Legal

PETA's looking to put Doc Antle in the USDA's crosshairs because Larsa Pippen posted pics with some of his exotic animals ... but Doc says PETA's got it twisted.

The animal rights org fired off a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture requesting an investigation into the 'Tiger King' star for alleged violations of the Animal Welfare Act ... stemming from Larsa's recent visit to his Myrtle Beach Safari.

In the letter, obtained by TMZ ... Debbie Metzler, PETA's Associate Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement, cites Larsa's visit there this week and her photos with adult and juvenile tigers showing direct public contact.

She claims the USDA warned Antle 15 years ago his methods of photographing the public with large adult cats was a violation of the law ... and she wonders why the "USDA has apparently refused to take any meaningful action to prevent Antle from allowing these types of dangerous, direct contact stunts."

PETA's also worried Larsa and her children's close contact with the tigers and an infant chimpanzee put the animals at risk of contracting COVID-19, claiming the encounters are another violation of the law.

But, Doc says PETA's got the wrong idea about Larsa's visit ... he claims Larsa took a tour, which included goofing around with tiger cubs and primates, before shooting footage for a PSA on wild tiger conservation.

Chico DeBarge is famous for making hits with his family members in the '80s ... but cops say he tried to throw one of them under the bus during his latest arrest.

The DeBarge singer got busted in Burbank when he was pulled over near a shopping center on January 13. Cops say he was driving without his headlights on at night and didn't have license plates.

Burbank PD tells us ... Chico didn't have ID, but identified himself as James ... his older brother, who was also in the family singing group back in the day.

According to police ... Chico was driving with 2 female passengers, and cops found methamphetamines and heroin on him during a search. He was arrested, and we're told he was properly ID'd during the booking process.

Chico's been charged with drug possession, DUI and yes ... cops hit him with a false impersonation charge for the alleged brother act.

After nearly 10 days in jail, Chico finally made bail on Friday.

Kim Kardashian said "thank you" to just about everybody who helped work to free inmate Chris Young, except one guy ... Donald Trump.

Kim reposted video Sunday of Chris recently arriving at an airport after being released from prison. Trump commuted his life sentence in a last-minute act of clemency -- and her caption shouted out pretty much everyone involved in the effort, except DT.

She writes, "Chris Young is FREE after more than a decade behind bars. Wow My heart is so full! It brings tears to my eyes to see Judge Sharp welcome him home." Kim goes on to explain that Sharp was forced to give Chris life in prison based on sentencing guidelines, and resigned in protest shortly thereafter. The two finally met face-to-face again, and embraced.

Kim adds, "I worked on this case with @msbkb (Chris' attorney Brittany K. Barnett) for years so this victory is so sweet!!! Thank you @alicemariefree @jessicajackson (REFORM Alliance's Chief Analytics Officer) & Judge Sharp for fighting so hard for Chris and never giving up!!!"

It's interesting, considering Kim went to the White House in 2018 and posed for a photo with 45 ... doing the lobbying she mentions here.  The buzz was that Kim was walking a tightrope ... not down with most of Trump's policies, but needing him to accomplish her prison reform goals.

After feeling spurned by Donald Trump, Joe Exotic's officially moving on to the next POTUS ... and keeping the faith that President Biden will grant his freedom.

TMZ's obtained emails Joe's sent out to his team from prison, in which he expresses hopefulness that the new administration will come through with a pardon ... after failing to make Trump's last-minute list.

Exotic says he has more confidence in Biden regarding criminal justice and prison reform, and claims he watched a TV special on VP Kamala Harris ... leading him to believe she can "help clean up the corruption in the DOJ and other agencies."

As for his feelings about Trump ... Exotic says he always looked up to him for being a straight-shooter and never backing down, but that all changed after January 6.

Exotic feels disdain for Trump, he says partly because 45 ended up just hiding out in the White House after the riot ... never saying a word about the people who died.

Long story short ... it seems Joe is all pro-Joe now, and even claims in his emails to have new evidence in his case that he hopes the Biden administration will consider.

Justin Bieber is looking back at his tumultuous teenage years with humility -- reminiscing on how much he's changed since getting arrested for DUI, and everything else in between.

Bieber posted a photo of himself getting hauled off by cops in Miami in 2014, when he was arrested on suspicion of DUI, resisting arrest and driving without a valid license. Cops say he was drag racing in the streets, and later blew below the legal limit for people under 21.

He was 19 at the time, and in his caption ... Justin says he's come a long way since then, mostly due to the grace of God. He writes, "7 years ago today I was arrested, not my finest hour. Not proud of where I was at in my life. I was hurting, unhappy, confused, angry, mislead, misunderstood and angry at god."

He adds, "I also wore too much leather for someone in Miami. All this to say God has brought me a long way. From then til now I do realize something.. God was as close to me then as he is right now. My encouragement to you is to ‘let your past be a reminder of how far god has brought you."

JB finishes by saying, "Don’t allow shame to ruin your “today” let the forgiveness of Jesus take over and watch your life blossom into all that God has designed you to be. LOVE YOU GUYS WITH MY WHOLE HEART"

It's true, Justin was going through a lot back then. Right around the time he was busted for DUI -- which was later reduced to reckless driving and resisting arrest after the Biebs copped a plea -- he got nailed for egging his neighbor's house.

Bieber was charged with vandalism and ended up copping a plea. The egging was also the subject of a lengthy lawsuit that dragged on for years, which was ultimately settled.

There were other bumps in the road -- namely, him getting sued by a photog, which resulted in Bieber sitting for an infamous deposition where he gave tons of lip. He's had several paparazzi run-ins in Hollywood, figuratively and literally with cars of his and otherwise.

He also peed in a mop bucket in 2013, and randomly shouted "F*** Bill Clinton." His legal woes go on and on, but as far as criminal arrests ... he's just got the DUI to look back on.

Three grand jurors in the Breonna Taylor case filed a petition with Kentucky officials, imploring the State Legislature to impeach Attorney General Daniel Cameron, claiming he's a liar who shoveled b.s. about the case to the media to make himself look better.

The 3 grand jurors zeroed in on Cameron's public pronouncement he put possible homicide charges on the table for the Grand Jury, but they didn't bite. Not true, say the 3 grand jurors. They say Cameron NEVER even mentioned homicide charges were an option.

The only charge that was on the table was wanton endangerment against Brett Hankison, for firing his weapon into a nearby apartment. As you know, no charges were filed for the killing of Breonna.

The petition says the grand jurors were used by Cameron as “a shield to deflect accountability and responsibility.”

Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler are telegraphing things are copacetic with them, and maybe even more than copacetic ... and they're suggesting their divorce has somehow been mischaracterized.

Kristin and Jay each posted this pic of the 2 of them hanging out together, with the caption, "The world is full of users. 10 years. Can't break that."

There's a lot that's unclear here. Are they back together? Are they just saying they're still a family and will happily co-parent? And, who exactly are the "users."

It seems the "users" comment is directed at the media/social media, which characterized the divorce as contentious. If that's the case, it's a little bizarre.

As we reported, Jay filed for divorce back in April after 7 years of marriage. He asked for joint custody, but when Kristin filed her answer, the bitterness was apparent. She alleged "misconduct" on Jay's part. Her answer read, Jay "is guilty of such inappropriate marital conduct as renders further cohabitation unsafe and improper."

Kristin then insinuated Jay had accused her of "inappropriate marital conduct." Her lawyer wrote, "any misconduct alleged or implied against her in the complaint for divorce was in response to and/or as a result of misconduct on behalf of the Husband." That's weird, because Jay never mentioned misconduct on Kristin's part in his divorce petition.

Kristin had initially asked for sole physical custody of their 3 kids and only wanted Jay to have visitation.

Fast forward to September, when Kristin said there was NO scandal regarding Jay, saying it was simply a case where the marriage "just didn't work out."

It did seem like they were getting over the anger, because they agreed in September to joint custody and seemed to lower the temp.

Kristin had been linked to comedian Jeff Dye since October, but their latest post now suggests ... well, actually, we're not sure.

More legal drama for Antonio Brown ... the Buccaneers star has been ordered to pay his rape accuser $100,000 after he allegedly violated a confidentiality agreement.

But, AB has already responded to the decision in new legal docs ... calling it all BS and asking for the ruling to be thrown out.

Here's the deal ... Brown was sued by Britney Taylor back in 2019 after she alleged he sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions, including a violent rape in 2018.

After the lawsuit was filed, court docs showed Brown and Taylor had entered into a confidentiality agreement -- hoping it would help both sides in the process of settlement talks.

But, in new legal docs obtained by TMZ Sports, Taylor alleges Brown violated the agreement multiple times over the past year and half -- and she asked an independent arbitrator to award her some serious cash over it all.

In the docs, an arbitrator found Brown DID violate the agreement one time ... saying when the 32-year-old posted a screenshot of a direct message from a person talking to him about the case in 2019, it breached the agreement.

The arbitrator ordered Brown to pay Taylor $100K for the violation.

But, in the docs, Brown says he should NOT have to pay it ... claiming the arbitrator ignored the law in issuing the award. The docs show he's now asking for the ruling to be vacated.

Christina Ricci's husband agrees quarantine's been a dangerous time in their household, except he claims she is the one who's the abuser.

James Heerdegen filed Friday to get a restraining order against the actress, claiming alcohol and substance abuse is fueling her allegedly abusive conduct.

In his court filing, James claims Christina was boozing hard during quarantine and would routinely abuse him physically and verbally while she was intoxicated. He says she would often hit and scratch him with her arms, hands and nails.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Heerdegen also claims Christina would habitually follow him around their home, screaming and yelling profanities at him in front of their son. He says her alleged outbursts are causing their child emotional distress.

James says Christina attacked him back in October 2019, claiming she grabbed his throat while he was on the toilet. He says she "squeezed and pushed on my throat with her left hand using her right hand to gain leverage by propping it up against the doorframe" ... according to the docs.

Heerdegen's filing comes 48 hours after Christina was granted a restraining order against him, claiming he'd beaten her multiple times and she now fears for her life and their son's. She filed to divorce him in July.

In his docs, James claims Christina filed false domestic violence allegations against him to "leverage" her control over their son and prevent Heerdegen from seeing the kid. He also claims she filed a false police report.

James says Christina was sober during her pregnancy but claims she started abusing alcohol and pills when she began breastfeeding, and things got to the point where he was throwing out some of her breast milk for fear of alcohol polluting the milk ... according to the docs.

Christina's attorney, Samantha Spector, tells TMZ ... "This filing is nothing more than a transparently abusive attempt to silence my client. It will not work. Christina will not be intimidated by Mr. Heerdegen and his barrage of misleading claims – and she remains determined to protect her family."

The judge has not yet ruled on Heerdegen's request to restrain Christina.

Ex-MMA fighter Ralph Gracie -- a member of the legendary Gracie jiu-jitsu family -- has been sentenced to 6 months in jail Friday for smashing another fighter in the face at a 2018 event.

49-year-old Gracie -- son of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu grandmaster Robson Gracie -- landed a cheap shot elbow strike on 5-time world champ Flavio Almeida at the 2018 IBJJF World No-Gi Championships in Anaheim during a disagreement in the crowd.

Almeida was knocked unconscious in the Dec. 2018 attack -- but Gracie continued to strike, kicking him in the head, according to prosecutors.

Almeida reportedly suffered serious injuries in the attack -- including seizures and broken teeth.

Gracie ultimately pled guilty to felony assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury. The charge included an enhancement for inflicting great bodily injury. He was sentenced to 6 months in jail.

Gracie's attorney acknowledged the attack in a 2019 statement -- saying, "It is undisputed that my client, without lawful excuse or justification, struck the victim, knocking him to the ground and causing him injury."

"My client fully acknowledges that he should never have struck Mr. Almeida and he accepts full responsibility for doing so."

The attorney claimed Gracie felt "tremendous remorse'' for attacking Almeida, claiming they were longtime friends before the incident.

Gracie was 6-1 in his pro MMA career -- his last fight was a loss to Takanori Gomi at PRIDE Bushido 3 in 2004.

A woman who says Soulja Boy hired her to be his personal assistant claims he raped and assaulted her for nearly 2 years .. but he denies laying a hand on her.

The rapper's being sued by a Jane Doe, who alleges he began to abuse her shortly after he hired her in December 2018 -- beginning with sending her unsolicited photos of his penis within the first month.

But, according to the lawsuit ... they eventually developed a romantic relationship and she moved in with him.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, she says Soulja started acting violently toward her in January 2019 ... including an argument they had while driving. She alleges he pushed her out of the vehicle and forced her to walk 5 miles.

The accuser claims Soulja sexually assaulted her for the first time in February 2019 ... and "expressed remorse" afterward by paying her $1,000.

In May 2019, the woman claims the rapper spit on her when she told him she wanted to quit, and alleges he would become insanely jealous when she got social media comments or phone calls.

In the suit, she alleges he would "punch, kick and body slam" her due to his jealousy, and once threatened, "I should have killed you." Further, she claims he locked her in a room with no mattress, food or water on multiple occasions.

She also claims she was sometimes sexually assaulted twice a day ... and after one violent attack in August 2020 -- where she thought she would die -- she moved out. According to the suit, she went back to get her belongings the next month, and he allegedly raped her again.

The woman is suing for sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, infliction of emotional distress and -- on top of everything else -- she claims she wasn't paid properly for her work ... so she wants damages for that too.

A rep for Soulja tells us, "Soulja would never put his hands on a female. He wouldn't beat a woman or put his hands on a woman ... this is non-sense!!!"

As you may know ... he was also sued for assault in January 2020.

Oklahoma's about to be the hotspot for everyone looking to legally hunt Bigfoot ... if a lawmaker there gets his wish.

OK State Rep. Justin Humphrey introduced a real-life bill Wednesday calling for the Oklahoma Wildlife Commission to establish an official bigfoot hunting season, complete with licenses and tags.

Oklahoma's infamous for its sasquatch sightings, especially in the southeastern and southern parts of the state, which Humphrey represents. So the dude's got skin in the game.

There's even an annual bigfoot festival each October, and Humphrey wants the hunting season to coincide with the festival to maximize tourism. If the bill's passed into law, it would take effect on Nov. 1 of this year.

But, there's a catch ... Humphrey reportedly wants people to trap bigfoot instead of killing it, and hopes to create a $25,000 bounty for the first person to catch the creature.

YFN Lucci's hoping to get out of lockup to take care of his kids and his mom ... even though he's facing some serious charges for his alleged role in a homicide.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ ... the rapper's asking the judge to set a reasonable bond because he has "four underaged children whom he financially supports."

YFN also claims to provide a home and money for his mother living in Fulton County, GA.

In addition, he says there's no risk of him fleeing his pending trial ... and claims he "poses no significant threat or danger to any person, to the community, or to any property in the community." He points out he has no felony criminal record either.

Of course, the rapper's facing very serious charges -- murder, aggravated assault and possibly gun and gang-related felonies -- which arguably make him sound like he’s very much a danger to society ... but it will be up to the judge to decide.

As we reported ... YFN turned himself into Atlanta police last week after an arrest warrant was issued for felony murder. The alleged murder victim is James Adams ... a member of YFN's own crew.

Kodak Black is getting out of federal prison thanks to Donald Trump, but prosecutors in South Carolina are still ready to aggressively pursue a sexual assault case against him.

The rapper was indicted in South Carolina on a felony charge of first-degree criminal sexual conduct ... and prosecutors tell us they still plan on pressing the case against Kodak until he cops a plea deal or there's a trial.

Ed Clements, the 12th Circuit Solicitor in Florence County, tells TMZ ... their pending case against Kodak from 2016 has been disrupted by COVID -- jury trials are suspended and there's no court date scheduled -- but prosecutors still want to "aggressively" go after Kodak.

As we reported ... Trump commuted Kodak's 46-month sentence for making a false statement on a federal document, so he's getting out after serving half the time.

But, here's the catch for Kodak ... Trump commuting his sentence for a federal crime has NO impact on cases in state court, like the one he's facing in South Carolina, and Clements says it's full steam ahead.

Prosecutors in S.C. claim Kodak forced himself on an 18-year-old woman in a hotel room after a Feb. 2016 concert, allegedly raping her and biting her neck and right breast ... according to legal docs obtained by TMZ.

Kodak's attorney in S.C., Beattie Ashmore, tells us, "Aggressively prosecute? It’s been four years. That speaks volumes. Kodak was on bond and on tour for two years before his federal case even began. Ed’s a very fine and experienced prosecutor and I look forward to once again speaking with him about this case. It’s been awhile."

Donald Trump's final piece of Presidential biz has Detroit's imprisoned ex-Mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, enjoying his first taste of freedom in 7 years.

Kilpatrick got sprung from federal prison Wednesday and reunited with family members at Detroit's airport after Trump commuted his sentence. He had been serving a 28-year sentence for corruption crimes while he was Mayor.

Though he's a free man now, his 24 felony convictions still stand ... and he's still on the hook for $195,000 owed to the IRS and $1.5 million to Detroit.

If ya don't know ... Kilpatrick was dubbed the city's "Hip-Hop Mayor," but from his first term, he was dogged with scandals -- both accusations of misusing funds and a text-messaging sex scandal with his chief of staff.

Then, in 2013, he was convicted of racketeering conspiracy, fraud, extortion and tax crimes in a scheme the government called the "Kilpatrick enterprise."

Despite all of that, Kwame still had a slew of supporters in the D who felt his sentence was too harsh and pushed for a commutation. Trump came through for him, and in shortening his sentence noted ... "During his incarceration, Mr. Kilpatrick has taught public speaking classes and has led Bible Study groups with his fellow inmates."

President Trump came through for Lil Wayne with a full pardon that gets him off the hook for a gun charge that could've meant serious prison time, and rapper Kodak Black also got clemency with a commutation of his sentence.

Wayne's pardon announcement included a statement of support by Brett Berish of Sovereign Brands, who described him as "trustworthy, kind-hearted and generous." The pardon statement then reads, "Mr. Carter has exhibited this generosity through commitment to a variety of charities, including donations to research hospitals and a host of foodbanks."

Deion Sanders, also a supporter of the pardon, referred to Lil Wayne as "a provider for his family, a friend to many, a man of faith, a natural giver to the less fortunate, a waymaker [and] a game changer."

Weezy's pardon came just hours before the sun set on Trump's Presidency ... and it's just one of a stack of pardons, including Kodak Black. Black, who was sentenced to 46 months in prison for making a false statement on a Federal document, served nearly half his sentence.

The pardon statement notes he has been charitable in various ways, "such as providing educational resources to students and families of fallen law enforcement officers and the underprivileged." It goes on to note KB has provided funding to daycare centers, helped with food banks and worked with underprivileged children. And, the statement notes Kodak donated $50k to Dave Portnoy's Barstool Fund, which provides financial assistance to struggling businesses in the wake of COVID.

Wayne endorsed Trump in the final days of the 2020 election campaign -- posing for a photo, talking up Trump's criminal justice reform efforts and his proposed "platinum plan" to benefit the Black community.

With the pardon ... Weezy no longer has to worry about his federal gun case. As we reported ... he pled guilty in federal court last month to illegally possessing a loaded weapon while traveling to Miami on a private jet a year earlier.

He hadn't been sentenced, but faced the possibility of up to 10 years. That's all in Wayne's rearview mirror now.