Legal

Silento allegedly gunned down his cousin, and now he's facing a murder charge for it.

The "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" rapper was arrested Monday for allegedly murdering Frederick Rooks after an investigation into the man's death ... according to the DeKalb County Police Department.

Cops say they found Rooks shot to death in the street on Jan. 21 ... and found 8 bullet casings on the scene. Cops say they still don't have a clear motive behind the shooting.

As for how they connected Silento to the crime, we don't know for sure ... but cops say they obtained Ring camera footage from homes in the area which captured at least one gunshot, and several vehicles fleeing the scene.

As we've reported ... Silento had a rough 2020, legally speaking. He was arrested back in October after cops said he was driving 143 MPH ... and in September, he was arrested and charged with 2 felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly threatening people with a hatchet.

He's currently being held in DeKalb County Jail. We've reached out to his camp ... so far, radio silence.

The iconic Hollywood sign got a makeover, and though what went down is technically a crime ... it might be worth the time for supporting a good cause.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... 6 people were arrested for altering the sign to read "Hollyboob" Monday. We're told police were notified of what was going on and tracked the group as they made their way down the hill and busted them.

Our sources say the group -- which we've learned includes model Julia Rose -- told cops they did this to raise breast cancer awareness ... but they will also be cited for trespassing before they're released.

Julia -- who's no stranger to breast-related stunts -- is currently with Hollywood police being processed. We got video of her being led away in cuffs, too.

The timing of the stunt is interesting. As you may know ... Breast Cancer Awareness Month is October, so it seems these folks are several months early.

Lil Wayne can display this next to his platinum albums and Grammy Awards ... his official pardon letter signed by former President Donald Trump.

The rapper's Presidential pardon was filed last week in federal court in South Florida, where Weezy pled guilty in December to a gun charge that could've meant serious time behind bars ... IF Trump hadn't come through for him.

The doc, obtained by TMZ, is embossed with the official seal from the Department of Justice and, of course, Trump's John Hancock.

As you know ... Lil Wayne received the pardon from Trump on his last full day in office. Tunechi was scheduled to be sentenced in March for illegally possessing a loaded weapon on a private jet.

That sentencing's off the books now with the pardon ... which came a few months after Weezy endorsed Trump for Prez.

NFL offensive lineman Chad Wheeler has pleaded not guilty to 3 criminal charges ... this just days after he was accused of violently beating his girlfriend.

The 27-year-old showed up to a courtroom in King County, Wash., on Monday to enter the pleas, according to ESPN.

He was then ordered to stay in the state of Washington and to remain under electronic home detention with a monitoring device strapped around his ankle.

Wheeler -- under the conditions of his pretrial release -- had already been ordered to have zero contact with the alleged victim.

The alleged victim appeared in court for the hearing, and, according to ESPN reporter Brady Henderson, she showed up with a sling around her left arm.

As we previously reported, Wheeler was hit with three criminal charges -- including 1st-degree domestic violence assault -- after his girlfriend told cops he beat the hell out of her on Jan. 22.

According to court documents ... the woman told law enforcement Wheeler choked her unconscious twice, made her bleed from her face and severely mangled her arm in the violent attack.

Prosecutors said after filing the charges against the former Seattle Seahawks player, "The defendant, who is physically conditioned and trained to compete at the highest level of professional sports, strangled, suffocated and beat the victim into unconsciousness -- twice -- both times leaving her for dead as blood poured from her nose and mouth, and into her stomach and lungs."

Wheeler apologized for the incident last week ... blaming the entire thing on a "manic episode."

"I apologize profusely for the turmoil that I have caused to my family, teammates, fans and those closest to me," Wheeler said. "The most important thing right now is that [the alleged victim] gets the care she needs and I get help. Both are happening."

Wheeler added he's stepping away from football and seeking treatment.

Mariah Carey's estranged sister says she's suffered emotional distress from the singer's allegations about her ... so she's suing her for at least $1.25 million.

Alison Carey claims in new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Mariah presented no evidence to back up the accusations of abuse in her 2020 book, "The Meaning of Mariah."

According to the suit ... Mariah's book alleges Alison "gave her Valium, tried to pimp her out and threw a cup of boiling hot tea on her causing third-degree burns" when Mariah was 12. Alison disputes these allegations and claims Mariah hasn't provided any evidence to support them.

Alison goes on to accuse Mariah of making these outrageous claims despite knowing Alison suffers from trauma herself from the alleged abuse she suffered as a child at the hands of their mother.

Alison claims their mother subjected her to satanic rituals and sexual activity at a young age ... allegations she previously made when she sued their mother for sexual abuse last year.

Mariah's estranged sister also says she suffered a traumatic brain injury during a 2015 home invasion, and suggests Mariah ignored her vulnerabilities and "used her status as a public figure to attack her penniless sister" to promote her book.

Rihanna is once again calling out Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron for his handling of the Breonna Taylor case ... dragging him on the first day of Black History Month.

RiRi ripped Cameron on social media Monday, responding to a Black History Month video he posted on Twitter. Her dig at him was short and definitely not sweet -- she simply said, "Sup n***a?"

In his video, Cameron -- the first Black man elected to statewide office in Kentucky and the commonwealth's first Black A.G. -- says he's standing on the shoulders of the great Black men and women who came before him.

Rihanna's not feeling it ... remember, 3 grand jurors in Breonna's case called for Cameron's impeachment after claiming he lied about putting possible homicide charges on the table for the Grand Jury.

As you know, no charges were filed for the killing of Breonna ... just one charge of wanton endangerment against Brett Hankison, for firing his gun into her neighbor's apartment.

Irene Bedard, the actor who voiced "Pocahontas" in the classic Disney film, was disturbingly vocal during 2 November arrests cops referred to as wildly drunken incidents.

We broke the story ... Bedard was arrested twice over the Thanksgiving weekend in  Beavercreek, OH, and police body cam of the first arrest shows her immediately getting hostile with the officers who showed up to talk to her.

Bedard had a belt in her hand as she repeatedly yelled at the "white man" cops, and then started jumping and screaming, "I'm so crazy" they put her in cuffs.

As we first told you ... the arrest went down at her ex-husband's home, after police responded to a possible domestic violence situation. Cops say she was yelling at her 17-year-old son ... which you can see in the video.

Bedard's second arrest, a couple days later on Nov. 30, was at a hotel where she allegedly harassed an employee. The police footage, once again, shows her get aggressive and refuse to leave.

She got even more out of control ... wildly running around the lobby, and eventually charging at the officer, who managed to take her down and arrest her.

The United Nations is calling out Indonesia following the public flogging of 2 men accused of having gay sex ... and demanding the release of everyone detained on the basis of their sexual orientation.

UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric tells TMZ ... "We are concerned by the detention, public humiliation and ill-treatment of men perceived to be gay in Indonesia."

Dujarric says there are troubling reports of violent attacks against LGBTQ+ people in the country, perpetuated by the media and some religious groups ... and the caning of the 2 men this week by Sharia police in the country's conservative Aceh province is just the latest example.

The UN says international law is clear -- "all people, without exception, are entitled to protection of their human rights – and that includes LGBT individuals."

Dujarric says the public punishment for the men "violates multiple human rights standards including those on liberty, fair trial, integrity, privacy, dignity, equality before the law, non-discrimination and the absolute prohibition on torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment."

Therefore, the UN is calling for Indonesian authorities to "release all individuals detained on the basis of their sexual orientation, provide those subjected to abuses with effective remedy and review legislation that contravenes Indonesia’s legal obligations, including local criminal legislation in Aceh."

As we reported ... the 2 men who were publicly caned -- 77 times each -- were arrested in November after reportedly being turned in by locals for having sex. They also served 3 months in prison.

Kevin Nealon's a victim in a home burglary that saw crooks get away clean with six figures worth of jewelry and other valuables.

The thieves broke into the "Weeds" and 'SNL' alum's place recently ... according to law enforcement sources, who tell us it looks like Kevin had been away for a few days.

We're told Kevin came home to discover the break-in, and that more than $100,000 worth of bling and handbags were gone.

Our sources say it doesn't appear the burglars specifically targeted Kevin ... and this was more likely a random hit. Cops still don't know exactly how the perpetrators managed to get inside the house.

An ex-Northwestern cheerleader is suing the school -- claiming she was pressured to present herself as a "sex kitten" to please the fan base ... and subjected to sexual harassment and assault in the process.

The woman behind the suit is Hayden Richardson -- who cheered for the Wildcats from 2018 to 2020.

But, Hayden claims her run with the squad wasn't all pom-poms and backflips -- instead she describes a living nightmare in which she was "subjected to a hostile environment including groping, harassments, and sexual touching by older alumni and intoxicated football fans" ... and the school did nothing to stop it.

Richardson -- who says she's a Truman Scholar -- claims in her suit she was "encouraged by her coach and the University to suppress her intellect and instead flaunt her body as if she were just a commodity."

She continues, "the University forced its cheerleaders to behave in a degrading and demeaning manner intended to entice and captivate wealthy donors."

In her suit, Richardson says she complained about specific acts of sexual assault, sexual harassment and exploitation to the cheer team's head coach ... but the accusations were not taken seriously.

Richardson says she felt she was made to feel like a "sex object for fans and alumni donors" -- and if she didn't comply, she was afraid she would be cut from the team and lose her cheerleading scholarships.

Richardson says in her suit ... "at every home game, the cheerleaders were instructed to saunter around the tailgating lots as if they were Victoria’s Secret models on a runway, unsupervised, in their skimpy cheerleading uniforms."

She adds ... "They were expressly told to split up and flirtatiously mingle with extremely intoxicated fans alone and were not provided any security."

There's more ... Richardson says she was often groped on her breasts and buttocks by scummy fans who insisted they just wanted to take a picture.

Richardson says she complained multiple times but the school failed to properly address the issues -- and as a result, she's suffered "emotional pain, mental anguish, and loss of educational opportunities."

Northwestern issued a statement in response to the lawsuit -- saying the university "is committed to fostering an environment in which all members of our community are safe, secure and free from discrimination or harassment of any form."

Robinhood conspired with the big Wall Street hedge funds to screw over the everyday folks who are suddenly striking it rich with investments like GameStop ... according to a new lawsuit.

The free-trading app just got hit with a class action lawsuit filed in federal court ... one day after Robinhood barred retail investors from continuing to buy stock in several companies in the battle between Reddit bros and hedge fund managers.

Melvin Capital and Citadel, 2 massive hedge funds, are also being sued ... as the suit claims they were shorting companies like GameStop and losing a lot of money as the stock prices went up. The allegation is the fund conspired with brokerages like Robinhood to block the purchase of certain stocks in order to stop their financial bleeding.

In the suit, filed by Larry Friedman and obtained by TMZ, a group of retail investors claims Robinhood's move to shut down buyers caused prices to plummet in favor of the big hedge fund investors ... while seriously hurting the finances of the little guys in the process.

The suit claims the problem isn't limited to Robinhood and the hedge funds -- Charles Schwab and TD Ameritrade are also being sued.

The little guys are going after the Wall Street fat cats for at least $5 million in damages.

A judge is showing no mercy for a Michigan man who appears in new video of the January 6 Capitol insurrection, to strike several cops with a hockey stick.

The federal government released the footage it says shows Michael Foy assaulting the officers -- including a Metro PD cop on the ground -- by violently swinging the stick near their heads.

According to the feds ... Foy was one of the "most violent" rioters, and allegedly hit police officers guarding the doors at least 10 times with the hockey stick, swung at them, hit them in the face and neck, then rallied other rioters before busting into the Capitol.

A federal judge denied Foy bond this week ... so, for now, he'll remain behind bars until trial.

Foy -- a former marine -- was arrested on Jan. 21 at his home, after the FBI reportedly tracked him down through his father's Facebook page. The bond hearing judge said the video strongly suggested Foy brought the hockey stick to use as a weapon.

Taylor Bracey, the FL high school student a deputy hurled onto concrete, is suffering serious medical consequences ... according to her mother and her family's attorney, Ben Crump.

Jamesha Bracey -- mom of 16-year-old Taylor -- and Crump joined us Friday on "TMZ Live" and told us Taylor's been suffering severe headaches and memory loss since the violent incident at Liberty High School in Osceola County.

Jamesha explained why she was so shocked to get a phone call Tuesday from the school saying Taylor was getting medical treatment. She says her daughter had told her some girls wanted to fight, but she had advised her to contact the Dean, and thought everything was handled.

As we've reported ... deputy Ethan Fournier is the school resource officer, seen in the video slamming Taylor on her head. The Sheriff's Office claims Fournier was breaking up a fight, but Jamesha says there was no physical fight at all -- and the students were only arguing.

Crump, who's been retained by Taylor's family, says the teen is now dealing with cognitive function issues as a result of the body slam ... and doesn't remember much after the deputy grabbed her from behind.

Ben Crump -- the famed civil rights attorney who represents the families of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd -- has been retained to represent the family of the Florida HS teen seen on video being body slammed by a cop.

The family of Taylor Bracey -- the 16-year-old Liberty HS student slammed to the concrete by school resource officer Ethan Fournier -- hired Crump just days after the attorney called out the "brutality" of the Osceola County Sheriff's Deputy, who has since been placed on paid administrative leave while the department investigates.

Crump says Taylor was unarmed and posed no threat to the officer ... adding the officer did not render any aid and instead handcuffed her as she lay unconscious.

He said, "It is unconscionable what happened to this young girl at the hands of someone whose primary duty is to serve and protect our children." He added, "Do we really need to add school resource officers to the list of fears they deal with on a daily basis?"

Crump wants the deputy fired and arrested. As we reported ... the Sheriff's Dept. said it's turning the case over to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

A man with a major investment in BlackBerry options claims his finances are taking a dive due to Robinhood halting trading on his stock ... a move he believes was made to protect Wall Street's hedge fund bros.

Richard Joseph Gatz of Illinois is going after the financial services company, after it stopped allowing individuals to buy stock in companies at the center of the current battle between Reddit investors and hedge fund managers ... including GameStop, AMC, BlackBerry and Nokia.

According to the legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- Gatz says he owned 2 option contracts for BB, and when trading was halted Wednesday night he claims the value of those options decreased by nearly 200 percent.

Gatz claims the halt of retail trading for these stocks has caused irreparable harm to his bottom line, and accuses Robinhood of manipulating the market so that he's "unable to get fair market value for his options."

According to the docs, Gatz alleges Robinhood made the move "to protect institutional investment at the detriment of retail customers." He's suing for big damages.

As we reported, Robinhood's trading halt amid the GameStop stock surge has pissed off customers who believe it's siding with the Wall Street establishment -- i.e. hedge fund managers -- and screwing the little guy.

A school resource officer used a Taser on a female student who cops say was involved in a fight with another student, and severely resisted when the officer got involved.

According to the police report ... the cop approached the girl as she was going after a male student in the cafeteria of Eustis High School in Central Florida. The cop says he tried to stop her, but she attacked him by punching him several times in the head.

The deputy claims he tried to talk her down, but it didn't work and she allegedly punched him in the face. Videos shared on TikTok show the violent struggle the cop had with the student as he tried to restrain her.

The deputy says he warned her he was going to Tase her if she didn't stop resisting. When she ignored that, he fired the Taser and she went down hard.

The girl was transported to the Lake County Jail without further incident, and later released to her guardian on home detention.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office tells us ... the deputy documented at least 18 strikes he took from the student before he fired his Taser. We're told the use of force was reviewed, and the officer was found to have acted lawfully and within agency policy.

This is the second disturbing video to come out of Florida this week in which a school resource officer's seen using force on a Black female student.

As we reported ... the Osceola County Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday that their deputy who body-slammed a female high school student is on administrative paid leave pending an investigation.