Money

Charlie Kirk's memorial cost taxpayers a pretty penny to keep safe ... 'cause we've learned the United States Secret Service paid an event company millions to secure the perimeter.

We've obtained documents that show the Secret Service paid ARCUS Group, LLC -- a full-service event management and disaster relief aid company -- was paid $2,677,416.19 to protect the perimeter of the ceremony at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

ARCUS has experience with perimeter protection at high-profile events. Their website touts their past perimeter protection jobs which include President Donald Trump's 2021 inauguration ... so, clearly the administration feels confident in the services they provide.

Carlos Alcaraz just earned another title -- most expensive racket ever sold at auction -- 'cause the tennis superstar's 2023 Wimbledon Finals equipment just went to a new owner for a whopping $173K!!!

Bidding on the incredible piece of memorabilia ended Sunday night ... and the final price surpassed the $157K mark set by Nadal's 2017 French Open Championship racket, which held the record for just a few months.

Prestige Memorabilia -- which listed the piece -- was able to photomatch the racket to 10 dates ... including his match against Novak Djokovic in the 2023 Wimbledon finale.

French Montana might not have time for a lawsuit right now ... but, two men from Switzerland don't care -- 'cause they say he stole their watch!

Justo Obiang and Samir Gato filed the suit against French on Thursday ... claiming they met the rapper after a 2015 show in Geneva, Switzerland.

The two men say they stayed in contact over the years ... and, in 2024, Obiang and Gato say they made plans to meet up with French in Egypt. Before Montana got there, Obiang and Gato claim he asked to trade watches with Obiang -- who refused.

"Real Housewives of Potomac" star Dr. Wendy Osefo’s fraud arrest last week shocked fans -- but Claudia Jordan says if you’re a reality star, you better move carefully ... 'cause the spotlight means extra eyes on everything you do!

TMZ caught up with Claudia in NYC on Friday, and she told us Wendy’s bust isn’t about having a target on your back -- it’s simple, you can’t cheat the system. But if you slip up, she says, authorities love turning reality stars into the perfect example.

Catch the full clip -- 'cause Claudia breaks it down even more ... saying she’s actually a big fan of Wendy, and hopes she and her hubby Eddie learned their lesson after the arrest.

Prosecutors charged Wendy with 16 offenses -- including 7 felonies. Eddie was slapped with 18 charges -- 9 of which are felonies.

Denise Richards' saga with her estranged husband Aaron Phypers just got even more explosive ... Aaron is requesting half of the money she earns on OnlyFans, TMZ has learned.

According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Aaron alleges Denise makes $200K-$300K per month from photos she posted on OnlyFans ... and Aaron says he's entitled to half -- because he snapped the pics.

What's more ... he says he's dead broke and really needs the money to pay his rent and utilities ... a far cry from his married days when he claims he had access to joint accounts that held millions. But he now says Denise is freezing him out.

Saweetie is drawing the line and entering her lawyers into the chat ... a very gossipy chat, after a woman claiming to be her ex-road manager has been drilling the rapper online for days with drug abuse and prostitution allegations!!!

On Friday, Saweetie sent out a firm statement, which reads ...  “The recent accusations made about me are false, defamatory, and deeply disturbing. These claims misrepresent the facts and are solely aimed to damage my reputation."

"This person never managed me. She was simply introduced to me by family. Her motives are now obvious. I’ll let the lawyers take it from here.”

Kevin Federline's got a six-figure offer on the table ... and all he has to do is launch an OnlyFans page.

The Circle -- an ultra-exclusive private membership club reserved for the top creators on OF -- is telling Britney Spears' ex-husband they will guarantee him $100,000 if he starts an OnlyFans page and uses them for representation and management.

In the offer letter, obtained by TMZ, The Circle says they will help Kevin with everything that goes into OF content creation ... and they make it sound like this will be the easiest $100K he's ever made. The Circle will provide him with production, creative direction, rollout execution, marketing, and account management.

The Big 12 has issued a penalty on the University of Kansas after an investigation into Saturday's weird pocket knife controversy ... with the conference announcing video evidence paints a different picture than what the Jayhawks coach claimed after the game.

ICYMI, Lance Leipold stated after his Jayhawks lost in a blowout to the Red Raiders that a sharp object hit one of his staff members while standing on the away team sideline.

"It's ridiculous. It's supposed to be for safety and things like that, and it's a culture that's been accepted to a point, and it hasn't changed," he said. "Eventually, somebody's going to be seriously hurt, unfortunately."

Taylor Swift's treatin' her fans like livestock, one prominent journalist says ... 'cause she says the pop star's milking the Swifties like they're a bunch of cows!

Ashley Bornancin -- a TV journo who hosts the popular show "Behind the Headlines" -- joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday ... and, she said this album is not the show-stopping hit that she and many other fans were expecting.

Take a listen for yourself ... Ashley says the album feels rushed -- and, she jokes it's almost like T-Swift spent more time promoting the album than actually working on the tracks.

Nicki Minaj is now announcing her recently teased March 2026 album is being scrapped --and she claims it’s ALL Jay-Z’s fault!!!

On Wednesday, the Barbz were sent into a fury when Nicki directed the blame at the Roc Nation boss’ rarely used X account -- “Ok, I’m not going to put out the album anymore. No more music. Hope you’re happy now [Jay-Z].”

Nicki then took the opportunity to roast Jay about his failed casino bid while offering up another claim -- that Roc Nation offered a make-good with an album and tour package deal.

Luigi Mangione is livin' large in the pokey ... because TMZ has learned he's got a whopping $40,000 in his commissary — and it's all thanks to his gazillion fans!

The alleged murderer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is so beloved by his supporters that they funnel lotsa cash into his coffers at Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, according to a recently released jailhouse source whose information we corroborated.

And get this ... Luigi can spend the money on some cheap goodies such as Nutella Hazelnut spread for just $4.90, summer sausage for a mere $2.10, or some oatmeal for just $3.65. If Luigi wants something spicy, he can splurge on jalapeno wheels for $3.20 and, if he has a hankering for a block of Velveeta cheese, he can shell out $3.70. Bottom line is Luigi's got much more money than he can spend -- but he has a cap of $160 per visit to the commissary.

Kim Kardashian might not quite be the 'Six Million Dollar Man' ... but, she's getting up there -- admitting she might even spend $1 million a year on glam products.

The reality star and mogul dove into how much she spends on makeup, hair and more on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast hosted by Alex Cooper ... and, she kicks it off by admitting she doesn't have a concrete number in her head.

KK explains part of her problem is she's past knowing what simple day-to-day products cost ... admitting she's got no idea what a carton of milk goes for these days -- so, she's definitely not sure what her team's dropping on makeup and other products to keep her looking radiant.

Alex Jones' control over InfoWars might end up becoming a thing of the past ... because the U.S. Supreme Court just rejected his appeal to avoid paying more than $1.4 billion in damages to the families affected by the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

The court did not issue any comment about the decision, according to NBC News.

Here's what went down ... Jones has made many comments about the Sandy Hook shooting -- in which 20 children and six adults were killed in a mass shooting at a Connecticut school -- and court papers show he's declared the tragic incident was a "staged event" more than once.

The right-wing media figure was subsequently sued by the victims' families in Connecticut state court for defamation and other violations.

Jones -- who owns InfoWars through his company Free Speech Systems -- was found liable for damages in 2021, and he was ordered to pay more than $1.4 billion the following year, according to CBS News. He's currently looking for bankruptcy protection.

One more thing ... the higher-ups at the satirical news site The Onion won the bid to acquire InfoWars in a bankruptcy auction, but a federal judge in Texas blocked the sale last year. A bankruptcy court rejected a second attempt in February this year.

Newly-minted billionaire Edwin Castro is planning to rebuild in his hometown of Altadena ... spending roughly $10 million to rebuild properties ravaged by the Los Angeles wildfires.

Edwin told The Wall Street Journal he wants to help people looking to settle down ... "This is for a family that wants to move in. Those are the people that need to be looked out for right now."

The $10-million price tag is a drop in the bucket for Edwin ... he won the record $2 billion Powerball jackpot in 2022, on a lottery ticket purchased at Joe's Service Center in Altadena.

Cam Skattebo's viral shirtless celebration after Thursday Night Football has fans and a few strip clubs losing their minds ... with one spot offering the Giants rookie $10k worth of free dances, and another an offer to strip down and hit the stage!

Skattebo had a big game, rushing for 98 yards, and punching the ball in the end zone 3 times ... and Wonderland Gentlemen's Club clearly tuned in, telling TMZ Sports they want Cameron to swing by the club, and they've made him an enticing offer.

Cops say 'Real Housewives of Potomac' star Dr. Wendy Osefo is lying about being the victim of a home burglary ... but a couple months after she made her report, she went on a podcast -- and doubled-down on her claims.

Wendy appeared on the "Gabbing With Gib" podcast back in September 2024 and she was asked about the alleged home burglary, which we first reported about in April 2024 ... and the clip is resurfacing now that she's been charged with fraud.

In the interview, Wendy explains why she thinks she was "targeted" by burglars.