officials -- before the guilty verdict -- and we're told they've been informed there's a strong likelihood he will be forced to leave the country.

This marks the conclusion of a wild 2 weeks in court, which saw a handful of witnesses take the stand to recount what they say happened on that fateful night. Megan herself obviously testified, squarely pointing the finger at Tory as the shooter.

She said she saw Tory with the gun, explaining she remembers him firing at her from his Cadillac Escalade ... and claims he shouted, "Dance, bitch!" MTS also testified that Tory offered her $1 million to keep quiet.

Meg was called out by the defense for several items, including the fact she initially wasn't forthright about having an intimate relationship with Tory Lanez, and that she'd initially lied to police about how her feet had gotten injured.

The defense also tried to target Meg's ex-BFF, Kelsey, as the shooter ... and the reason she might've shot her was because of alleged creeping behind her back with guys like Ben Simmons, DaBaby and Tory himself -- a revelation that apparently sparked a major argument among all 3 of them in the car.

What exactly happened in the car was a major source of contention during the trial. While Megan had one version of events -- Kelsey seemed to have a different story ... albeit, with a very spotty memory on the stand that created stop-and-go recounting under oath.

What she did definitively testify to on the stand ... she wasn't the one who shot Megan ... but she wasn't willing to go as far as to say Tory did.

But, remember ... prosecutors were eventually able to get the green light to play a prior interview she'd given investigators in September -- and in that recording, she said Tory did actually shoot Meg.

Other witnesses took the stand too, but none of them were as consequential as Megan and Kelsey -- including the guy who supposedly saw the two women fighting from his balcony. Ultimately, he wasn't very definitive about who he says he saw fire the gun.

The physical evidence in the case wasn't that strong -- there was gun residue found on both Kelsey and Tory ... and inconclusive DNA evidence on the gun itself. Tory never took the stand, and neither did his driver that night ... Jaquan Smith. Aside from cops and a witness to the Kylie Jenner party that preceded all this -- it really boiled down to Kelsey and Meg.

In the end, the jury obviously sided with prosecutors. As for the court of public opinion ... the jury is still very much out. People certainly took sides on social media -- and on traditional media too -- but now ... it's unclear if their allegiances will change.

Tory Lanez's father is blowing a gasket after watching his son's conviction in the Megan Thee Stallion shooting trial ... directing his anger at cops, prosecutors and even Jay-Z.

Ya gotta see the video ... Tory's father launches into an epic rant outside the courthouse where his son was hauled off to jail, railing against the justice system.

Tory's dad is obviously taking issue with the lack of physical evidence presented at trial ... and he's also no fan of Jay-Z.

It's unclear why Tory's pops is pissed at HOV ... but Meg is signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation.

Tory's stepmom is also upset ... and his family says the case isn't over, so it sounds like they want Tory's legal team to file an appeal.

As you know ... Tory was convicted Friday of all three charges against him, and he's facing more than 22 years in prison, and we're told the Canadian may be deported.

Tory's parents were also steaming mad inside the courtroom ... they screamed and hollered, claiming the court system was evil before being escorted outside.

Dallas Cowboys rookie Sam Williams is clearly very fortunate to have walked away from Thursday's car crash unscathed ... because new video from the accident's aftermath shows his Corvette was severely mangled in the collision.

Williams was involved in the wreck at around 2:15 PM in Plano, Texas, according to cops, after his black sportscar struck another vehicle that had attempted to turn in front of oncoming traffic.

Video obtained by FOX 4 shortly after the crash shows Williams' ride was hit so hard, it completely lost its front wheel. It also had significant damage to both its front and rear driver's side fenders.

Somehow, however, Williams was not seriously injured in the accident. Cops say he and the driver of the other car were transported to the hospital, though it was solely "for precautionary reasons."

Williams told Cowboys nation in a tweet on Thursday night he was "okay" and "so is the other person that was involved." He added prayer and heart emojis.

Cops say they're still investigating the accident, but do not suspect alcohol or drugs were involved.

As for his availability in Saturday's key game against the Eagles, the Cowboys have not yet ruled the pass-rusher out for the contest.

Trevor Bauer -- who was suspended 324 games after he was accused of sexual assault -- had his punishment reduced to 194 games on Thursday, the league announced.

Independent arbitrator Martin Scheinman ruled the Dodgers pitcher, who served 144 games of his suspension, will be reinstated immediately. Bauer will not have to miss any additional time, as his placement on the league's restricted list in the 2021 season will count toward the overall punishment.

"While we believe a longer suspension was warranted, MLB will abide by the neutral arbitrator's decision, which upholds baseball's longest-ever active player suspension for sexual assault or domestic violence," the league wrote in a statement Thursday.

"We understand this process was difficult for the witnesses involved and we thank them for their participation. Due to the collectively bargained confidentiality provisions of the joint program, we are unable to provide further details at this time."

The Dodgers -- who signed the 31-year-old pitcher in February 2021 -- will have 14 days to decide if they wish to reinstate the ace to their 40-man roster.

As we previously reported, Bauer was suspended for 2 years without pay after Major League Baseball concluded that the Dodgers' star pitcher violated the league's joint domestic violence policy.

Bauer was accused of punching and choking a woman unconscious ... with the accuser claiming she sustained bumps, bruises, scratches and other injuries. He also faced allegations made by other women.

The Cy Young winner, however, has maintained his innocence throughout the ordeal ... denying any wrongdoing.

Trevor is still under contract with the Dodgers for at least one more season.

Story developing ...

"Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" star Jen Shah should be behind bars for 10 years after pleading guilty in her wire fraud case -- at least that's what federal prosecutors want the judge to order.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the feds are seeking a 10-year sentence against the "RHOBH" alum, insisting she's the "most culpable person charged in this case."

The docs go through a laundry list of reasons why prosecutors think she's deserving of the lengthy lockup ... saying the reality star used the money from her fraud to "live a life of luxury."

Prosecutors say Shah attempted to "conceal her role in the scheme," but was very involved in the day-to-day operations. In the docs, prosecutors say Shah was upset with the amount of money coming in around June 2018, and texted her coworkers, "“I’m coming in to set appts for these guys tomorrow. Please get my 24 karat gold headset with diamond encrusted mouthpiece ready. Papi needs money for the weekend and [a co-conspirator] needs baby mama money.”

They also say her post-arrest conduct shows she deserves a long time in prison -- pointing out she went "on a public offensive against the charges and tried to profit off the charges by selling 'Justice for Jen' merchandise."

As we reported, Jen finally took a deal in July, pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with telemarketing ... and as part of her deal, prosecutors dropped one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Megan Thee Stallion's boyfriend, Pardi, is publicly sharing his thoughts about Tory Lanez's shooting trial for the first time ... saying he "wouldn't wish this on anyone."

Pardi took to social media Thursday, as the jury began deliberating on a verdict ... saying, "To any woman especially ones of color that has suffered an injustice I feel for you."

He continued, "When you do find the courage to speak up .. it seems you will be ridiculed," noting people can quickly go from "victim to defendant in the eyes of the public."

He ends the post, "To any one with a daughter sister mother niece or aunt .. I pray for their protection .. I pray for their covering .. I wouldn't wish this on anyone."

As we reported, closing arguments wrapped Thursday, sending the jury to begin deliberations ... the prosecution made one last effort to convince jurors that Tory shot Megan -- pointing to Tory's "bruised ego" as a reason he shot her.

Dak Prescott's dog has gone from the dog house to the penthouse ... starring in a new TV commercial -- almost four years after he was nearly put down by authorities for attacking a neighbor.

The Dallas Cowboy's pup, Icon, was busted way back in Feb. 2019 -- after cops said he broke free from the quarterback's Frisco, Texas home, chewed through a nearby woman's fence, and then bit off part of her finger.

The pit bull was caught and quarantined ... and, days later, officials set up a hearing for the animal to determine if it should be classified as a "dangerous dog."

If it was found to be dangerous, euthanasia was on the table. But, fortunately for Prescott, authorities ultimately released the dog back to the NFL player under the condition he was removed from Frisco.

The dog has apparently stayed out of trouble since ... 'cause AT&T just tapped him to be in a new ad for the co. this week.

In the spot, Icon can be seen adorably roamin' around a house -- missing his owner while the quarterback was shining for the Cowboys on gameday.

In one scene, Icon can be seen lovingly licking Prescott's face.

Dak shared the advert on his social media page on Thursday, calling the dog his "best friend."