Legal

Funkmaster Flex is having a sudden change of heart -- one that could potentially anger the rest of his New York rap base, because he’s decided to play Tekashi 6ix9ine’s music again after previously banning him.

The longtime Hot 97 personality's decision was swayed by 6ix9ine's latest post ... which featured the rainbow-haired rap star on a plane with a mound of cash he says totals $1M, unafraid of any potential threats as he trekked back to the East Coast.

Back in 2021, 6ix9ine ignited Funk Flex's musical interest when he previewed his "ZAZA" single but the DJ ultimately refused to play the track over the street code he says no longer exists ... mainly because rappers aren't signing up to do 5 years behind bars to support their gang anymore!!!

Funk Flex saluted Bobby Shmurda, Rowdy Rebel, Fetty Wap, Boosie Badazz and Young Thug as the last of a dying breed of rappers who don't give statements to the police ... an obvious dig at Gunna, who's been losing friends on IG -- such as Lil Baby, Lil Durk and recently Meek Mill -- for taking a plea deal in the YSL RICO case.

6ix9ine has been teasing a musical comeback for a while now, and Flex wants it to happen this Thursday on his primetime show, so he can drop bombs on a new record!!!

Juice WRLD's ex-girlfriend Ally Lotti and her boyfriend Carter Jamison were busted for shoplifting at an Arkansas Walmart over the weekend ... and cops say they found narcotics on Lotti during their search.

Ally was arrested by Crittenden County Sheriff's Office and booked on possession of methamphetamine or cocaine with the purpose to deliver at least 2 grams, possession of drug paraphernalia and theft of property.

Her lawyer, Bradford Cohen, tells TMZ Hip Hop Ally and Carter tried to scan their items in the self-checkout aisle on Saturday ... and believed they'd rung up everything -- until a security guard detained them at the door.

We're told that's when the drugs were discovered.

Carter was booked for theft of property and released without bond later that day.

Ally has now also been released and is currently celebrating Carter's new purchase that was waiting at home for her -- a brand new 2023 Mercedes-Benz to drive her troubles away.

Maya Moore is hangin' up her jersey ... the 4-time WNBA champ and UConn legend announced Monday she's retiring from the game of basketball.

The former Minnesota Lynx guard broke the news on "Good Morning America," saying she's officially leaving basketball after a 7-year WNBA career.

"I think it is time to put a close on the pro basketball life,' the 33-year-old told 'GMA' host Robin Roberts.

"I walked away four seasons ago but I wanted to officially retire."

FYI, Maya last played in the WNBA in 2018.

Of course, Moore stepped away from basketball to focus on criminal injustice reform and Jonathan Irons ... who she helped free after he was wrongly convicted of burglary and assault in Missouri and sentenced to 50 years in prison.

The two got married shortly after his release in July 2020 and welcomed their first child in 2022.

In fact, Moore was on 'GMA' to promote her new book "Love & Justice" which is set to be released on Tuesday. It's about Maya and Jonathan's love story.

"This is such a sweet time for us and our family and the work that we've done -- I want to continue that in the next chapter," Moore said.

"I want to continue to be present at home, for my community, for my family, [for my] little baby, for Jonathan but also doing work with Win With Justice, our nonprofit, to continue to bring awareness about prosecutorial reform."

Before Moore's criminal justice advocacy, she was considered one of the best female basketball players to ever hit the court.

While playing under Geno Auriemma at UCONN from 2007 to 2011, the McDonald All-American won two NCAA championships, two Naismith College Player of the Year and broke several records including the most points (678) in a single season for the Huskies.

Moore was drafted as the overall #1 pick in 2011 and played for the Minnesota Lynx for seven seasons. She became a 6-time WNBA All-Star, a 4-time WNBA champ, WNBA Finals MVP, the WNBA's season MVP ... and the list goes on.

Maya also won two Olympic gold and FIBA gold medals ... making her one of only 11 women to win Olympic gold, an NCAA title, FIBA World cup gold, and a WNBA championship.

Kim Kardashian hasn't slowed down her efforts when it comes to prison reform ... as evidenced by her latest visit to a prison in California and the inmates she came face-to-face with during her trip.

A source with direct knowledge tells TMZ ... Kim spent a day at Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent, CA earlier last week. We're told her focus was to meet with inmates in solitary confinement, speaking with them in depth about the toll the lockup can have on their mental stability.

Kim wasn't alone on her trip, actor Tobey Maguire and Scott Budnick -- the executive producer of "The Hangover" film franchise also joined. The three had a camera crew in tow, and back in 2016 Budnick did a documentary on teenagers in the prison system ... and we're told another documentary is underway.

We got a photo of Kim at a restaurant near Pelican Bay the same day as her visit ... she was deep in convo with several people as cameras rolled.

She also had some locals talking, as her custom private jet pulled up to the local airport.

As we've reported over the years, Kim's passionate about prison reform, even meeting with President Trump at The White House in 2018 in an effort to campaign for her cause and help pardon Alice Marie Johnson. She's also still working toward becoming an attorney, recently revealing she's still studying and trying to pass the California Bar Exam.

Kim has also helped Tennessee inmate Cyntoia Brown secure clemency, and played a huge role in freeing inmates like Matthew Charles and Jeffrey Stringer. In fact, Kim and her legal team wound up helping with the release of 17 prisoners over the span of 3 months.

Univ. of Alabama basketball player Darius Miles has been charged with capital murder ... after authorities say he and another man were involved in the shooting death of a woman near campus on Sunday morning.

According to Tuscaloosa Police Capt. Jack Kennedy, the fatal shooting happened on The Strip ... a popular stretch of road near the school that's lined by bars and restaurants.

Kennedy said authorities were alerted to the shooting at around 1:45 AM ... after officers had responded to a vehicle at the Walk of Champions at Bryant Denny Stadium.

Kennedy, in a news conference Sunday night, told media members a 23-year-old woman, Jamea Harris, was dead in the car. The driver of the vehicle, Kennedy said, told officers their car had been hit by gunfire earlier in the night ... adding that they shot back in self-defense.

According to Kennedy, police reviewed surveillance video and interviewed multiple witnesses -- and identified Miles and 20-year-old Michael Lynn Davis, who's not affiliated with the Univ. of Alabama, as the suspects.

Both Miles and Davis were charged with capital murder ... and arrested Sunday evening.

Miles was seen sobbing outside of the Tuscaloosa County Jail following the arrest, telling someone at the scene, "I swear, I love you more than you imagine."

Kennedy said Miles and the alleged victims did not previously know each other ... explaining, "At this time, it appears that the only motive was a minor altercation that these individuals had with the victim as they were out on The Strip."

Miles played in six games for the Crimson Tide this season, logging nine points and nine rebounds. On Saturday, just hours before the shooting, the school had ruled him out for the season due to an ankle injury.

By Sunday evening, his player profile page had been removed from the university's website.

"First and foremost, we extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the victim from last night’s incident," UA athletics said in a statement Sunday night. "We were made aware of the recent charge against student-athlete Darius Miles, and he is no longer a member of the Alabama men's basketball team. Athletics, in conjunction with the University, is fully cooperating with this investigation."

The school added in a statement of its own, "We are grieved by the incident that occurred near campus last night and extend our deepest condolences to the victim’s family and friends."

The hits keep coming for Gunna -- not only is he on the outs with YSL, but big-time rappers are now turning their backs on him too ... including Lil Baby and Lil Durk.

First, LB has officially unfollowed the embattled rapper -- as of Saturday, it appears Gunna no longer shows up as one of the 970 people Lil Baby is paying attention to on Instagram ... which might seem petty, but carries weight considering he *was* following until recently.

An unfollow in 2023 is the equivalent of telling someone ... I don't wanna be your friend anymore. That's where things seem to be between LB and Gunna, which is a big deal -- these two have been incredibly close for years. They put out a mixtape together once, and have rapped on each other's songs back and forth ... plus, they're both from Atlanta.

Now, on to the more transparent falling out ... Lil Durk clearly called out Gunna in a new track he previewed -- which features a line that alludes to a joint song they were on.

The video shows Durk and co. vibing out to the unnamed song, which features a quick line toward the beginning that goes ... "What happened to Virgil // he probably gonna tell." That's a reference to a song Durk did with Gunna of the same name ... so yeah, it's a shot.

As we reported ... Gunna's already under fire from a lot of people in hip-hop, including YSL members and associates -- who made it clear online that they're not messing with him.

This, of course, comes after Gunna was released from custody when he copped a plea deal with state prosecutors in the sweeping RICO case that saw not only him arrested ... but Young Thug as well. YT's on trial right now, and Gunna seems to be perceived as a snitch.

Marvin Gaye III, son of Motown Icon Marvin Gaye, was arrested late Friday afternoon a day after he allegedly pointed a gun at his wife and cousin.

TMZ broke the story ... cops surrounded the home and called for him to come out, but Gaye had already left in his Corvette.

Sources connected to the matter tell TMZ, Gaye allegedly physically assaulted both women after an argument over a previous assault. Marvin and his wife have had ongoing issues for a while now.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, Gaye came to the Sheriff's station the next day around 5:00 PM and turned himself in. Gaye was booked on misdemeanor domestic violence and felony assault with a deadly weapon charge. He posted $50,000 bond and was released.

An emergency protective order was issued to keep Gaye away from the home and family.

Deputies also went back to the home and recovered two firearms.

Jen Shah's going to get her head checked once she finishes her stint in the big house ... and it's all Uncle Sam's idea.

It's a few years in her future, but the "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" star has a couple special conditions for her eventual prison release -- and, according to new docs we obtained, chief among them is a requirement to participate in a mental health treatment program.

Remember ... Jen was recently sentenced to 6.5 years behind bars in her wire fraud case, and she's supposed to surrender to authorities on February 17 to start serving her sentence at a federal penitentiary in Texas.

Once Jen serves her time, she's going to be under 5 years of supervised release ... during which she's got to do her mental health treatments.

At her sentencing, Jen got emotional as she apologized ... saying, "With the proper medication I can now see what happened."

The docs say Jen must continue to take her prescribed meds when she gets out of prison, unless her health care provider decides otherwise.

Jen's probation officer has to sign off on the mental health program she chooses ... and she may be subject to testing to see whether she's reverting to drug and alcohol use.

Tory Lanez has a new top-notch legal team in his midst that he hopes can get him out of jail ASAP -- which now includes the man who famously got Casey Anthony off the hook.

Sources connected to TL's defense team tell TMZ ... the rapper has recently hired Jose Baez as his latest attorney, whom we're told is going to work side by side with David Kenner and Matthew Barhoma ... two other powerhouse lawyers Tory brought on this past week.

It's shaping up to be quite the squad around him. Of course, Baez has repped countless notable clients -- there's Anthony, but also ... Aaron Hernandez. JB was in the middle of filing an appeal for his conviction in the murder of Odin Lloyd before AH took his own life.

Prior to his death, Baez successfully got Aaron acquitted in a separate double murder case he'd been charged for -- and he's worked on behalf of several other celebs over the years.

Kenner, for his part, repped Suge Knight in the '90s regarding a robbery charge -- for which he got Suge probation. It appears Kenner was also working for Suge for his more recent manslaughter case ... appearing in court with Suge while he was fighting those charges.

On top of that, Kenner also successfully represented Snoop Dogg around the same time -- helping him beat a murder case. So, yeah ... the guy's got a pretty good track record.

As for the latest on Tory's case ... Kenner asked a judge this week to have sentencing delayed for a bit while he catches up on court transcripts from the trial, so that he can prepare a solid appeal. The judge granted that request ... sentencing is now on for Feb. 28.

Lisa Marie Presley's death has not only devastated her family, but it's left a big question as to who will get full custody of her twin daughters ... with the makings of a potential legal war.

Sources connected to the Presley family tell us Michael Lockwood -- the father of 14-year-old twins Finley and Harper -- will absolutely go to court to get full custody of his daughters. As one source connected to Lockwood tells us, "It'll be a cold day in hell before he gives up custody of those children."

At the time of Lisa Marie's death, she had 60% custody of their twins ... he had 40%. Under California law, Lockwood would ordinarily get full custody, unless a judge determines he's not a fit parent.

Now here's the rub. Our sources say Danny Keough, Lisa Marie's ex who was living with her and the twins at the time of her death, sees himself as the stepfather of the kids. There's a ton of bad blood between Keough and Lockwood, and there are rumblings within the family he might fight to get custody of the kids.

Some members of the family have not discounted the possibility Riley Keough, the daughter of Lisa Marie and Danny, would also make a case for custody. And, there's talk Priscilla Presley might do the same. We do not know if either will actually make a move in court.

Now here's the wild card. The twins are old enough that the judge will give weight to their preference. We do not know their feelings about custody.

As you may know, Lisa Marie's divorce from Lockwood was incredibly nasty, with allegations of drug use and child abuse hurled around. It went on for 5 years.

TMZ broke the story -- Lisa Marie went into full cardiac arrest at home Thursday morning. Danny performed CPR until paramedics arrived, and while they were able to get a pulse, she died a few hours later at West Hills Hospital and Medical Center.

We're told Danny, Michael, the twins and other family members all gathered at Priscilla Presley's home Thursday night -- devastated by the loss.

Kelly Clarkson's alleged stalker doesn't seem to be following a judge's orders ... her security says the woman keeps showing up at her house ... and they say it's all on video.

Here's the deal ... Kelly's got a temporary restraining order against 56-year-old Huguette Nicole Young, which says Young must stay at least 100 yards away from Kelly's home.

Problem is ... Kelly's security team says Young was caught on camera driving slowly past the singer's home on four different instances over a 10-day period.

Kelly's legal team beelined it to court after her alleged stalker allegedly cruised past the home on Thursday ... and in legal docs, obtained by TMZ, they say Young is the woman on camera driving a Mazda SUV past the house.

Clarkson's camp also says Young is the person on video standing at the edge of Kelly's driveway.

TMZ broke the story ... a judge granted Kelly a temporary restraining order against Young just last month, after Kelly's head of security claimed Young showed up to her home at least 18 times since October, often leaving notes and gifts for Kelly.

Police are involved too ... as we first reported, LAPD's Threat Management Unit is investigating Kelly's alleged stalker.

Charlotte Hornets forward Kelly Oubre Jr. claims a luxury clothing company screwed him on a six-figure deal ... and now, TMZ Sports has learned he's suing over it all.

The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles County on Friday ... and, according to the docs, it all stems from a pact Oubre Jr. attempted to make with former pro basketball player Patrick Christopher and his company, Sloan And Bennett, in 2021.

Oubre claims he asked Christopher and his co. to help him make products for his own clothing line, DopeSoul. He says in the suit Patrick agreed to provide him with items for DopeSoul's Capsule 001 and 002 collections.

The 28-year-old hooper says he sent over hundreds of thousands of dollars to Christopher ... expecting to receive clothing in return.

The problem ... Oubre Jr. claimed Christopher never delivered what he promised -- saying simply in the suit "the defendants did not perform."

Oubre Jr. said "for months" Christopher and his company dodged him and made excuses for why the products weren't available.

Finally, according to the suit, Christopher and his co. "shipped what they could scrape together" in 2022 ... but it included "incomplete, damaged, and defective goods."

Oubre Jr. is suing for breach of contract, fraud and more ... asking for damages of at least $94,250, and maybe a lot more.

More legal trouble for Andy Dick ... and it all started with alcohol.

Andy was arrested early Friday morning in Lake Elsinore, CA after sheriff's deputies say they got a call about an intoxicated person.

Law enforcement says when deputies arrived, Andy was showing signs of being drunk ... and he was arrested without incident.

Sheriffs say they checked Andy's records during the arrest and determined he was a registered sex offender who was not up to date on his registration ... so he got dinged for that too.

Andy was ultimately booked into a detention center on two charges ... being under the influence of alcohol in public and failing to register as a sex offender.

The sheriff's department says they are still investigating.

ABC could be staring down the barrel of a lawsuit if it fires or pushes T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach out of their anchor jobs ... because we're told the 2 have lawyered up big time and if it comes to litigation ... race might be an issue.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... ABC has not clued in T.J. or Amy as to why they were taken off the air a month ago ... after their romantic relationship surfaced. We're told they're confused and frustrated why the ABC News brass at first told people internally there would be no disciplinary action, and then the company did an about-face.

Our sources say Amy has hired Andrew Brettler, one of the best civil lawyers in Hollywood, and T.J. has lawyered up with Eric George, a legal force who has handled numerous celebrity cases.

We're told Brettler and George want answers, which they are not getting so far. Our sources say if ABC keeps T.J. and Amy off the air or fires them, the lawyers are ready to file suit, and one of the issues involves race.

We're told the lawyers will pose this question to ABC ... "Has ABC ever used the morals or conduct clause to fire or discipline 2 consenting adults at equal levels when both were white?" The sources go on to say it would be telling if this is the first time ABC invoked the morals clause under these circumstances ... with a Black and a White anchor.

The sources go on to say the damages could be enormous if their reputations and careers are ruined as a result of discipline by the network.

One source says the only thing T.J. and Amy can think of regarding what ABC thinks they did wrong was not informing them of the relationship in a timely fashion. To that, the sources say ... "Are you supposed to inform your boss when you catch feelings?"

We reached out to ABC ... so far, no word back.

Ezra Miller has pled guilty to one count of unlawful trespassing stemming from their 2022 incident, allegedly stealing liquor bottles from someone's home.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the 'Flash' star agreed to a plea deal in a Vermont courtroom Friday in exchange for a reduced sentence. Miller's now ordered to cough up $500 and will do one year of probation -- no jail time.

Miller had originally been charged with burglary and petit larceny as well, but those charges were dropped as part of the plea deal.

If Miller violates probation for any reason, however, the court says the dismissed charges can be reinstated.

TMZ broke the story ... a homeowner lodged a burglary complaint with the Vermont State Police last May against Miller -- after several bottles of alcohol were reported missing while the homeowners were away.

Surveillance videos allegedly showed Miller to be the perpetrator, so Miller was charged with felony burglary.

As you know, Miller's been in a ton of legal trouble in the past year alone ... including getting aggressive with cops while getting cuffed during an arrest on the Big Island. They were also accused of grooming a minor and cuffed for disorderly conduct, harassment and assault in 2022.

Elizabeth Holmes, founder of the failed blood-testing start-up Theranos, could be looking at a rigorous schedule even after she gets out of prison ... one that involves her completing a mental health program.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the specifics of the program will go down as directed by her probation officer, but Holmes will foot all -- or at least part -- of the bill.

The docs say Holmes must also cooperate in the collection of DNA, and must be willing to submit herself, her home, office, vehicle and all her property to a search if her probation officer has any reasonable suspicions she's violating the terms of her supervised release.

As we reported, Holmes was sentenced in November to more than 11 years behind bars and 3 years of supervised release. She has to report to the prison at the end of April.

You'll recall, she was convicted on 4 of the 11 charges she was facing in her fraud trial -- one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 3 counts of wire fraud.