Harvey Weinstein D.A. Says He Has Some Tricks Up His Sleeve ... Despite Witness Tampering
The Manhattan D.A. prosecuting Harvey Weinstein says he's got something up his sleeve ... doubling down the criminal case will move forward despite some major setbacks.
Cyrus Vance Jr. told our producer at an event Thursday night in NYC ... he's confident the remaining counts against Weinstein will stick ... this after Vance agreed to dismiss one of the sexual assault counts after learning lead detective, Nicholas DiGaudio, allegedly engaged in witness tampering.
Check out the audio ... Vance won't take a stand with our producer on whether or not the detective's actions were criminal. Our producer persisted and said the detective was involved in all of the counts against Weinstein, so it stands to reason the entire case may be tainted.
Vance shot back, not so fast ...
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Megyn Kelly Character in Ailes Movie Won't Be Rewritten ... In Wake of NBC Firing
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Megyn Kelly's spectacular fall at NBC will NOT affect the movie about Roger Ailes that features her ... because we're told her character as written is "very flawed" and consistent with what people know.
Sources connected with the production tell TMZ, Megyn's character, played by Charlize Theron, will not be rewritten in the wake of her racially insensitive comment that ultimately did her in at the Peacock network.
We've spoken with people who have read the script and they say Megyn is not portrayed as a hero in the story of FNC honcho Roger Ailes and a pattern of sexual harassment that went on for years.
We're told the script for the movie -- with the working title, "Fair and Balanced," showcases Megyn as "ambitious, hard-working and not highly intelligent." It's unclear from the script if her character is self-serving or righteous.
Kelly has said, during her tenure at FNC, Ailes tried to physically grab her and make out with her. She has said Ailes made lewd jokes and sexually suggestive comments to her. She says after repeatedly rebuffing his overtures, he asked her when her contract was up. Kelly never gave in and kept her job.
We're told Kelly's character does not come off as "an Erin Brockovich." She doesn't come off as a hero or, as one person who read the script said, "It's not like you say, 'Oh my God I love that girl!'"
As it was put to us, "You don't feel like, 'I hope she prevails. It's more like, 'What happened to her is really f***** up."
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Michigan Gymnastics Coach Arrested For Banging Gymnast ... In Public
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An assistant coach for the University of Michigan gymnastics team was arrested earlier this month for having sex in public after officials say he nailed an 18-year-old member of the UM team in a car.
The asst. coach is 39-year-old Scott Vetere -- a former stud gymnast back in the day who was the 2000 Big Ten Gymnast of the Year.
Officials say Vetere and a female gymnast were doing floor exercises in a car in the parking lot of an Ann Arbor apartment building on Oct. 8 ... when they were spotted by police and arrested for performing an indecent act in public.
The female gymnast was also arrested. Both parties are due back in court next month.
A rep for the University of Michigan confirmed Vetere was "immediately suspended" when the school learned of his arrest.
He later resigned from his position and no longer works for the University.
Story developing ...
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Pro Skateboarder Neal Hendrix Accused of Sexually Assaulting 14-Year-Old ... Cops Investigating
Former pro skateboarder Neal Hendrix has been accused of sexually assaulting a much younger female pro skater when she was just 14 years old .... and now cops are investigating.
25-year-old Julie Lynn Kindstrand Nelson -- known professionally as Julz Lynn -- went public with the accusations on Tuesday ... saying Hendrix "used his position of influence to pursue his own sexual ambitions, which included luring me to have sex with him" ... beginning when he was in his early 30s.
Julz told espnW ... Hendrix first met her at a skate park in 2006 and convinced her to come to his apartment for "sex lessons." She also claims Hendrix masturbated in front of her and took naked videos of her while she was underage.
Julz has reached out to the Costa Mesa Police Department in CA -- and has also called for other possible victims of Hendrix to come forward.
She's also pointing the finger at skate officials -- saying the International Olympic Committee and USOC "never cared to pay any attention or look into illegal inappropriate interactions with many underage athletes."
Julz says her experience with Hendrix took her innocence and destroyed her career ... and now she's "in the process of getting my life back together."
Hendrix -- now 45 -- won five X Games medals during his career ... and has been a TV commentator for big events like Dew Tour and X Games. He's also on the USA Skateboarding executive committee.
So far, Hendrix has declined to comment on the allegations.
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Colton Underwood Macking Down In My Hometown
Say this for famed virgin Colton Underwood, America's next 'Bachelor' knows his way around first base ... just look at his mile-high make out!
We've obtained footage of Colton and one of his suitors on a super cute one-on-one date Monday at the Denver Milk Market ... which is really interesting because they're in Colton's hometown.
Check out the clip ... Colton and his date have great chemistry ... holding hands, flirting and kissing as they shop for pasta, salmon and wine. They were also spotted playing corn hole. Take notes, fellas. Pretty solid date.
It's the first time we've seen Colton in public since the start of filming ... and it looks like he's taking a page from Rachel Lindsay's book.
The mystery girl is one of the lucky ones ... she's clearly made it deep into the season.
Colton's family lives just outside of Denver ... so we're guessing he might be bringing this one home. Gotta run it by the parents before potentially losing your v-card, right?!?
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Sarah Silverman Louis C.K. Pulled Masturbating Move on Me ... I Gave Him Consent
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Louis C.K. whipped out his junk in front of Sarah Silverman, and masturbated in front of her -- but she was totally cool with it ... most of the time.
Yeah, we just said that. Sarah made the pretty startling reveal Monday on the 'Howard Stern Show' ... telling Howard about her early days in comedy with Louis. She says he asked if he could masturbate, and she told him, "F**k yeah, I want to see that!"
Sarah said there were times she told him no, and he would comply. She added they'd also go streaking together while "letting our freak flags fly."
She made a very important distinction, though, between herself and the women who accused him of sexual misconduct. Sarah says she and Louis were peers, on the same level as they were getting their starts -- unlike his accusers, over whom he had power in the biz.
We got Louis a couple weeks ago in NYC, and he's definitely in better spirits these days.
Sarah says she's fine with him making a comeback, as long as he addresses the allegations onstage ... and maybe she's made that point to him. He had a gig outside Boston over the weekend, and made a quick reference to having had a bad year.
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'Cat Daddy' Rapper Please Don't Bust Me ... That Chick's Gonna Have Sex with Me!!!
One of the guys behind the "Cat Daddy" dance craze got busted in L.A. -- but, the ONLY thing on his mind at the time of his arrest was getting some action from a chick he'd just met ... at 2 AM.
TMZ obtained this video of Jovan "Pee Wee" Clayton -- formerly a member of The Rej3ctz -- getting arrested early Thursday morning by bounty hunters. They told him they were hauling him in for an outstanding domestic battery warrant, but you gotta see the vid.
Pee Wee couldn't care less about the charge, he was laser-focused on Lima, the woman he met on Instagram but had finally just met in person ... right before the bounty hunters took him down.
When they told him they found 3 boxes of condoms in her truck, he fired back ... "I know!!! I was about to f**k the s**t outta her!" His tone changed drastically when they told him she also had a particular sex toy. Just watch.
Bad news for Pee Wee -- law enforcement sources tell us his dream girl, Lima, was actually the confidential informant who dropped the dime on him.
LAPD booked him for felony domestic abuse, and his bail was set at $100k.
On a positive note -- Pee Wee's cellmates can all bone up on their "Cat Daddy."
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T.I.'s Melania Video Look-alike Stripper Getting Death Threats
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The woman playing the role of Melania Trump and T.I.'s personal lap dancer in the rapper's salacious video has no regrets taking the gig, despite getting a bunch of death threats.
Melanie Marden tells TMZ ... her life has been threatened on a daily basis. She can't believe people are so riled up they're going after an actress just trying to make a living.
And, speaking of people with time on their hands, Melanie takes aim at the First Lady's reps for taking the rap vid waaaay too seriously.
The actress thinks everyone needs to chill and focus on real problems, like finding a cure for cancer.
Melanie's not backing down from portraying the First Lady in an extremely sexual light, but she concedes the video could have been presented in a better way.
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Heidi Fleiss Poor Diet Killed Dennis Hof
Dennis Hof's longtime pal in the sex biz, Heidi Fleiss, tells us the famous brothel owner's sugary diet and poor eating habits played a major role in his death.
Heidi would know better than anyone ... she's known Dennis forever and tells us he was constantly chowing down on an insane amount of Fudgsicles before and after dinner, and things got so bad recently, Dennis could barely walk.
Dennis' eating habits were so out of whack, Heidi says the famous pimp equated a Taco Bell salad to kale. She's convinced Dennis' declining health was a direct result of his poor diet, and believes it contributed to Hof's death.
The two longtime friends were planning to turn things around with a health retreat, but Heidi says they never got the chance.
As we first reported ... Dennis' Love Ranch has been shut down in the wake of his sudden death, and the future of his other brothel, the Bunny Ranch, is also up in the air.
As for what's next for the sex ranches ... the Hollywood Madam is dropping hints about the whorehouses' future, and whether she's going to get involved.
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Harvey Weinstein's Rape Case Cops and Prosecutors Butt Heads ... Over Alleged Witness Tampering
The criminal case against Harvey Weinstein is on the verge of collapse as prosecutors and cops are clashing over allegations the lead detective engaged in repeated acts of witness tampering.
Law enforcement sources are clapping back Thursday at prosecutors' allegations that lead detective Nicholas DiGaudio instructed one of Weinstein's alleged victims to delete relevant information from her phone prior to turning it over to prosecutors.
Sources familiar with the case say DiGaudio is calling BS ... claiming he only told the alleged victim she could do whatever she wanted with "intimate stuff" from her phone before turning it over to investigators, including potentially embarrassing photos.
As for the prosecutors' assertion that DiGaudio also told the alleged victim "we just won't tell [the assistant D.A.]" about the deleted photos, sources say he has "no recollection" of ever making that statement.
This is another huge setback for prosecutors. They already agreed to dismiss a sexual assault case where the alleged victim claimed she was forced to engage in oral sex with Weinstein ... this after a witness came forward and said she told Detective DiGaudio the alleged victim told her the sex was consensual. DiGaudio allegedly told the woman not to cooperate.
Prosecutors say they will still go forward with the remaining charges, but whenever the D.A. and the cops are at odds, the case is on life support at best.
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Dennis Hof Bye Bye, Love Ranch ... Brothel Shut Down
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You're gonna have to go somewhere else to fulfill your wildest fantasies ... because we've learned Dennis Hof's famous Nevada whorehouse closed its doors the day he died.
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the Love Ranch was shut down Tuesday immediately after the owner's death.
Dennis was the sole owner of the famous brothel where Lamar Odom overdosed, and no one else is legally permitted to run the biz. The Love Ranch had its prostitution and liquor licenses stripped, 'cause Dennis was the only name on the paperwork.
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Other sources tell us sheriffs hit up the Love Ranch Wednesday night and took away the girls' permits to legally prostitute themselves. The women have been told to hit the road.
It's been a long time coming ... we're told sheriffs have been trying to close the Love Ranch ever since Dennis announced he was running for State Assembly.
The brothel's future looks bleak ... the Love Ranch can't reopen until someone else locks down licenses, and that person will have to prove they own the property, prove it can be financially stable and pass background checks. It's not clear who will inherit the property.
There's still some good news for those starved for sex ... Hof's other whorehouse, the Bunny Ranch, is still operating.
But, get those last pumps in quick, we're told the D.A. is exploring whether to shut down the Bunny Ranch as well.
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Ex-USA Gymnastics President Arrested by U.S. Marshals ... Connected to Nassar Case
Steve Penny -- the former president of USA Gymnastics -- was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Tennessee on Wednesday stemming from allegations he tampered with evidence in the Larry Nassar case.
Officials say Penny went to the famed Karolyi Ranch training facility in Texas and removed documents linked to Nassar's sexual assault case.
It's interesting considering one of Penny's former top staffers testified back in June that she told him about Nassar's misconduct and was told to keep her mouth shut.
The Walker County District Attorney says Penny was indicted by a grand jury roughly 3 weeks ago. They tracked him down at a cabin in Tennessee this week and took him into custody.
"The indictment further alleges that the removal of the documents was done for the purpose of impairing the ongoing investigation by destroying or hiding the documents," the U.S. Marshals said.
Prosecutors say Penny had the documents be sent to him at USA Gymnastics headquarters in Indianapolis. Officials still have not located the documents.
If convicted, Penny -- who resigned as USA Gymnastics president in 2017 -- faces up to 10 years in prison.
Attorney John Manly -- whose firm represents more than 180 of Nassar's sexual assault victims -- says his clients are "grateful" for the arrest.
"Mr. Penny is exactly where he belongs for his enabling a pedophile."
"These brave young women and girls deserve justice."
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Harvey Weinstein Lead Det. Told Victim to Delete Info from Her Phone
The case against Harvey Weinstein suffered a massive blow when prosecutors had to admit the lead detective on the case advised one of the alleged victims to delete information from her phone.
Prosecutors sent a letter Wednesday to Weinstein's attorney, Ben Brafman, informing him that NYPD Det. Nicholas DiGaudio had a conversation with the alleged rape victim about the contents of her phone before she turned it over to the D.A.'s Office.
According to the letter, the woman was concerned about prosecutors seeing things on her phone. It's unclear if that info was relevant to the case -- but the problem for prosecutors is, according to the letter, Det. DiGaudio told her to delete anything she was concerned about, and added ... "we just won't tell [the assistant D.A]."
It's a huge setback for the prosecution, especially on the heels of the Lucia Evans bombshell. As we reported, DiGaudio failed to disclose a witness statement to prosecutors -- and, as a result, the sexual assault charge against Weinstein was dropped.
The D.A.'s Office says it's still moving forward with the case against Weinstein.
Brafman tells TMZ, "Only those totally uninformed would suggest that these are 'technical' issues. Nothing is further from the truth. The fact is that these issues undermine the fundamental integrity of the judicial process. This case is falling apart because it is a fundamentally bad case and bad cases eventually fall apart even when law enforcement officials try and stack the deck against the accused."
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Dennis Hof No Drugs Found at Death Scene ... Was Healthy Weeks Before
Dennis Hof was the picture of health before his untimely death, and there are no obvious signs he was under the influence when he died ... TMZ has learned.
Law enforcement sources tell us no drugs or alcohol were found near Hof's body Tuesday when paramedics arrived at his Love Ranch home in Crystal, Nevada. An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday.
Sources close to the late owner of the famous Bunny Ranch brothels say Hof did not drink or take drugs of any kind -- and insist even his signature cigar was fake.
Also interesting ... we're told 72-year-old Hof was given a clean bill of health just 2 weeks ago after undergoing cataract surgery at the Mayo Clinic. Our sources say Hof appeared to be in tip-top shape last weekend during his birthday celebrations.
We're told friends became concerned Tuesday when they weren't able to get a hold of him, as sources say he was always up by 4:30 AM and easily reachable by cell unless he had company.
Since he wasn't answering Tuesday, his pals assumed that was the case ... until Ron Jeremy discovered his body at his home around 11 AM.
Hof was in the middle of a campaign for State Assembly in Nevada before he passed.
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Dennis Hof Bunny Ranch Owner Dead at 72
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Dennis Hof -- the owner of the famous Bunny Ranch, and Love Ranch where Lamar Odom overdosed -- has passed away at the age of 72.
Law enforcement sources tell us they got a 911 call from Hof's Love Ranch in Crystal, Nevada around 11 AM. We're told the call was for an unresponsive male. Detectives are currently on scene ... no foul play is suspected.
Hof had recently celebrated his birthday with a weekend-long bash that included celebs like Ron Jeremy, Flavor Flav, Afroman and Johnny Buss. According to Hof's campaign manager, Jeremy was the one who discovered his body.
Hof shot to superstardom as the star of the HBO series 'Cathouse' -- which followed him as he ran his famous brothels in Nevada.
Hof bragged about being a pimp -- and came up with his own catchphrase, "There's no business like ho business."
The most infamous incident under Hof's watch went down in October 2015 when Lamar Odom overdosed after a bender at Hof's Love Ranch South. Blood tests later revealed Lamar had cocaine in his system. Odom was placed in a coma for 3 days after the incident.
In a recent interview, Lamar revealed he suffered 12 strokes and 6 heart attacks while hospitalized for the incident.
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Hof was a master when it came to publicity -- he famously hired Tiger Woods' mistress Devon James to work at the Bunny Ranch back in 2010. He fired her and at the time said, "I wish nothing but the worst for her."
Hof was currently in the middle of a campaign for State Assembly ... winning the GOP primary in June.
He was also extremely close with sex legends Heidi Fleiss and Ron Jeremy.
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Cardi B and Offset Here's Our Position on Birthday Sex ...
Cardi B and Offset were out on the town Friday night -- LATE -- Migos performed with Drake at an L.A. concert.
The couple left Poppy in WeHo Saturday at around 2 AM ... mostly in silence, although Cardi was happily posing super hard for a slew of paparazzi.
Offset and crew performed at Staples Center to a packed house earlier in the evening.
We asked Cardi if her 26th birthday went off with a bang ... referring to her birthday wish that her husband put her in 30 different positions ... like a New York pretzel.
Mission accomplished?