Money

The poor sap who tried selling a piece of Donald Trump's Hollywood Walk of Fame star on eBay just had his get-rich-quick dreams shattered ... without a pickax.

A rep for eBay tells TMZ the user's post violated the company's "Other Illegal Activity" provision -- which prohibits the sale of items or links to items that encourage, promote, facilitate, or instruct others to engage in illegal activities.

In layman's terms: vandalism is illegal, so ya can't make a quick buck off it here!

We broke the story ... the eBay user was trying to hawk a tiny remnant of Trump's star after Austin Clay obliterated it with a pickax. His minimum bid was $500, but he's crap outta luck now.

The world's top modeling agencies screw their famous clients by urging them into surgery, cramming them into apartments and controlling their dating lives ... according to a new lawsuit.

Model Louisa Raske filed a class action lawsuit against Major Model Management, Wilhelmina, Next, Elite and other top tier agencies claiming the companies instructed models to undergo medical procedures for weight loss and to attain the all-important thigh gap.

In the suit, she also says the agencies tried to run their social lives. For instance, a model named Eleni Tzimas says she was told by Elite to attend high-profile events because people like Donald Trump would be there. Another claims her agency encouraged her to break-up with her bf, who was in the military, so she could date an "a-list celebrity or professional athlete."

Personally, Raske says her agency, Next, used one of her shots on a L'Oreal hair product without ever paying her. She eventually got paid $31k, but insists she was owed more.

Another model, Marcelle Almonte, says her agency, MC2 Models, crammed her into a 2-bedroom Miami apartment with at least 8 other models, and charged $1,850 per month. Doesn't sound like that much, except market value on the place was only $3,300 per month.

Trae Young bought a new car ... and as the NBA's newest star -- he spared no expense on the whip -- dropping over $138k on it!!

The Atlanta Hawks' top draft pick showed off the ride -- an Audi R8 -- over the weekend ... as it arrived to pick him up from the airport with his folks.

"My First Purchased Car for myself is here!!!" Trae wrote on social media. "My parents Surprised me with it. #Blessed!!"

It's matte black ... and with all the bells and whistles on it -- it could have cost him over $200,000.

Not that the price tag worries the 19-year-old ... the #5 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft just signed a contract with the Hawks that guarantees $11.6 MILLION over the first 2 years.

"As one of the most famous athletes in the country, Mr. Beckham presents an enticing target for shakedown artists."

That's how Odell Beckham has opened his new lawsuit against a man allegedly trying to extort the NFL star for $1 MILLION.

Beckham is suing Ishmael Temple -- who claims Odell is responsible for a brutal 2017 attack at Beckham's Beverly Hills home that left him with serious injuries to his face. Temple says the men who beat him up were working for Odell at the time and the NFL star did nothing to stop it.

But, Odell claims Temple is full of crap -- and, in new court docs, claims Temple and his attorney were only after a huge payday ... and threatened to ruin Odell's reputation by leaking salacious allegations about him to the media if he didn't pony up.

Beckham claims Temple initially demanded a $999,999 settlement -- but then lowered the asking price to $225k.

"Suffice it to say, Mr. Beckham refused to be extorted," the lawsuit claims.

Prison's officially off the table for Charles Oakley in his casino cheating case -- but he ain't outta the woods just yet.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... the ex-NBA star was arrested at the Cosmopolitan in Vegas on July 8 after officials say he changed his bet after the outcome of the game was known.

Our sources have told us Oakley pulled a $100 chip back after he realized he was going to lose.

Oakley was initially charged with attempting to commit a fraudulent act in a gaming establishment -- and faced up to 6 years in prison if convicted.

But now, the Clark County District Attorney tells us the charge has been reduced to misdemeanor disorderly conduct.

And, while the new charge carries up to 6 months in jail if convicted -- it's unlikely he'll spend another minute behind bars.

Denise Richards isn't about to let a little thing like her zip code keep her from joining "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" ... which is why she slashed the price on her Hidden Hills mansion to move.

Sources close to the situation tell us Denise's motivation for lowering her asking price on her 6 bedroom, 8 bath crib was to get outta Dodge ASAP. As we first reported, Denise reduced the price by almost $1.3 million back in October. She dropped it even more this year and finally sold it last week for $4.995 mil.

Why the fire sale? Denise's neighbors bitched nonstop about filming back in 2008 when she had her reality show, 'It's Complicated' -- so much so, the property management company banned all productions.

It's widely believed Denise will join 'RHOBH' for season 9, so she'd need a new place anyway. No word where she's moving to now that she's unloaded the mansion.

Kevin Hart is set to step into a boxing ring with poker champ Antonio Esfandiari in March ... and there will be legit money on the line in the fight -- Antonio tells TMZ Sports.

First ... some backstory. Hart and Esfandiari have been solid friends for years -- having played in poker tournaments together every now and then.

Sooo ... when we got the 39-year-old card player leaving M Cafe and he liked the fact that our photog recognized him ... he gave us "some juice" on his friendship with the comedy icon.

"Kevin Hart and I were playing the other day, we were hanging out ... and somehow boxing comes up," Antonio tells us.

"So, we made a bet. And, in March, around March, we are going to box in a ring."

Bomb. Shell.

Antonio then revealed he's getting 35-to-1 odds in the bout ... mostly 'cause he plays with cards all day while Kevin's "in better shape," "he's an athlete," and "he's fast as hell."

Esfandiari wouldn't tell us how much cheddar is on the line ... but, Antonio is worth a reported $20 mil, while K. Hart's worth $57 million -- soooo, stakes are probably pretty high.

Good luck with the training!

Get your betting slips ready ... 'cause Thomas John has had a premonition -- and it's about to make the Red Sox, Dodgers and degenerates VERY happy.

We got the "Seatbelt Psychic" star at Craig's and asked him for anything that could possibly make us money.

That's when he revealed those from the afterlife (or the clouds or the tea leaves or wherever) are telling him to BET ON L.A. AND BOSTON TO MAKE THE WORLD SERIES!!

"I feel Red Sox and Dodgers in there," Thomas says.

There's more ... John also tells us the spirits are sending him a lot of "good energy" when it comes to Johnny Manziel.

Kylie Jenner took daughter Stormi to a newsstand Friday ... presumably to give her little girl a lesson in celebrity news.

Kylie was on a mission ... to buy every last mag with her mug on the cover ... and she did just that with GQ and Forbes.

As you know, Forbes labeled the cosmetics mogul "self-made" ... which triggered an intense debate.

Lil Pump's clearly tired of the crazy L.A. heatwave ... thus bringing some much needed relief with a burst of rain with Benjamins.

The "Gucci Gang" rapper was at Sam's After Dark strip club in L.A. around 6 AM Thursday when he posted up in the joint's parking lot for what appears to be an impromptu photo shoot. You can see LP -- along with rapper Smokepurpp -- on top of what appears to be a Rolls-Royce, grabbing stacks lined up inside his waistband.

Hard to tell which track's blaring in the background or if they're shooting a new music video, but what's clear ... it's got Pump pumped the hell up because he made the weather outside go from frightful to delightful (if only for a few minutes).

The remains of Donald Trump's Hollywood Walk of Fame star are now on the open market ... but it won't come cheap, despite the fact it's pocket-sized.

An eBay user who says he nabbed a piece of the star debris after Austin Clay obliterated it with a pickax, has put it up for auction ... with a starting bid of $500.

There's still about a week left on the auction, but as of now -- nobody's biting.

More bad news for the seller too -- since the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce legally owns the Trump star -- even the smashed up bits -- it has the power to shut down the sale.

Isaiah Thomas tells TMZ Sports ... he's fired up to show the NBA he's healed up and back to the superstar he was -- and wants to prove in 2018 that he's worthy of a max contract.

Remember, the 2-time All-Star just signed a veteran's minimum, 1-year, $2 million contract with the Denver Nuggets ... and when we saw him at LAX, he explained why he took the deal.

"The goal is just to show that I'm healthy and I'm the same player I was before," Thomas said ... "I just need one year."

The 29-year-old has been battling hip problems since the 2017 playoffs -- but underwent surgery back in March and recently said he's feeling better than ever.

But, this 2018-19 season isn't all about him ... IT says he's ready to take his squad to new heights.

"We'll make the playoffs ... and then we'll go from there."

Thomas also had some comments about his old team, the Boston Celtics -- which traded him after a remarkable playoff run in 2017.

Donald Trump's Hollywood Walk of Fame star didn't stand a chance against its latest attacker -- whose pickax was in full swing ... as you can see in this video.

TMZ obtained footage of 24-year-old Austin Clay going to town early Wednesday morning on the star ... dislodging it from the famed sidewalk, and leaving it in tiny pieces.

Eyewitnesses tell us this happened around 3:00 AM, shortly before Clay reportedly called cops himself and later surrendered. No one tried to stop him, but then again he was madly swinging a pickax -- not the easiest thing to shut down.

The OG Donald Trump Walk of Fame Star vandal is coming to the rescue of the latest guy to take a pickax to Trump's star ... by bailing him out of jail.

You might recall, James Otis attacked Trump's star in 2016 -- also with a pickax -- and we've learned he's now stepping up to pay the $20k bail for Austin Clay ... the 24-year-old who went off on Trump's star early Wednesday morning.

We're told Otis isn't just writing a check either -- he also plans to meet Clay in person as soon as he's released. We're guessing he might want to discuss technique, 'cause Clay's was way more destructive effective.

Josh Radnor's neighbor just got permission from the City of Angels to destroy Josh's massive, $130,000 deck.

The "How I Met Your Mother" star and his neighbor have been feuding over the 1,300 square foot deck, which Josh built on the neighbor's property. Josh has an easement for access to that portion of the property, but doesn't own it, and the neighbor has already sued him to tear it down.

Looks like the lawsuit is no longer necessary, because the City of L.A. just sent a letter to the neighbor giving him permission to rip the crap out of the deck ... demolishing it. Turns out Josh built the structure without permits ... a big no no for the City, and it just got real.

Taylor Swift is going all in on this cats thing, not only starring in the "Cats" movie ... but making some cash off her actual pet cats.

Every Swiftie knows Taylor's 2 cats, Olivia Benson and Dr. Meredith Grey ... and now Taylor is making cash off their fame. She applied for a trademark, "Meredith & Olivia Swift" ... and she's already slapped it on a bunch of merch.

Taylor's website features the feline logo on shirts, earrings, pens, and makeup cases ... but the docs indicate there's way more to come. She's applied to put the kitty names on musical recordings, jewelry, handbags, cushions and pillows, clothing ... it goes on ... and on.

Most notably ... there's a possibility of a Meredith & Olivia live show ... based on Taylor's application. Brace yourself.

It was just announced Taylor's been cast in the upcoming "Cats" film, based on the play. Word is she might play Bombalurina ... the flirtatious cat who breaks up with lots of boy cats and then writes songs about them.