Legal

The Kenosha PD officer who shot Jacob Blake in the back seven times -- and who's avoided state prosecution -- will also not face federal charges.

The U.S. Justice Department said Friday it will not pursue federal criminal charges against Rusten Sheskey. The feds say "the evidence obtained is insufficient to prove that the KPD officer willfully used excessive force."

Remember, Blake was unarmed, back in August 2020, when Sheskey opened fire at point-blank range. Video of the shooting sparked racial justice protests across the country, and led to the Kyle Rittenhouse shooting.

According to the feds ... a team of experienced federal prosecutors from the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office reviewed the evidence to determine whether the police officer violated any federal laws.

The feds added that "a detailed and lengthy analysis of numerous materials, including police reports, law enforcement accounts, witness statements, affidavits of witnesses, dispatch logs, physical evidence reports, photographs and videos of some portions of the incident."

In essence ... prosecutors say they couldn't establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer "willfully" deprived Jacob of his constitutional rights. The feds say "neither accident, mistake, fear, negligence, nor bad judgment is sufficient to establish a willful federal criminal civil rights violation."

As we reported ... Kenosha County District Attorney Michael D. Graveley also announced back in January that Sheskey would not be charged for the shooting. Graveley said Sheskey acted in self-defense, and it was necessary for the officer to use lethal force to stop Jacob from potentially harming him or others.

The shooting left Jacob paralyzed. The Justice Dept. says it's already informed his family about the decision not to charge Sheskey.

'RHOBH' producers want to take advantage of a juicy storyline involving Erika Jayne and Tom Girardi -- they're skipping their usual break, and firing up cameras early to shoot a new season.

Production sources tell TMZ … 'RHOBH' producers can't get enough of Erika's various legal and financial problems connected to her estranged husband, so the series is gearing up to go back into production for season 12 on a quick turnaround.

We're told producers feel Erika's storyline is just too good to miss, so they're beginning production several months earlier than normal -- cameras will roll next week with some of the women.

As we've told you ... there's plenty of Erika drama to dig into for the cast -- she filed for divorce from her attorney husband in November, but shortly afterward she was sued for allegedly hiding assets in a "sham divorce."

Not long after that, Tom's assets were frozen and he's currently under investigation amid accusations he stole money intended for families of those who died in the 2018 Lion Air Flight 610 crash in Indonesia.

It's also alleged Erika’s company, EJ Global, received over $20 million from Tom's law firm ... money meant for his clients.

Erika broke down on camera over the "sham divorce" allegations, denying them in a season 11 episode on 'RHOBH' ... and there's no doubt she's helped carry the ratings.

Machine Gun Kelly's going to be more than okay ... he'll be ecstatic after learning he will NOT be prosecuted for allegedly beating up a parking lot attendant.

TMZ has learned the L.A. City Attorney's Office is rejecting the case ... declining to charge MGK because there was no reasonable likelihood of conviction. Translation: they just don't have enough evidence.

As we first reported, the parking lot attendant accused the musician/actor of battery -- claiming MGK pushed him in the chest near an L.A. location where he and his good pal, Mod Sun, were shooting their movie, "Good Mourning with a U."

Sources, however, told us the parking lot attendant's battery claims were completely false. And, clearly prosecutors didn't think they could prove his claim.

Even if he's off the hook criminally, he's still gotta deal with a lawsuit. The parking lot attendant, John Martin Tilli, filed the suit, alleging MGK and his production crew and staff became aggressive and surrounded him ... before MGK pushed him from the front, while the crew pushed from behind.

The Zodiac Killer has NOT been ID'd as The Case Breakers would have you believe -- at least according to cops who looked for the guy back in the day, but Case Breakers says the cops have refused to even investigate a possible connection.

Riverside PD tells TMZ ... the investigative body that came out Wednesday with its big get is probably wrong in its assumption Gary Francis Poste is the elusive serial killer.

RPD's PIO, Ryan Railsback, says the Case Breakers cite the 1966 murder of Cheri Jo Bates and evidence the group says it gleaned from studying the file as the basis of their conclusion.

Railsback says their initial suspicion the Zodiac was responsible -- based on letters they received at the time -- was nothing but a red herring. Railsback says if there was any evidence suggesting Poste was their man ... the force would've happily come forward with such info. But they haven't, 'cause he isn't.

That leads us to Frank Falzon, a former SFPD homicide inspector, who was once partners with the famed Dave Toschi -- in charge of the Zodiac case in the early days -- and who took over the file once Toschi left the picture. He, too, tells us ... he believes Poste ain't the guy.

His rationale -- Poste's name, from what he can recall, never came up as a strong possible suspect among the hundreds of names they had on file. It doesn't ring a bell to him.

But, here's the thing ... Case Breakers tells TMZ they contacted the Riverside PD and asked them to do a DNA test on the victim's hair and compare it with the DNA of Gary Francis Poste, and the PD refused. Case Breakers tells TMZ, the PD told them they believed the murderer was local to Riverside County and would not consider anyone outside the county. Case Breakers says the PD told them they were "100% sure" the murderer was not the Zodiac Killer and the police repeatedly refused to investigate a possible connection.

A source at Riverside PD tells us they do not have knowledge of CB reaching out regarding the evidence.

Falzon points to what he considers lots of circumstantial evidence the Case Breakers used in pinpointing Poste as the Zodiac -- which, in FF's view, isn't enough to draw that big of a deduction. In his eyes ... ID'ing the Zodiac would always come down to fingerprints and handwriting -- and based on what he saw in the CB's analysis, those factors were absent.

Jeffree Star, James Charles, Austin McBroom and other influencers got way too close with a couple of monkeys -- at least according to federal authorities, who've reprimanded the animals' handler for allowing it.

According to a USDA report, obtained by TMZ, Kevin Keith used a baboon and a capuchin monkey in several social media promo vids back in November 2020 -- but a government inspector says Keith made a major mistake by failing to "adequately maintain direct control of the animals" while they posed with social media celebs.

We're told the primates were used as part of a campaign with the clothing company, Bananas Monkey, that involved delivering a box of apparel to the celebs ... while obviously creating quite the photo op.

However, after the promo event, we're told PETA filed a complaint asking the USDA to investigate Keith for possible violations of the Animal Welfare Act ... arguing it was dangerous -- to the public and the animals -- for him to not have control of the monkeys in case they became aggressive.

According to the Dept. of Agriculture's report ... it reviewed the videos in which the monkeys are seen shaking hands and sitting on the shoulders of the celebs -- without Keith keeping a watchful eye or holding onto their leashes.

More drama involving Terrelle Pryor and his ex-GF, Shalaya Briston ... TMZ Sports has learned the former NFL star was arrested Wednesday after he allegedly slapped her and threw pumpkins at her car.

According to police documents, Pryor got into an argument with Briston -- the woman accused of stabbing the wide receiver back in 2019 -- in Pennsylvania at around 1 AM following a night out drinking.

In the docs, cops say Pryor had been out with Briston, but returned home while Briston continued on to another bar.

While home, according to cops, Pryor got upset with Briston and blew up her phone ... calling her over 50 times and sending her more than 30 unanswered text messages.

Cops say Briston eventually returned to Pryor's residence, but stayed outside "out of fear of Pryor."

In the docs, police say Pryor came outside and confronted Briston, shoving her and then slapping her in the face with an open hand.

Cops say as Briston tried to flee ... Pryor threw a deck chair at her. Officers add that when she got into her Mercedes, Pryor then threw pumpkins at her car, causing damage to the windshield.

Police say Briston had "inflammation, redness and bruising under her left eye" ... and Pryor was ultimately arrested.

Officers noted in the docs that Pryor denied hitting the woman ... but did admit to throwing the pumpkins.

Court records show the 32-year-old has been charged with simple assault, harassment and criminal mischief. The records show his bail has been set at $100K.

Of course, this is far from the first wild incident involving Pryor and Briston ... you'll recall, in Nov. 2019, Briston was arrested after she was accused of nearly stabbing Pryor to death following a night out partying.

Both Pryor and Briston were hit with charges over the incident ... but both cut plea deals in 2020 and were sentenced to probation.

Pryor has since recovered from the stab wounds and had been trying to make a comeback in the NFL.

The Gabby Petito case could be more complicated than it may appear on the surface -- and part of the reason is figuring out where exactly she was killed.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... investigators are currently trying to figure out if Gabby was, in fact, slain where her body was found a couple weeks ago -- which was in the vicinity of Grand Teton National Park and the Bridger-Teton National Forest Service in Wyoming.

That's all federal land ... and, at the moment, the FBI is running point. However, we're told if it's determined Gabby wasn't actually killed on federal land, then the case would be kicked over to the state authorities in charge. The big question: If it's uncertain, who has jurisdiction to prosecute the killer?

Sources connected with the investigation tell TMZ, if there's no way to determine where Gabby was killed, the default will be where she was found, and since it's on federal land the U.S. Attorney would prosecute the accused killer. If, however, there's ambiguity and state authorities believe her body was moved there, the state and the feds could be at odds.

Chris Brown will NOT be prosecuted in his battery case ... 'cause TMZ's learned the prosecutors are rejecting the whole matter.

According to the L.A. City Attorney's Office ... they've declined to move forward with charges due to insufficient evidence against Chris. As we reported, Brown was listed as the suspect after the alleged victim told cops he smacked the back of her head so violently her weave came off.

Our law enforcement sources told us cops responded to CB's San Fernando Valley home in June and cops took a battery report, naming Chris as the suspect.

We were told the alleged victim suffered no injuries ... besides the weave removal. Chris was never arrested for it.

The incident marked the second time cops showed up to Chris' house in as many months. They had to break up his massive birthday event ... forcing cops to direct traffic on the winding roads as helicopters hovered above.

So, as far as CB is concerned ... this battery case is all now behind him.

Britney Spears was diagnosed by medical professionals with a mental illness, but Jamie Spears and the business management team he hired felt they could free Britney from the grips of her mental problems with religion ... sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ.

Jamie became a born again Christian after a stint in rehab early on in the conservatorship. Jamie knew Lou Taylor, who worked with Jamie Lynn as early as 2004 and also became a spokesperson for the family back then.

Taylor created a company called Tri Star Entertainment and in 2008 she and Jamie discussed making Tri Star the business manager in the conservatorship.

Taylor was also a fervent born again Christian ... something she talked about on the "Today" show in 2008. Taylor brought in Robin Greenhill, who worked for Tri Star, to have day-to-day contact with Britney ... helping manage her business affairs. But, we're told it went way beyond money ... Robin in particular was up in every aspect of Britney's life.

Our sources say for the first year, Jamie, Robin and Lou literally walked around with the bible in hand, proselytizing the word of God. We're told for a time they would only let Britney read religious material. And, we're told, there was a large measure of intolerance for anyone who wasn't a "good Christian."

Interestingly, Lynne Spears wrote in one of her books ... "Jamie was going to file for the conservatorship on January 22 [2008] ... but he and his business manager, Lou, felt God leading them to wait, fast and pray, despite the frustration of a phalanx of lawyers."

The religious push was on full display during the entire Circus Tour, we're told, but as the money cascaded in, religion sort of fell by the wayside and money became central to business management and the conservatorship ... so say our sources.

Tri Star was getting 5% of Britney's gross profits, and when she was performing that was an enormous amount of money. Fast forward to 2019 when Britney stopped performing. At some point, Taylor emailed Jamie and said the commissions had dwindled and she wanted a guarantee of $500,000 a year.

Some folks on the inside, including Britney's lawyer, Samuel Ingham, felt that was wrong, because when someone takes a percentage they tend to make more than they should for a certain period and less for other periods, but it evens out. People said some insiders felt Lou wanted it both ways. Jamie, however, didn't feel that way, and approved the $500k floor, which greatly upset some people involved.

One of the biggest stars in the National Women's Soccer League is calling out the organization's failures to address serious allegations of sexual harassment ... with Alex Morgan demanding major changes.

As we previously reported, the North Carolina Courage fired coach Paul Riley amid allegations of sexual coercion spanning multiple teams and leagues dating back to 2010.

Two of Riley’s former players -- Meleana "Mana" Shim and Sinead Farrelly -- were among some of the players who came forward to detail their alleged experiences with Riley over the years ... and on Tuesday, Morgan joined them on "Today" to discuss the toxic culture within the league.

"I'm here to support Mana and Sinead and to continue to amplify their voices, and just show the systemic failure from the league and how wrong they did in handling Mana's case and complaint and investigation and where they failed Mana and Sinead, and probably many other women," Morgan said.

Morgan claims there were times when the league didn't even have an anti-harassment policy, human resources department, anonymous hotline or any other way to report alleged incidents ... which made it challenging for players to speak up.

Shim also detailed her experiences with Riley, saying ... "He's a predator. He sexually harassed me, he sexually coerced Sinead, and he took away our careers."

"From early on, there was a possession not just from Paul, but from the team that I was playing for. They silenced me for multiple issues, my sexuality being the most important one, and I was just very, very uncomfortable the whole time."

She added ... "And, every day I showed up to work, every day I practiced, every game I played, I didn't have confidence and I was scared. The only thing that got me through was my teammates."

Riley is now out of the job ... and so is NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird, who resigned amid the backlash.

The cop who allegedly had too good of a time at Universal Studios Hollywood is now looking for work -- turns out, being accused of banging while on the clock will do that for ya.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the deputy who got caught on a hot mic apparently doing the dirty late last year -- near the Bates Motel, no less -- has been given his walking papers. After the brass at L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. looked into the incident, we're told they found he'd violated policy.

We're told the guy can appeal the firing if he wants -- but for now, he ain't gonna be reporting back to work anytime soon.

We broke the story ... cops say the deputy was ignoring calls from dispatchers, who were trying to tell him they could hear him having sex in or around his squad car -- with what sounds like a woman's moans audibly coming through loud and clear.

The Sheriff's Dept. says, "The administrative investigation has concluded regarding this incident. The administrative process is still unfolding and we are unable to share further detail at this time, but what we can say is Sheriff Alex Villanueva takes allegations of misconduct very seriously and expects peace officers to hold themselves to the highest moral and ethical standards."

Mark Zuckerberg has sounded off on the Facebook whistleblower, saying her testimony blatantly misrepresents what his company does ... and he's listed several examples he believes prove how her allegations "don't make any sense."

The Facebook founder responded late Tuesday to claims made by Frances Haugen in front of Congress earlier in the day, with an outright denial and series of counterpoints to her overall belief that Facebook puts profits over people, deepens divides and damages the mental health of the youth.

Zuckerberg writes ... "We care deeply about issues like safety, well-being and mental health. It's difficult to see coverage that misrepresents our work and our motives."

He then goes on to pick apart Haugen's points one by one, by listing all the ways he says Facebook prioritizes research, fighting harmful content, transparency and bringing people together.

Zuckerberg also refutes Haugen's most damaging allegation by saying, "At the heart of these accusations is this idea that we prioritize profit over safety and well-being. That's just not true."

He adds ... "The argument that we deliberately push content that makes people angry for profit is deeply illogical. We make money from ads, and advertisers consistently tell us they don't want their ads next to harmful or angry content."

The Facebook founder also responds in great detail to Haugen's claims regarding teenage mental health and how social media negatively affects it. Zuckerberg claims the company is deeply committed to creating the opposite experience for young people, and even offers statistics to back it up.

He says ... "The research actually demonstrated that many teens we heard from feel that using Instagram helps them when they are struggling with the kinds of hard moments and issues teenagers have always faced."

Finally, Zuckerberg puts some heat on Congress to update internet regulations to aid in some of the problem areas of social media ... essentially saying it shouldn't be all on Facebook.

As we reported ... Haugen likened Facebook to Big Tobacco during her Tuesday testimony, and called on the government to step in.

Chris Brown and Drake straight-up jacked another artist's work for their hit track "No Guidance" ... so claim a singer and producer in a new lawsuit.

Brandon Cooper, who goes by the stage name Mr. Cooper, and Timothy Valentine -- aka Drum'n Skillz -- are suing CB and Drake claiming "No Guidance" ripped off their work on a track called, "I Love Your Dress."

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Cooper and Valentine claim their song dropped 3 years before CB and Drake's "No Guidance" dropped in June 2019. Cooper and Valentine claim an analysis of the beat, lyrics, hook and rhythmic structure demonstrates that "No Guidance" was copied or, at the very least, principally derived from "I Love Your Dress."

Specifically, the singer and producer claim their track has the lyrics ... "She got it; she got it" repeated 16 times while CB's and Drake's has "You got it, girl; you got it" at least 11 times.

Cooper and Valentine claim even non-expert listeners can see and hear the similarities ... claiming Chris and Drake deliberately exploited "I Love Your Dress" and even taunted them with a lyric about "flew the coop," which Cooper claims is a play on his nickname, Coop.

Kelly Clarkson's ex-husband may want to make a quick phone call to his lawyer, because he may not be fully up to speed in their divorce.

Brandon Blackstock landed at LAX Tuesday and made a flat statement ... that the judge hasn't ruled on who gets the Montana ranch.

Fact is ... the judge HAS laid down the law. Brandon challenged the prenup he signed, and had the judge bought his argument, everything he and Kelly earned during the marriage -- and things acquired with those earnings -- would be community property.

But, after a trial, the judge ruled the prenup was valid, which meant Kelly's earnings and acquisitions were hers and hers alone.

In fact, according to the judge's order, which was signed Sept. 30, the judge specifically rejected Brandon's claims, saying, "The Court therefore rejects Respondent's [Brandon's] position that the Montana Ranch and other Montana properties are marital property owned 50/50 by the Parties."

TMZ broke the story ... Kelly is trying to get Brandon to leave the ranch, but so far he's staying put. A source with direct knowledge tells TMZ ... at this point Kelly views Brandon as a squatter and is figuring out how to get him removed.

Dog the Bounty Hunter is skipping a scheduled gig with fans to keep grinding on his search for Brian Laundrie -- speaking to how seriously the guy's taking this manhunt.

A rep for Duane Chapman tells TMZ ... Dog will NOT be appearing this weekend at Hazzard Fest in Tennessee, where he was booked for a celeb meet-and-greet alongside the likes of folks like 'Duck Dynasty' stars, 'Swamp People' stars and other A&E famous faces.

Dog's presence at Hazzard was announced in mid-September ... and he was probably booked well ahead of that. However, in light of his recent involvement in the Laundrie search ... we're told he's forgoing Hazzard to keep working -- which is his top priority right now.

In his place ... Dog's son, Leland Chapman, will show up and shake hands on behalf of his pops.

Long story short, it's clear Dog is taking this assignment to heart ... and, as it turns out, he plans to see it through 'til the end -- no matter how long it takes, we're told. His rep says Dog will stay on Laundrie's trail so long as viable tips come in, and there's still belief he may be out there and alive.

For the time being, that certainly seems to be the case ... at least according to Dog himself, who told us Monday that he does think Brian is still breathing, and surviving in the wilderness ... but perhaps struggling along the way.

TMZ broke the story, Dog has gotten offers for a potential TV series to be made out of his search for Laundrie -- but that's secondary to the task at hand, which is tracking the guy down and bringing him to justice.

Britney Spears is addressing her #FreeBritney crusaders for the first time since her monumental court hearing ... letting them know she knows what they've done for her.

Britney just went on Twitter -- Instagram's been down, if ya haven't heard -- and thanked all of her fans and supporters for helping her take a huge step closer to getting out of her conservatorship.

She wrote ... "#Free Britney movement … I have no words … because of you guys and your constant resilience in freeing me from my conservatorship … my life is now in that direction !!!!!"

Brit added she cried last night for 2 hours thinking about how her fans are the best.

Interestingly ... she also let everyone know she just got back from a trip to French Polynesia, which is apparently how she celebrated last week's victory in court. Well, that and posting some nudes.

As we've reported ... members of the "Free Britney" movement have been pivotal in drawing attention to her case, rallying public support against her father, Jamie, and pushing to end her conservatorship.

Finally, after last Wednesday's hearing, things appear to be headed in that direction very soon ... as Jamie was suspended as conservator and steps have been activated to end Britney's conservatorship once and for all.