Legal

The guy who got a million bucks for selling the record-breaking Powerball ticket didn't spend the dough on a new car or a fancy vacation ... so says his son-in-law, ex-NFL star Domata Peko, who tells TMZ Sports he gave $100k to his grandkids instead!!

Joe Chahayed -- who owns the Joe's Service Center gas station in Altadena, CA -- was the man of the hour in November ... after it was announced his shop sold the $2 BILLION ticket.

We spoke with 38-year-old Peko about Joe's million-dollar payday ... and he says it really wasn't so life-changing, 'cause he's still grinding every day at work!!

"That's the one thing about him, he's one of the hardest workers I know," Peko said. "He's been working forever. And even though he won and got that quick little million, he's still grinding, bro."

The former Cincinnati Bengals nose tackle says Chahayed didn't ball out with his winnings, but set his grandchildren up with an amazing financial gift.

"I'm like, 'hell yeah,' that's the type of person he is, man," Peko said. "He loves to give back. And that's why I think God keeps blessing him, man, because he loves to give."

As it turns out, good karma might be heading Chahayed's way ... 'cause Peko says he heard the person who won -- a man named Edwin Castro, who reportedly collected the prize as a lump sum of $997.6 million -- wants to give Joe a nice "thank you" gift!!

Peko also said there's now a line out Chahayed's door every time there's a huge drawing ... with customers hoping luck strikes again at his station.

Of course, a lawsuit was filed as a result of the lotto ... with a guy named Jose Rivera claiming he was the real winner, but his ticket was stolen.

Andrew Tate is getting dragged after claiming he's grown a "full head of hair" while behind bars ... but his rep says people should focus on him getting justice instead of hair issues.

A rep for Tate tells TMZ ... "The peculiar online fascination with Andrew's hair has proven, as a society, we care less about the potential dangers of false accusations and more about how people look."

You'll recall, Tate's been spending the last few months in a Romanian jail after being accused of rape and running a human trafficking ring ... and his recent tweet at the end of February has been picking up steam.

He wrote about being shocked by his reflection, adding "I barely recognized myself A long beard, a full head of hair" ... but a recent pic of him overseas with thinning hair had people going hard on his claims.

One Twitter troll says he's stretching the truth, while another jokes Andrew might've seen the reflection of his brother Tristan Tate, who's also been arrested, and just got confused.

He's been in his feelings a lot lately online, even tweeting about when he "almost cried" while behind bars.

Drew Sidora will be serving hot tea on her divorce for the upcoming season of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" ... we've learned producers brought cameras out again to capture the fallout from her explosive allegations.

Production sources tell TMZ … 'RHOA' fans will get all the scoop on Drew's contentious divorce from Ralph Pittman, despite the fact group shoots for the upcoming 15th season wrapped back in January.

We're told producers started rolling on new confessional interviews this week, with Drew talking all about what went down leading up to the split.

Our sources say production is also filming new confessionals with the other housewives ... so you gotta imagine they all have strong feelings and reactions to Drew's split.

As of now, fans won't be hearing from Ralph. We're told he hasn't filmed anything -- with Drew or solo -- talking about the split. Interestingly, we're told Drew and Ralph are still living under the same roof ... possibly for the sake of their two children.

TMZ broke the story ... Drew refiled divorce docs in which she accuses Ralph of cheating with multiple women, emotional abuse and screwing with her finances.

You'll recall, the two raced to file for divorce on February 27 ... with Drew beating him to the courthouse by just one hour. Her original filing made no mention of his alleged infidelity or abuse. She amended her divorce petition after learning Ralph had, surprisingly, filed docs of his own.

Patrick Mahomes' little brother, Jackson, is in the crosshairs of a criminal investigation in Kansas for alleged sexual assault ... which appears to have been caught on tape.

According to the Kansas City Star, police are looking into claims made by a restaurant owner in the area as well as one of her waiters -- who are alleging Jackson both sexually assaulted and physically assaulted them last weekend at the Aspens Restaurant and Lounge.

The owner -- 40-year-old Aspen Vaughn -- provided KCS and cops with surveillance footage she says was captured last Saturday ... when this alleged assault happened. In the clip, you can see a man, whom she says is Jackson, wrap her up in his arms and forcibly kiss her.

It doesn't just happen once, BTW ... you see this man go in for kisses at least twice.

Vaughn says she believes Jackson was intoxicated, but nonetheless ... his advances were unwelcome, which she says she made clear to him in the moment. Earlier that same night, one of Vaughn's wait staff claims Jackson shoved him out of a private room he was dining in with his entourage -- this after the waiter smelled weed and tried to get them to stop.

The waiter alleges Jackson and his crew shoved this guy out and told him to scram. Apparently, Jackson frequents this place a lot and knows the owner's step-daughter -- at least that's what she's saying. But, in this case, she claims he crossed several lines.

Vaughn says she and her hubby kicked Jackson and his friends out after the alleged forcible kiss, and that cops were called shortly thereafter. As far as we know, Jackson hasn't been arrested yet ... but his attorney has spoken out and defended his client, saying he's innocent.

His lawyer, Brandan Davies, says ... "Jackson has done nothing wrong. Our investigation has revealed substantial evidence refuting the claims of Jackson’s accuser including the statements of several witnesses. We have reached out to law enforcement to provide the fruit of our investigation so that they may have a complete picture of the matter."

The Kansas City Star says Jackson is under investigation for the alleged sexual assault of the woman, but not for the alleged assault of the waiter. It's unclear if the waiter is going to press charges, but Vaughn says the cops already told her they're pursuing the alleged kiss without or without her help ... and she says she's going to cooperate in their probe.

Alex Murdaugh, who was sentenced to life Friday morning, already has a different look as he heads to prison ... with a completely shaved head.

The new mug shot was taken just a few hours after he was in a South Carolina courthouse to hear his sentence for murdering his wife and son.

Murdaugh had a full head of hair as the judge gave him 2 life sentences ... so they clearly put the razor to him shortly after he was walked out of court in handcuffs. We're told that's S.O.P., so it's not like he had a choice in the matter.

As we reported, a jury convicted him Thursday of 2 counts of murder and 2 counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. They reached the verdict after less than 3 hours of deliberations.

As you know, Murdaugh's wife Maggie and 22-year-old son Paul were found dead back in 2021 on the family property in Islandton, SC -- they'd been shot with 2 different guns.

Murdaugh was indicted last summer for their murders, but always maintained he was innocent and had an alibi ... but that was blown up when prosecutors presented video and audio proving he was on the property moments -- within earshot of Maggie and Paul -- before the murders.

Pooh Shiesty has been ordered to cough up a bunch of dough ... and it'll be going to the victims of the shootout he was involved with back in 2020.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the rapper now has to pay $156,585 in restitution as part of his sentence. The docs say that some of that cash must be forked over from money he earns while working in prison.

As we reported, Pooh was busted in 2020 for a shootout involving himself and other men at a Miami-area parking lot, leaving 2 injured.

Surveillance video from the scene showed the whole thing unfold -- Pooh appeared to have an assault rifle while sitting in a McLaren, directly in the middle of all the action.

Alex Murdaugh will spend the rest of his life behind bars for the murders of his wife and son ... and the judge seemed to say the death penalty might have been more appropriate.

The life sentence was handed down Friday in a South Carolina courthouse ... the sentencing comes a day after the jury convicted him of two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime -- a verdict reached by the jury after less than three hours of deliberations.

Before the judge handed down the sentence, Murdaugh maintained he did not commit the murders. The judge said it was heartbreaking for him to see Murdaugh going from a grieving husband and father to a killer. The judge noted prosecutors could have sought the death penalty, and seemed to say the death penalty may have been the right punishment.

After Murdaugh said he didn't commit the crime, the judge said he agreed it might have been an alter ego ... the monster within.

Murdaugh’s legal team told TMZ ... "We are disappointed in the jury’s verdict but we will not have any further comment until after sentencing."

Murdaugh's 22-year-old son Paul and his wife Maggie were found dead back in 2021 at their hunting property in Islandton, South Carolina. Murdaugh was originally described by authorities as only a "person of interest," largely because he claimed to have an airtight alibi.

During the trial, however, prosecutors introduced video and audio evidence showing that Alex’s alibi evidence was not credible, and placed him at the scene of the crime at about the time of the killings

Murdaugh later admitted on the stand that he had lied to authorities about not being at the property, but nevertheless insisted he had not killed his wife and son.

Travis Scott is under fire for yet another incident that unfolded just minutes before he allegedly punched a sound engineer in the face -- this time, he's accused of tossing a fan's phone ... and a lawsuit could be coming soon.

In video obtained by TMZ, you can see Travis behind the DJ booth at Nebula in NYC as he performed a surprise DJ set. Already agitated, it appears Travis doesn't appreciate a man with a cell phone filming while he spins.

That's when Travis snatches the phone -- the video is murky at that point, but the phone's owner tells us Travis tossed it -- striking him in the head and cracking his screen.

The man tells us reps for Nebula offered his table a free bottle of booze for his troubles, but he turned it down. However, he tells us he's lawyered up -- with plans to file both a police report and civil lawsuit.

As we reported, it was around 3 AM Wednesday when cops were called to Nebula after the rapper allegedly punched a sound engineer at Nebula in the face before allegedly destroying $12k in video and speaker equipment.

The sound engineer spoke with Fox 5 News Thursday from the hospital, claiming to have suffered neck injuries.

Oscar Pistorius could be released from prison at the end of this month ... the ex-Olympic sprinter is now up for parole in South Africa -- 10 years after he killed his girlfriend.

A hearing will go down on March 31, according to Pistorius' attorney, Julian Knight ... who added that if parole is granted during the proceedings, the convicted killer could be out from behind bars that same day.

Pistorius has completed more than half of the 13-year, 5-month sentence that he was given for shooting and killing 29-year-old Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day in Feb. 2013.

You'll recall, Pistorius, a double-amputee nicknamed "Blade Runner," admitted to shooting her in his South African home -- though he claimed it wasn't on purpose ... saying he thought she was an intruder. He was eventually convicted of manslaughter, which was later upgraded to murder.

According to The Independent, Steenkamp's family is against Pistorius' early release ... though South African law will allow Pistorius to seek it nonetheless, as offenders in the country can apply for parole once they've served at least half of their sentences.

Frank Gore just cut a deal with prosecutors, TMZ Sports has learned ... agreeing to plead guilty to an ordinance violation to close out his domestic violence case.

The San Francisco 49ers legend pled guilty to violating the public health nuisance code in New Jersey on Monday -- a downgrade from his initial charge of simple assault. He was ordered to pay fines and fees, which, according to court records, totaled around $2,000.

His other false imprisonment charge in the case was dismissed.

It's somewhat surprising, considering the heinous allegations against him. You'll recall, the former NFL running back was accused of grabbing a naked 28-year-old woman by her hair on July 31, 2022 and dragging her across the 59th floor of the Tropicana Casino's Havana Tower in Atlantic City.

At the time, police who spoke with the woman said she "did not exhibit signs of injury" following the incident. But, Gore was ultimately charged after cops said they further investigated the claims.

Frank, 39, never publicly commented on the matter.

Ron Jeremy is unable to make serious legal decisions on his own, so his sister is stepping in, asking a judge to get him a conservator STAT.

Ron’s sister, Susan Billotte, filed a petition — obtained by TMZ — to appoint attorney Ellen Finkelberg as his conservator, requesting Ellen be given authority to make decisions regarding the former porn star’s finances and health care.

The docs state, Ron is “concurrently incarcerated at the Twin Towers-Mens Central Jail. He has been found incompetent to stand trial in a criminal case due to a diagnosis with symptoms of Lewy body dementia and has a pending transfer to a state hospital.”

According to the docs, there is urgency to get a conservator now so Jeremy can get to a “private secured perimeter facility specializing in treatment of dementia.”

In other words, his sister says he’s in desperate need of a conservator but is unable to make the call due to his deteriorating health.

Rapper Lil Mosey has just been found not guilty in his rape case, TMZ has learned.

Lil Mosey, AKA Lathan Echols, was cleared of all charges by a jury Thursday ... as we reported, he pled not guilty and has maintained from the start he didn't do anything wrong.

We're told he passed a polygraph test with flying colors, too. He was potentially looking at a max sentence of life in prison if convicted.

You'll recall, Echols was charged with rape after a woman claimed she and a girlfriend were both raped in 2021 by him and another man after going to see them at a cabin.

The affidavit, obtained by TMZ, said one of the women consented to have sex with Echols while in a car but blacked out after drinking ... and claimed she later woke up to him and the other man forcing themselves on her.

James "Tim" Norman, star of the reality series "Welcome To Sweetie Pie's," has been sentenced to life in prison for his murder-for-hire plot against his nephew.

Norman was handed his sentence Thursday, according to legal docs obtained by TMZ -- this after being found guilty in September of setting up his 21-year-old nephew Andre's slaying back in 2016.

As we reported, Norman was convicted of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. Prosecutors said he tried cashing a life insurance policy on Andre worth $450K after working with a woman named Terica Ellis to pull off the killing.

FYI -- Ellis was charged with conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and has pled guilty -- getting sentenced in January to 3 years behind bars.

The boyfriend of Alana Thompson -- AKA Honey Boo Boo -- has been arrested for DUI ... following a police chase with Alana riding in the same vehicle.

21-year-old Dralin Carswell was cuffed Tuesday in Monroe County, according to police ... who says 17-year-old Alana was in the car with Dralin when the tags on his Dodge Charger were run by police, which showed the owner of the vehicle had outstanding warrants.

Monroe County Lt. John Thompson says an officer then attempted to do a traffic stop on Dralin, but instead was led on a chase that went about 3 miles -- ending in a pit maneuver, spinning the car out.

Officers say they found marijuana and Dralin was arrested for DUI and fleeing from cops, as well as outstanding warrants out of Wilkinson County. Another passenger, Julian Malik Divon Williams, was also arrested for outstanding warrants.

Alana reportedly wasn't taken into custody, and was later picked up by her sister, Pumpkin. Monroe County Reporter first had the story.

Alex Murdaugh's double murder trial hit a delay Thursday morning when the judge dismissed one of the jurors -- but she refused to leave court without some very valuable belongings.

Judge Clifton Newman announced one of the jurors had discussed her opinion about trial evidence with 3 people -- presumably not other jurors -- and therefore, she's being replaced with an alternate.

The jurors' dismissal also came with an inflationary sign of the times, as she demanded her belongings from the jury room before departing. Those items included her purse, a bottle ... and a dozen eggs!!!

The price of those eggs runs somewhere south of $4, on average, these days in South Carolina ... so ya get it.

Even the judge quipped, "We've had a lot of interesting things. But now a dozen eggs."

Alvin Kamara just pled not guilty to two criminal charges stemming from his alleged role in the beatdown of a man outside of a Las Vegas nightclub last year.

The New Orleans Saints superstar appeared in a Vegas courtroom on Thursday morning with his attorneys to enter the plea.

He wore all black, and said very few words during the hearing.

A trial date for the 27-year-old was tentatively set for July 31 -- right around the time the Saints will kick off their 2023 training camp.

Kamara's co-defendants in the case -- which includes Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Chris Lammons -- also pled not guilty to the charges at the hearing.

Prosecutors have charged Kamara with one gross misdemeanor count of conspiracy to commit battery and one felony count of battery with substantial bodily harm after they say he attacked a man inside The Cromwell Hotel and Casino in February 2022.

According to a lawsuit filed by the alleged victim, Darnell Greene, the altercation happened after he and Kamara got into an argument over the use of an elevator outside of the hotel's popular Drai's Nightclub.

Video of the incident, obtained by TMZ Sports, appears to show Kamara throwing multiple blows at Greene ... while others kicked and punched the man as well.

Kamara was initially arrested over it all after the 2022 Pro Bowl game. He went on to play the entire 2022 season, starting 13 games and rushing for 897 yards.