Legal

Felipe Vazquez -- once considered one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball -- has been found guilty of statutory sexual assault stemming from an inappropriate relationship with a 13-year-old girl.

The 2-time All-Star was arrested in 2019 following allegations Vasquez had sex with a 13-year-old girl in his Ford Mustang in Pennsylvania back in 2017 when he was 26.

Officials say the MLB closer also sent the girl graphic videos and photos -- and told her in text messages he was planning to have sex with her again.

The texts were discovered by the alleged victim's mother -- who alerted police. Investigators say the images depicted numerous "unique and distinguishable" tattoos on his body ... which they were able to match to Vazquez through public images on the Internet.

Prosecutors moved forward with 25 criminal charges against Vasquez -- including 10 counts of child pornography, 10 counts of unlawful contact with a minor and 1 count of corruption of minors.

But, on Thursday, the jury in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, found 29-year-old Vazquez guilty on 15 total counts -- including statutory sexual assault, sexual abuse of children, child pornography and corruption of minors.

The victim was in the courtroom with her family when the verdict was read, according to WPXI's Amy Hudak ... who also shot video of Vazquez returning to jail Thursday evening following his conviction.

Vazquez now faces serious prison time when the sentencing portion of the case begins -- and he could also be deported to Venezuela.

T.I. seems to be letting out his frustrations over sexual assault allegations in his music ... and it sounds like he's going after his accusers.

The Atlanta rapper's dropping a new track in the middle of a criminal investigation by the LAPD ... and it's got some explicit lyrics seemingly aimed at the Jane Doe who told cops he allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted her.

T.I. raps ... "Go put yo face and reputation on it // These kind of claims deserve more than anonymous provocative conversation, don't it?"

T.I.'s calling the song "What It's Come To" and towards the end of his verse he raps ... "Willing to face whatever consequences for his vision ... while I'm up against some lyin' a** bitches."

The lyrics are even included on the single's album artwork ... which drops tonight at midnight. The song was produced by Villa Nova & Keepitphilthy.

Donald Trump is getting dragged into court for using the term "China virus" ... a new lawsuit says the former President caused a lot of harm to Chinese Americans with the phrase.

Trump's getting sued by the Chinese American Civil Rights Coalition ... and they're pissed over him constantly referring to COVID-19 as "Chinese virus," "Wuhan virus" and "Kung Flu" while he was in office.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, the CACRC claims Trump's use of the derogatory terms contributed to the recent rise in violence against Chinese and Asian Americans ... and they claim he should have known better.

As you know ... Trump infamously crossed out "corona virus" in the text of a March 2020 speech and replaced it with "Chinese virus" ... and the CACRC claims he shouldn't have used the term because it’s not entirely clear where the virus actually originated.

In the suit, the CACRC says Trump's constant use of "China virus" was essentially a dog whistle to his legions of supporters, and they claim it has harmed Chinese Americans.

Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli can officially break out the tequila ... 'cause a federal judge is approving their request to travel to Mexico for a family fiesta.

TMZ broke the story ... Lori and Mossimo had requested permission to travel to San Jose del Cabo to spend time with family from June 16 to June 21. Their argument, in a nutshell, is they've been playing by the rules since their release from prison.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Lori says she's paid her $150k fine as well as her community service requirement. Mossimo also told the judge he's remained in compliance with the terms of his term of supervised release.

Mossimo also said he satisfied his $250k fine and is actively working on completing his community service. It seems playing by the rules has its rewards ... 'cause the judge signed off on their requests. So, ADIOS!!!

Jana Kramer's been named the primary residential parent of her 2 kids in her divorce with Mike Caussin ... but we’ve learned she's agreed to keep dishing out the dough.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the country singer will have primary residential custody of the ex-couple's children -- 5-year-old Jolie and 2-year-old Jace -- 240 days out of the year ... while the former NFL tight end gets them 125 days.

So, Jana gets more parenting time, but she’s also agreed to pay Mike $3,200 per month in child support because her income is $166k monthly while his is only $8k ... according to the docs.

In addition, Kramer's agreed to pay her estranged husband $592,400 as part of their property settlement ... but she doesn't have to fork over any spousal support.

As you may know ... the country and former "One Tree Hill" star announced her split from Caussin in April after nearly 6 years of marriage, saying it was time. She wrote ... "I've fought y'all. I've loved hard. I've forgiven. I've put the work in. I've given everything I have, and now I have nothing else to give."

Nearly 70 cats from Jeff Lowe's "Tiger King" Park alleged to be endangered and abused have been seized by the feds.

The massive operation corralled 68 animals, including lions, tigers, lion-tiger hybrids and a jaguar from Jeff's zoo in Thackerville, Oklahoma. The feds say the seizure was part of an ongoing probe for Endangered Species Act violations.

According to the feds ... the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service conducted 3 inspections of the park since mid-December 2020, and during those inspections, the Lowes "received citations for failing to provide the animals with adequate or timely veterinary care, appropriate nutrition" and shelter that allows for normal behavior and protects them from bad weather.

What's more ... the feds say Lowe was supposed to employ a qualified veterinarian and establish a program of veterinary care that meets the requirements of the Animal Welfare Act, but Lowe's been found in contempt after months of non-compliance with court orders requiring him to do so.

The feds say they'll work "to ensure that [the animals] go to responsible animal preserves where they can be safely maintained rather than exploited."

TMZ broke the story ... the feds descended on Jeff's park earlier this week with a search warrant. During the raid ... Jeff was told to stay inside his house or he'd be arrested.

Mel B's ex-husband is giving her recent video made to raise domestic violence awareness a big thumbs down, because he says it's been very traumatic for their daughter.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Stephen Belafonte says their 9-year-old daughter, Madison, wants a hiatus from Mel because she's so turned off by the video.

In the docs, Stephen says Madison found the video online and was distraught, upset and started crying -- and he claims she told him she doesn't want to see her mom at all or travel to be with her this summer.

As we reported ... the Spice Girls singer co-stars in a short film, "Love Should Not Hurt," by classical composer Fabio D’Andrea, with Mel playing a character who appears beaten, broken and trapped by a relationship.

Remember ... Mel and Stephen have been embroiled in a custody war, and they're still bickering over several issues in court filings. For instance, Mel had filed docs requesting Madison be allowed to travel by herself through a Lufthansa program.

Part of Stephen's response to that filing included Mel's role in the short film, and how he says it's impacted Madison. For what it's worth, the court approved Mel's request for Madison to travel alone.

Now, the question is whether she even wants to fly to see her mother. Stephen says that's a no, but we'll see if he raises that in his own request to the court.

For the first time in more than 2 months, Deshaun Watson has posted on social media to remind everyone he's still an elite NFL quarterback.

... and yeah, he looks good.

The last time we heard from DW was on Twitter back on March 16 -- when he posted a statement to try and get ahead of the sexual misconduct allegations that were coming down the pike.

Watson denied wrongdoing and proclaimed his innocence -- saying, "I have never treated any woman with anything other than the utmost respect."

He added, "This isn't about money for me -- it’s about clearing my name, and I look forward to doing that."

After that, the Houston Texans QB went radio silent -- and his attorney, Rusty Hardin, has been doing all the talking ever since.

But, as the NFL season draws closer, Watson is clearly trying to remind teams -- including the Texans -- that he's still focused on football and ready to play.

There are a few issues ... the NFL is still investigating the sexual misconduct allegations against Watson from more than 20 accusers who say the QB crossed a line during what were supposed to be routine massage therapy sessions.

If the league finds he violated the NFL's Personal Conduct Policy, he could be suspended -- which could make teams nervous about trading for him.

Ceaser Emanuel -- the founder of 'Black Ink Crew' -- is taking his baby mama to court over claims she made that he abused their daughter ... which he says is a downright lie.

The 'BIC' chief just sued Crystal Torres for reiterating a claim their now 17-year-old daughter, Cheyenne, made earlier this year -- that her father had pulled her out of the shower sometime last year and beat her.

Ceaser denied that characterization -- he insists he only "disciplined" Cheyenne -- but now, he's taking legal action over it too ... filing a lawsuit for defamation against Crystal for publicly claiming Ceaser was a child abuser. The suit even points to remarks Crystal made this week on social media, which he says ruined his rep and cost him A LOT of money.

Crystal went on a rant Monday addressing the "lies" she insists Ceaser is spreading about the situation. According to his lawsuit, Ceaser says that's just the latest example of her defaming him.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Ceaser says Crystal's IG post(s) and subsequent interviews around that time are inflammatory and flat-out wrong. Caeser says he even offered Crystal a letter from the GA Fulton County Dept. of Family & Children Service clearing his name ... so she would quit publicly blasting him.

He says, despite that evidence, she continued to smear him -- hence the lawsuit.

Ceaser says he lost out on lots of endorsement deals, not to mention having to put his massive VH1 reality show on pause due to an internal investigation -- which he says also cost him.

Adding insult to injury, he says his real-life work with the community and underserved kids came to a halt -- 'cause folks falsely assumed he was actually guilty.

Now, he says he has no other recourse but to seek damages against Crystal for ruining his good name. We've reached out to Crystal ... she refused to comment.

Johnny Depp is fighting tooth and nail to uncover whether his ex, Amber Heard, actually donated millions of dollars to charity like she said she would ... suing the actual org who was supposed to get to the money to get to the bottom of it.

JD just sued the ACLU in an effort to obtain financial documents as he seeks to undo a judge's ruling in London late last year ... which concluded The Sun hadn't defamed him with their 2018 "wife-beating" headline.

That's where this ACLU drama comes in. Johnny and his legal team are attempting to prove Amber perjured herself in court when she claimed she donated $7 million total to the ACLU and Children's Hospital L.A. -- something she agreed to do as part of their divorce settlement.

Remember, it was in August 2016 when the ACLU put out a release thanking Amber for pledging to donate half of her $7 million settlement. A few months later, the organization announced Heard had donated $350,000 directly ... but Depp's team believe it was Elon -- whom Heard was dating at the time -- who paid that and anything else donated in her name.

Johnny believes the judge bought Amber's charitable deeds and it worked against him in the final ruling, so he wants the truth to surface about where that money actually went ... and who it came from. If it turns out she didn't fork over the loot, he believes it could help his second defamation case here in the United States.

Depp thinks Heard only donated around $450k total from her own pocket in the end -- and he claims the ACLU has refused to play ball and turn over docs on the issue. So, now, he wants a judge to step in and make it happen with the slam of a gavel.

Robert Durst -- the notorious subject of the HBO documentary, 'The Jinx' -- is back in court for his murder trial ... after a 14-month break due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Durst just appeared in court, appearing thin and frail with his nose and mouth hidden behind a white medical mask. In case you've forgotten ... he stands accused of shooting his friend, Susan Berman, in the head at her Beverly Hills home in December 2000 ... allegedly because she knew something about the mysterious death of his wife, Kathleen, who disappeared in 1982.

Durst was arrested in New Orleans in March 2015, just weeks after "The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst," began airing and the LAPD reopened the Berman case.

The docuseries detailed bizarre and disturbing allegations against Durst and chronicled why he was suspected in the killings of Susan and Kathleen ... along with how he was acquitted of the murder of a Texas neighbor in 2001.

'The Jinx' ended with a jaw-dropping moment in which Durst -- believing his microphone was off after excusing himself from an interview -- seemingly confessed to murder while talking to himself in the bathroom, saying ... "What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course."

The documentary also linked a letter sent to police alerting them of Susan's dead body to Durst.

So, he was arrested and charged with her murder in 2015, and though his trial began in March 2020 with a few days of witness testimony ... it was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was originally scheduled to resume in July but was postponed again.

Durst's lawyers requested an indefinite postponement of the trial earlier this month citing a "myriad of life-threatening health issues" ... including bladder cancer that is not being treated.

T.I. and Tiny allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted a woman in 2005 and the LAPD is looking into her claims ... while authorities in Las Vegas tell us they have closed a case involving similar allegations against the couple.

According to a police report obtained by TMZ ... the L.A. accuser, identified as a Jane Doe, claims sometime in early 2005 she met the rapper and his wife at a club, and says she accepted a drink from Tiny after already having a couple others.

The woman told LAPD detectives she was then invited back to their hotel room along with 2 other women, but soon it was just her alone with T.I. and Tiny.

She claims T.I. and Tiny persuaded her to go to the bathroom and take a shower with them. After the shower, she alleges T.I. led her to the bed, turned on a porn flick and asked her to rub oil on him. She says Tiny soon joined in and then she claims T.I. came from behind and stuck his toes in her vagina.

According to the report ... the woman claims T.I. told her he was going to get a condom but she said she felt sick and went to the bathroom to throw up. She claims she blacked out soon after, but when she woke up the next morning ... her vagina was sore and had a burning sensation.

Though the LAPD is reportedly investigating the couple for alleged sexual assault, their attorney says they have not been contacted by the LAPD.

As for the allegations in Las Vegas ... another woman claimed she was drugged and sexually assaulted after meeting Tiny at the airport and being invited to hang out with the couple.

However, officials tell us since the alleged incident went down in 2010, and was just reported to the Las Vegas Metropolitan PD earlier this month ... it falls outside the statute of limitations -- so the case has been closed.

The guy who led cops on a wild chase that landed on Rick Ross' front door has died while in custody.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation tells TMZ ... 40-year-old Chaka Stewart was found unresponsive in his cell Saturday at the Clayton County Jail in Georgia. We're told a guard and a medic who were making the evening rounds noticed Stewart lying there, and they attempted life-saving measures when they realized something was seriously wrong.

We're told he was pronounced dead at the jail. Our law enforcement sources say Stewart was alone in his cell, and no foul play is suspected. An autopsy is underway to figure out what happened.

Stewart's mother, Jacqueline Gordon, confirmed her son is the man who was arrested outside Rick's Georgia estate last week -- where cops say he crashed his truck and was carrying a firearm ... only to finally be apprehended at gunpoint following what was described as a crazy pursuit through the streets.

She says she last spoke to her son Friday, and claims he told her he was being mistreated behind bars. Gordon alleges Stewart said he was being beaten -- unclear if he was blaming officials or other folks behind bars -- wasn't allowed to shower and was confined to his cell for 23 hours a day.

Gordon also claims one of the deputies told Stewart he'd never be getting out of there ... while also asserting Georgia authorities have been ducking her and her inquiries.

Danny Masterson claims Leah Remini was pushing the LAPD to get him prosecuted in his rape case ... and threatened to put them on blast if they dropped the ball.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Masterson claims Leah's meddling in his case was so outrageous she had an LAPD detective named Becker, who allegedly moonlighted as her bodyguard, making calls about his rape case.

In docs, Masterson claims this police officer/bodyguard "had a history of trying to influence LAPD investigations" at Leah's direction. Masterson claims when the cop contacted Austin PD in 2016 about Jane Doe 3's police report, the Austin PD detective was so taken aback by it she wrote in her report "Becker has no professional investigative interest in this report, as he does not investigate sexual assault cases. It is later revealed he is Leah Remini’s close friend.'"

Masterson claims Leah personally made phone calls to the lead investigator on the case and that the LAPD actively encouraged her to participate in the investigation. And, get this ... Masterson claims a detective on the case went as far as telling her she's "vital to the investigation."

Masterson also claims Leah discussed telling the Jane Doe stories on her TV show, "Scientology and the Aftermath." He claims she had spoken to the girls and had intentions of putting them on her series.

The collusion runs so deep, Masterson claims, Leah wanted to attend the DA's interviews of the women, and he alleges the Deputy DA played ball for a while ... before things went south between Leah and prosecutors.

In the docs, Masterson claims Leah threatened the prosecution with a negative PR campaign, saying, "I told [Det.] Reyes from the beginning, ‘I’m telling you, if you screw this up I’m putting you and the whole LAPD on Blast. Not because I want to, but because they deserve to be heard.’ And you can’t keep being in business with the Church of Scientology because you have no balls.”

As we reported, Masterson claimed Leah's anti-Scientology campaign is the driving force behind the accusations in his rape case.

A man who says he bought a "This Smells Like My Vagina" candle from Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop company claims it could have killed him when it exploded ... and he's now filed a class-action lawsuit about it.

According to the legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the guy suing is a Texas resident named Colby Watson, and he says he purchased the 10.5-ounce 'Vagina' candle online in January.

Watson claims he lit the candle for the first time in February and placed it on his nightstand -- a level surface -- and insists there was nothing close to touching the candle and no open windows or drafts in his bedroom.

Watson claims, after burning for "an estimated three hours or less," the candle became engulfed in high flames and exploded soon afterward ... and the room was filled with smoke.

Watson alleges the candle also left a black burn ring on his nightstand and says the jar is charred and black.

According to the docs, Watson acknowledges the candle comes with a "limited warning" on Goop.com -- including cautioning not to burn the candle for more than 2 hours at a time -- but he says that warning is insufficient.

Watson claims Goop fails to warn that the candle could cause significant injuries when it explodes, and he calls the 'Vagina' candles "inherently dangerous."

Soulja Boy wants credit for being the "first" rapper to plug Icebox bling -- but the shop couldn't care less ... especially since they say there's dough he still owes.

A rep for the famed jewelry and diamond store tells TMZ ... Soulja's viral tweet from the weekend doesn't mean diddly squat to them -- in light of the (alleged) fact that there's an unresolved lawsuit they have out against the guy, which they claim he's been ducking.

Icebox sued Soulja back in 2013 for an open tab of over $60k they say he never paid -- and now tell us they haven't been able to collect ... even all these years later. At this point, Icebox says the debt has ballooned to around $200k, and of course ... they want the money they believe is long overdue.

In other words ... Soulja getting Twitter love for seemingly being ahead of the curve doesn't do anything for their bottom line -- despite him getting his flowers by using their name.

BTW, Icebox tells us they even dispute the notion that Soulja was the first rapper they'd worked with in Atlanta ... clarifying that while he was one of the initial big artists to get them on YouTube way back when, he was far from the first MC to cop some ice there.

Icebox's message to Soulja is quite simple ... screw the street cred -- just crank that credit card, and pay us through the phone -- or however else you want, bro.