Money

Shortly after Luigi Mangione was apprehended on Monday, admirers of his began setting up GoFundMe pages to help the CEO murder suspect ... but the company has officially shut down all the campaigns, TMZ has learned.

Here's the deal ... Luigi Mangione was apprehended Monday ... and hours later, the Manhattan D.A. charged him with murder in the brazen December 4 fatal shooting of Brian Thompson.

What seems like mere minutes after his name and pictures were out there ... twisted admirers of his began setting up several pages on the community-funding site to help Mangione with legal bills.

The man accused of fatally shooting the UnitedHealthcare CEO is being celebrated by a portion of the country ... and now some are trying to make a buck off that twisted admiration.

Here's the deal ... Luigi Mangione was apprehended Monday ... and hours later, the Manhattan D.A. charged him with murder in the brazen December 4 fatal shooting of Brian Thompson.

Ever since the cold-blooded murder ... Mangione cultivated a large fan following of those who hate the health insurance industry -- so, it is not that big of a surprise that there's now merchandise celebrating the suspect.

12/10/24 2:55 PM PT -- Tony Buzbee has now specifically addressed Matthew Thompson's allegations, telling TMZ ... "Mr. Thompson was solicited and paid to bring this case. It has no merit. The lawyers who brought it would have seen that had they bothered to do any due diligence at all. In his suit, Thompson claims our firm failed to forward to him payments made by his former employer. That’s patently untrue. His employer refused to make any such payments to him. He claims the fees weren’t explained. That’s also patently false. He signed a contract that clearly sets forth the fees.  He claims that the expenses weren’t explained. Again, patently false. He signed an affidavit at settlement agreeing to the expenses and acknowledging they were explained. Finally, Thompson’s claim that the firm took more than the contractual fee is patently false. He signed an affidavit stating that all was done correctly. The bottom line is that the investigators who manufactured this case and the lawyers who filed it were reckless and foolish. The case is junk and the effort behind it will be exposed."

12/10/24 1:40 PM PT -- Tony Buzbee tells TMZ … "Jay-Z’s investigators contacted more than forty former clients they apparently found on Venmo. They each were offered $1000 to sue me. We have the investigators caught on tape admitting they gave this 'client' money to bring this case. We will be seeking state bar action against the lawyers involved because such conduct is a state law crime and also violates the ethical rules that govern lawyers. The case itself is frivolous and will be dismissed as such."

Jay-Z isn't the only one targeting attorney Tony Buzbee in court -- a former client claims Buzbee acted more like his loan shark than his lawyer in a personal injury case.

Anthony Edwards' potty mouth just cost him some dough -- the NBA just fined the Minnesota Timberwolves star $25K for using "profane language" during a postgame interview.

Joe Dumars, the NBA's Executive Vice President and Head of Basketball Operations, announced the punishment on Monday ... three days after AE dropped the f-bomb while analyzing the Wolves' 107-90 win over the Golden State Warriors.

Even though the words were complimentary of his teammates, Dumars said the two-time All-Star's comments wouldn't fly ... resulting in the hefty fine.

How does one celebrate becoming the richest player in baseball?? For Juan Soto, he soaked in the milestone by getting a beer shower!!

Soto's younger brother and member of the Nationals organization, Elian, showed off the $765 million party on his Instagram story ... with the new New York Met chilling in a hot tub as booze was poured all over his head.

While the star hitter is excited about his new $50 million annual salary, Mets fans are just as pumped for him to switch boroughs -- shortly after the news broke, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell posted himself on a FaceTime call with Soto -- with both giving wide grins.

The commonly used phrase "all good things come to an end" applies not only to us mere mortals, but also to Taylor Swift!

After almost 2 years, 149 shows spanning 5 continents and record-smashing ticket sales, the pop superstar has finally come to the end of her "Eras" tour. Turns out, it was the most profitable concert tour ever -- grossing $2 billion -- and was virtually sold out from start to finish with her "Swifties" relishing every moment of it.

On Sunday, Taylor performed her last gig at BC Place Stadium, Vancouver, Canada, where she dazzled the packed crowd with her typical 46-song set over 3.5 hours.

Katie Holmes is shutting down rumors about daughter Suri Cruise's net worth ... making it clear the 18-year-old didn't just come into a chunk of change.

The actress posted on her Instagram account Sunday, where she called out a recent report that claimed Suri had become a millionaire in her own right thanks to a trust fund she inherited from dad Tom Cruise -- as well as one from her mom.

Yet, as Katie clarified in her upload, this report was a bunch of hogwash ... with the "Dawson's Creek" alum slamming the article as "completely false."

Judy Garland's iconic ruby slippers from "The Wizard of Oz" have found a new home, selling over the weekend for a record-breaking $28 million!!!

The slippers, worn by Judy in the 1939 classic film are one of only four surviving pairs made for the film. Their red sequins and legendary status drew intense interest at Heritage Auctions, which facilitated the sale on Saturday. The winning bidder remains anonymous.

The slippers were stolen in 2005 from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, and remained missing for over a decade. They were recovered during an FBI undercover operation in 2018.

Internet sleuths believe they have found the jacket worn by the gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson ... and now it is morbidly flying off the shelves.

On Reddit, a user speculated the suspect's jacket was a Sherpa Lined Two Picket Hooded Trucker Jacket by Levi's ... sold at Macy's for the retail price of $225.

The jacket's popularity has since spread like wildfire on the company's website ... where more than 6,000 people were viewing the jacket at the same time -- and nearly 700 were sold in the past 48 hours, according to an item popularity tool on Macy's site.

Sophie Rain has been inundated with opportunities since going viral over her massive OnlyFans paycheck ... but a high-end sex doll of her likeness is an offer she can refuse.

RealDoll -- the same sex doll company Lamar Odom purchased a model from -- reached out to the 20-year-old brunette bombshell a couple of times with an offer to recreate her nude torso.

She likely could have made a serious chunk of change for the mold, as those torsos usually retail for $1,900 ... but the company is pretty damn sure they could sell hers for $3K!

But, the butt offer ain't happening ... at least, not anytime soon, as a source close to SR tells us she is not interested right now.

As TMZ exclusively reported ... Sophie has been flooded with different offers since she went viral after claiming she made more than $40 million on OnlyFans this year.

Sophie joined us on "TMZ Live" earlier this week, and told us she's still a virgin and marketing herself as one is a big draw for men.

A source close to Sophie told us she's been getting offers to get her virginity taken on camera for big bucks ... but she isn't interested and passed on all the asks.

Paul Newman's longtime New York City residence could be yours ... if you're willing to shell out a sizable chunk of change for the pad.

The penthouse apartment where the Hollywood legend lived with wife Joanne Woodward has officially hit the market ... for a striking $9.950 million.

This is the first time the lavish Upper Eastside co-op has been made available in more than 40 years. So, it's safe to assume many eyes are on this 2-bedroom, 2.5-bath abode.

Jaylen Brown is paying the price for how he celebrated his insane dunk over Detroit Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart ... with the league hitting him with a hefty fine over it all.

The play in question went down with 12 seconds to go during the Celtics' win over Motor City on Wednesday night, with Brown hitting a nasty poster on Stewart to get the TD Garden going crazy.

In the moment, the 28-year-old emphasized the highlight by making a throat-slashing gesture toward Stewart -- and it turns out the NBA wasn't a fan of the move ... 'cause the league announced he will need to fork over $25K for "making an inappropriate gesture on the playing court."

Oprah was out and about in Los Angeles, rubbing elbows with fellow A-listers at a swanky dinner at the iconic hotspot, Chateau Marmont.

The talk show host was serving up serious style at the Brunello Cucinelli dinner Thursday, rocking a neutral blazer, crisp white shirt, and fringed tie.

Oprah was rubbing elbows with the big leagues at the dinner, chilling with Kevin Costner and Jon Hamm -- oh, to be a fly on the wall!

Ellen DeGeneres is making lemonade out of lemons ... with her skincare line that's got super ironic branding.

The talk show legend has a new ad out for Kind Science ... which is funny, considering she got canceled from Hollywood for being unkind. What's in a name, anyway?!?

Ellen's playing nice here though, at least for the cameras in her living room ... plugging her anti-aging products alongside Portia de Rossi.

Here's an interesting stocking stuffer to consider ... and it's a blast from the past, literally.

A radioactive atomic energy lab kit complete with real uranium is hitting the auction block ... and it's considered the world's most dangerous toy.

Officially known as the Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Laboratory, the toy is from the early 1950s -- back when atomic bombs were relatively new -- and it was marketed as an educational toy for budding scientists.

LeBron and Bronny James' jerseys from the season opener have a new owner ... with the father-son duo's threads selling at auction for more than $100k!!

As we previously reported, the unique package was made available via Sotheby's last month ... with both items believed to have been worn when the Lakers played the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 22 -- the same night Bron and Bronny made NBA history.

It was the first time a father and son shared the NBA court together in a regular season game ... and they did it on the same team.