Legal

Lil Tjay is turning his recent run-in with NYPD into artistic content ... splicing footage of the arrest into the music video for his new single, "Clutchin My Strap."

The new track finds Tjay detailing his PTSD from being shot last summer, and how he and his crew will mob with guns going forward!!!

In addition to clips of the arrest, director JLShotThat mixes clips of concert performances with scenes of Tjay making gun hand signals to drive home his point!!!

The Trench Kid relives the June 2022 shooting with cinematic flair, rapping on the track, "Whаt уоu dіd tо mе І tооk ѕеvеn, уоu tооk thrее/Вut thеѕе flеѕh wоundѕ bеttеr thаn а bullеt tо thе ѕkі/Аllеgеdlу, ’саuѕе І dоn’t еvеn rеаllу knоw whаt hарреnеd І’m јuѕt rарріn’, but І bеt І’m ’bоut thаt асtіоn."

That notion to arm oneself illegally is allegedly what derailed Tjay's attempt at a video collab with Ice Spice earlier this week.

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story ... Tjay's attorney Dawn Florio thinks the rapper was subjected to an illegal search on January 15 when he and several others were arrested for gun possession ahead of the video shoot with Ice Spice.

He's since posted bond and is back to updating streaming services with more music about blickies and being loaded on drugs.

Young Thug and one of his YSL co-defendants are accused of pulling off a hand-to-hand drug deal while in court, during jury selection for Thug's RICO trial ... and it's all on camera.

Courtroom surveillance footage captured the moment Wednesday in Fulton County Court ... Kahlieff Adams walks over to Thug and clearly hands him an object. Aside from the cameras, at least 2 bailiffs were just a couple feet away, saw the whole transaction, and immediately nabbed Adams.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, a deputy later discovered the object was a baggie of Percocet pills. While Adams is a defendant in the YSL RICO case, he is already serving a life-without-parole sentence for murder.

Thug's lawyer Keith Adams, no relation, denies his client had anything to do with the drug deal, as the state claims in docs. He says Thug complied after being instructed to hand over the pills to the deputy,

BTW, when deputies searched Kahlieff they say he had more percs, marijuana, tobacco and other contraband wrapped in plastic and food seasonings to mask the scent of the weed. He was taken to a nearby hospital, because authorities suspected he swallowed other drugs in an attempt to conceal them.

Both Thug and Adams are being blamed for delaying court … not the best impression for Judge Ural Glanville, who's had his hands full with the case before it even got off the ground.

Brazilian soccer star Dani Alves was reportedly detained Friday in Spain ... where he's being held on sexual abuse charges.

Alves, 39, is accused of inappropriately touching a woman under her clothes without consent (in Spain, sexual assault can cover anything from groping to rape) in a Barcelona nightclub on New Year's Eve, according to reports.

The woman filed a report after the alleged incident ... and once local police were made aware of the situation, they took witness statements.

Alves -- a champion with several clubs, including Barcelona, Juventus and Paris-Saint German -- has denied any wrongdoing, claiming he's never even met the alleged victim.

"I would like to deny everything first," Alves said. "I was there, in that location, with more people, having a good time. Everybody knows that I love to dance. Having a good time, but without invading the space of others."

"I'm very sorry, but I don't know who that young lady is. I don't know who she is. I've never seen her in my life."

Bobby Shmurda is officially in the pest control business ... at least in the rap game, where he's continuing the rollout of his anti-snitch song.

The GS9 rapper previewed a new music video on Thursday dressed as an exterminator and surrounded by a swarm of scantily clad assistants!!!

Sources close to the video production tell TMZ Hip Hop ... the song's title has been shortened to "Rats" and it's produced by PGlo.

We're also hearing the track will be the launchpad for a new project from Bobby, creating a ripple of new swag and energy.

Bobby's on the indie circuit now ... his last joint dropped back in October, and he's been battling sample clearances and blackballing on Instagram.

He sure picked the right topic to rap about though -- snitching has been a hot topic since Gunna took a plea deal and got sprung from jail.

Joe Exotic is speaking out about his alleged 2020 beatdown at the hands of 8 correction officers in an Oklahoma jail.

The "Tiger King" star released a new audio clip on Twitter, explaining what allegedly happened to him -- in grisly detail -- during an apparent phone convo from behind bars. The clip is from the "Lauren Interviews" podcast.

Joe angrily says, "They beat the f*** out of me, 8 guards, tied me to a chair butt naked, put me in a shower so long that I blacked out and I woke up with skin off my arms from the straps."

As we reported, Joe claimed in court docs that he was sexually assaulted while tied to a chair and beaten by jail guards with his arm flesh removed. Joe was petitioning-then President Donald Trump to pardon him in 2020 after he was convicted and sentenced to 21 years in prison.

The alleged assault occurred at the Grady County Jail in Oklahoma, where Joe was being held during his federal murder-for-hire trial. At the time, a rep for the jail declined to comment, but a law enforcement source told us Joe made the whole thing up ... correction officials found no proof of an attack on any of the facility's recorded cameras.

"Cheer" star Jerry Harris and Julie Chrisley are 2 names you'd never expect to see in the same sentence, but they're now sharing the same address ... in a federal lockup.

Here's the deal ... Harris, an ex-cheerleader from the Netflix hit series, was incarcerated at the Federal Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky, last August -- and the "Chrisley Knows Best" star checked in there Tuesday.

It's a minimum security satellite camp -- it won't be confused with a SuperMax -- but that doesn't mean Julie and Jerry get to socialize in the yard. For obvious reasons, we're told the feds keep male and female inmates in separate sections of the facility.

As we reported, Julie was convicted last June for bank fraud, wire fraud and tax evasion, and got a seven-year sentence -- and despite the prison's name, she is not in need of any medical treatment.

Same goes for Jerry ... the BOP confirmed inmates are housed at FMC Lexington for both medical and non-medical reasons.

Jerry's attorney, Todd Pugh tells us his client is "doing well for someone who is in prison." He adds, Jerry has "acclimated himself to custodial life and is participating in every type of self-betterment program available."

Kelly Clarkson now has some long-term legal protection against two individuals who continued to show up at her house uninvited and cause disturbances.

Clarkson was granted permanent restraining orders Thursday for the next 5 years against Victor Fernandez and Huguette Nicole Young. Both Young and Fernandez are prohibited from making contact of any kind with Kelly or her kids and must stay at least 100 yards away.

TMZ broke the story ... Fernandez pulled up to Kelly's home in a semi-truck on Thanksgiving, peering over her security gate and stating he was there to see Kelly. He returned to the home on more than one occasion.

Not only did Fernandez ask to talk to Kelly, but Clarkson's security team says he also took photos of a vehicle carrying her kids.

TMZ was also first to report Kelly's issues with Young, who, according to Kelly's security, showed up at her home more than 18 times -- often leaving gifts and notes. Young continued to come to Clarkson's home even after a temporary restraining order was issued.

A song-and-dance troupe of pooping toy unicorns could be in steaming hot trouble, legally speaking, all because the lil' stinkers did a send-up of a huge Black Eyed Peas hit.

Let us explain … a company called MGA Entertainment created a popular line of toys -- dancing unicorns that excrete sparkling slime called Poopsie Slime Surprise. Every kid's fantasy, right?

In order to market the lil’ poopers, MGA ran a bunch of ads with animated unicorns singing and dancing to a song called "My Poops" – featuring the catchy hook "my poops, my poops, my poops, my sparkly glitter poops!"

If that banger sounds familiar, that's because it’s a play on BEP's classic "My Humps," and that's what lead to a lawsuit. Will.i.am and co's record label and music publishing company, BMG, owns the majority of the copyright to the 2005 smash hit, and it claims "My Poops" clearly rips off the melody, tempo, chord progression, and even features a vocalist who sounds a lot like Fergie.

BMG says MGA never got the rights to use the song, and now it wants at least $10 MILLION in damages. If that sounds a bit high, it’s worth remembering that "My Humps" was a HUGE hit, garnering more than 700 million views on YouTube alone and taking home the award for Best Hip Hop Video at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards.

If BMG ends up winning even a fraction of the $10 mil in court, this could be the most expensive poop joke in history! We reached out to MGA for comment … so far, no word back.

YSL rapper Yak Gotti's mother has a new worry, besides her son's alleged role in the label's RICO case -- cops say she tried to smuggle a pick-me-up to him in the Fulton County courthouse.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, 51-year-old Latasha Kendrick was charged with one count of criminal attempts to commit a misdemeanor.

Prosecutors claim she and Nyesha Cox -- mother of Yak Gotti's child -- concealed tobacco in personal items to be delivered to the rapper. Kendrick was arrested on the spot.

WSB-TV reports authorities also issued a warrant to arrest Cox, but she has not been apprehended yet.

Yak Gotti is accused of multiple crimes -- including the alleged murder of Donavan "Nut" Thomas Jr. -- in the highly publicized, and controversial YSL RICO case.

Aldon Smith cut a plea deal in his DUI case on Thursday morning, TMZ Sports has learned ... and the ex-NFL star is now facing prison time over it.

The San Mateo County District Attorney tells us ... Smith agreed at a hearing in Northern California to enter a plea of nolo contendere to a felony charge of drunk driving causing injury.

In exchange, the court agreed it would not impose a sentence on him higher than 16 months in state prison.

The D.A. noted probation and a county jail sentence are also on the table for Smith following the plea agreement.

The 33-year-old is slated to learn his fate at a sentencing hearing in March.

As we reported, Smith was initially hit with two felony DUI charges in the case back in December 2021 ... after he was accused of driving drunk and slamming his GMC Sierra pickup truck into the back of a stopped vehicle on a freeway off ramp in Redwood City.

Officials said the collision caused injuries to the other driver's back, wrist, knee, leg and foot. They also said Smith told the alleged victim at the scene that he "cannot have cops there."

Prosecutors claimed Smith had a BAC of greater than .15 at the time of the wreck. Smith had first pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Alec Baldwin will be prosecuted for the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on his "Rust" movie set.

Prosecutors in Santa Fe County, NM made the announcement Thursday morning that Baldwin will be charged with involuntary manslaughter. The film's head armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was also charged with involuntary manslaughter. Both face a maximum of 5 years in prison if convicted.

The Assistant Director, Dave Halls, has agreed to a plea deal for the charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon. He will get a suspended sentence and 6 months probation.

Interestingly ... no charges will be filed in connection with the non-fatal shooting of director Joel Souza, who was hit in the shoulder by the same bullet that killed Halyna.

Attorney Brian Panish, who represents the Hutchins family, tells TMZ, "We want to thank the Santa Fe Sheriff and the District Attorney for concluding their thorough investigation and determining that charges for involuntary manslaughter are warranted for the killing of Halyna Hutchins with conscious disregard for human life."

Panish goes on ... "Our independent investigation also supports charges are warranted. It is comfort to the family that, in New Mexico, no one is above the law. We support the charges."

It's interesting ... Halyna's widower, Matthew Hutchins, settled with Baldwin and the production and actually became an Executive Producer on the film.

In announcing the charges, the special prosecutor, Andrea Reeb, who was appointed by the D.A., said, "The evidence clearly shows a pattern of criminal disregard for safety on the 'Rust' film set. In New Mexico, there is no room for film sets that don't take our State's commitment to gun safety and public safety seriously."

Reeb said, "If any one of these three people - Alec Baldwin, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed or David Halls - had done their job, Halyna Hutchins would be alive today. It's that simple."

Alec has all along denied any wrongdoing, insisting all he did was follow instructions during a rehearsal where he was practicing how to position the pistol for a "cross draw" scene in a chapel ... as director Joel Souza and Halyna figured out camera angles.

He's also repeatedly said Halls, the assistant director, handed him the prop firearm (something Halls denies) and said it was a "cold" gun ... meaning it was unloaded and safe.

While Gutierrez-Reed, the lead armorer, was not in the chapel ... Alec has suggested she bears some responsibility, as it was her job to prepare and check the props.

Alec was visibly torn up on set immediately after Halyna was shot. However, in subsequent interviews he went on the defensive, saying it was a tragic accident for which he bore no responsibility. He also insisted he did NOT actually pull the trigger on that fateful day.

The FBI disagreed with Alec's assertion ... after testing the weapon, it issued a report which concluded the pistol would not fire without someone pulling the trigger.

Halyna's death was eventually ruled to be accidental -- the medical examiner found no intent to cause harm in their official report.

Still, Halyna's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Alec and others involved in the production, saying he directly caused her death and that he was negligent in his handling of the gun -- not to mention safety protocols on the set.

They ultimately settled the lawsuit in October, and agreed to complete filming "Rust."

Alec also sued four crew members -- Gutierrez-Reed, Halls, Sarah Zachry and Seth Kenney - claiming they failed to safeguard the film set.

Julie Chrisley serving time at the Federal Medical Center in Kentucky has nothing to do with any health-related issues, TMZ has learned ... despite heavy speculation about why she was moved there last minute.

Sources close to the Chrisleys tell TMZ ... Julie's move to FMC in Lexington is not an indicator she's getting any treatment, nor does she need any at this time.

The facility's described as a medical center with a nearby minimum security prison camp -- a rep for the Bureau of Prisons tells us Julie is serving time at that location.

The reason for Julie's change is unclear, but according to legal docs obtained by TMZ, Julie was originally designated to serve her time at FCI Marianna in Florida ... which would have been closer to Pensacola, where Todd's locked up.

Julie was reassigned to the Lexington facility just 8 days later.

Fans of the Chrisleys started to worry after the switch. Remember, she was diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2012, but her condition improved enough that last year doctors said she could stop taking cancer-battling meds.

As we reported, Julie and Todd started their prison sentences Tuesday ... with Todd surrendering to do 12 years, while Julie will do 7 for their bank fraud and tax evasion convictions.

The man accused of brutally murdering and dismembering his wife in Massachusetts may have had a motive ... inheriting lots of money.

Brian Walshe's wife left a real estate portfolio worth $2.8 million, and it's almost certain prosecutors will weave this into their case against him.

Prosecutors say Walshe performed Google searches on ways to obtain money from people who have disappeared, typing into the search bar, "how long for someone to be missing to inherit." Walshe did this on the heels of Ana Walshe's disappearance.

Ana was connected to eight properties in D.C., Maryland, and Massachusetts while she was a general manager for Tishman Speyer, a commercial real estate firm.

Since 2018, Ana had sold four properties, but still owned another four -- valued at nearly $3 million -- at the time she vanished on New Year's Day from her home in suburban Boston.

Walshe pled not guilty to charges of murder and improper handling and transport of human remains. He was arrested Jan. 8 after misleading investigators and has been held without bail ever since.

The Norfolk District Attorney says Walshe killed Ana around New Year's and chopped up her body before disposing of it. Police recovered a bloody knife from the basement of their home.

Cops also discovered a hacksaw, hatchet, rugs and a COVID vaccine card with Ana's name on it inside a dumpster taken from Walshe's mom's apartment complex.

What's worse ... Walshe allegedly scoured the Internet for information on how to dispose of a female body that weighs 115 pounds.

Police investigating the Idaho quadruple murder say they found a "possible animal hair strand" inside alleged killer Bryan Kohberger's home, and cops think it could be a direct connect to the site of the slayings.

A search warrant for Kohberger's home, obtained by TMZ, says police seized several other notable items from the raid ... including items with dark red and brown stains.

The search warrant notes there was a significant amount of blood spilled in the murder house, with investigators saying they believe the killer would have blood evidence on their body or clothing.

Police were looking for trace evidence of blood stains in Kohberger's apartment, and the docs say there was a pillow with a "reddish/brown stain" and an item with a "collection of dark red" spotting.

The hair strand could be huge -- there was a dog in the students' home at the time of the murders, and the killer spared the pooch. According to the docs, cops went looking for hair at Kohberger's apartment, and found the possible animal hair ... as well as strands from humans.

The docs say a dog was heard barking at 4:17 AM the night of the murders ... the dog, Murphy, belonged to victim Kaylee Goncalves, and was found unharmed in her room.

Other items seized from Kohberger's place ... a computer tower, a disposable glove, mattress covers, receipts and a vacuum cleaner's dust container.

The docs say cops also searched Kohberger's office at Washington State University, where he was a graduate student studying criminology, but police didn't seize anything.

While cops say they found Kohberger's DNA on a knife sheath found inside the murder house ... the actual knife was not found in the search of Kohberger's home, or anywhere else for that matter.

Police are investigating a pretty horrifying clip of cops pummeling a woman ... and we're told it all started after a complaint about lack of cheese on a Big Mac.

In the vid, you can see 2 officers attempting to detain Latinka Hancock Monday in Butler Township, Ohio. After some arguing, you can see one of the cops punch her in the head multiple times before getting the cuffs on her.

Police now say they're looking into the incident caught on camera.

Hancock's attorney Michael Wright of Wright & Schulte tells TMZ ... it all went down after Hancock ordered and paid for a Big Mac at McDonald's with extra cheese -- but she claims the order didn't come with the extra cheese.

Wright says employees ended up calling the cops on Hancock after things got heated ... and insists she was confronted by Butler Township PD after trying to leave.

Platinum-selling hitmaker Flo Rida undoubtedly has a good feeling about his recent lawsuit victory against energy drink giant Celsius ... a jury awarded him $82 million in damages!!! That's a lotta fizz.

Flo had originally claimed he was owed around $30K for the contract breach but over the years, its name grew bigger -- and so did the profits!!!

He argued he helped Celsius become the giant it is today, starting all the way back in 2014 ... and the dispute centered around whether his deal with the company expired after it hit certain sales goals.

The "My House" rapper claimed the deal didn't expire and insisted his music helped launch the brand to big profits -- as evidenced by the now-viral moment where he was grooving to his own music in court!!!

Obviously, the jury agreed with Flo and decided he deserved to share in the company's success ... to the tune of $82 million.