True Crime

The men’s basketball program at California State University, Bakersfield is at the center of a wild scandal ... after a former player-turned-coach was accused of running a multi-state pimping operation while working for the school.

Authorities say Kevin Mays -- an ex-player for the Roadrunners who later joined the staff as a temporary assistant coach -- is facing 11 criminal and misdemeanor charges, including felony pimping, after an investigation triggered by a shocking anonymous email.

According to reports, then-head coach Rod Barnes received a message in August titled “IMPORTANT MESSAGE 911 911” claiming Mays had been “trafficking a girl since May” across several states. The sender warned in all caps, “FIX IT OR THE WHOLE STAFF WILL FALL.”

Michael Harris -- the new mayor of a small Louisiana city -- tells TMZ his predecessor, Misty Roberts, shocked the population when allegations of her having sex with a teenage boy at a drunken pool party broke.

According to Harris ... his prior impression of Misty is that she was a good wife, mother and person ... but that image was completely shattered by her arrest and subsequent conviction for having carnal knowledge of a juvenile -- a term often used interchangeably with statutory rape.

He said, "I'll use the word disappointment ... the majority of people in town are disappointed. Leadership should have higher standards."

A lawyer for "American Idol" alum Caleb Flynn’s two daughters is asking a judge for a restraining order against the singer, in order to preserve their financial security ... TMZ has learned.

The kids' guardian made the move as Caleb remains locked up on a murder charge over the death of his wife -- the kids' mother, Ashley Flynn. According to the papers, the restraining order should prevent Caleb from transferring any assets ... including money that may have been left behind by Ashley.

Bobby Khan -- a convicted ex-felon running for Congress in Nevada -- just got banned from every MGM Resorts property in Las Vegas and beyond ... and his team says it's because Bobby's been torching the casino giant on social media for their hotel prices.

MGM Resorts fired off a legal warning to Bobby, saying he could face arrest and a potential fine or jail time if he steps foot at the Bellagio, Aria, Cosmopolitan, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Luxor, New York New York, Excalibur, or Vdara casinos.

The letter, obtained by TMZ, also warns Bobby to stay the hell away from T-Mobile Arena in Vegas ... plus Borgata in New Jersey, Beau Rivage in Mississippi, MGM National Harbor in Maryland, and MGM Springfield in Massachusetts ... among others.

Misty Roberts -- the former mayor of a small Louisiana town who was convicted of having carnal knowledge of a juvenile -- is not happy with how her trial turned out ... because she still says she did nothing wrong.

Misty's lawyer Todd Clemons tells TMZ ... Misty is "very, very disappointed" in yesterday's verdict.

Clemons said ... "At this particular point, there's no apology that I'm gonna give on her behalf," adding while Misty respects the jury, she plans to appeal their verdict.

Tucker Carlson's dealing with a stressful situation, and he's got no nicotine pouches to calm him ... because hijackers stole a whole shipment of his product ... TMZ has learned.

We're told the former Fox News host's brand ALP Pouches was set to sell a limited-edition nicotine pouch line called "ALP Drifters" ... but a shipment containing 378,000 tins was stolen last week -- less than 24 hours after the company publicly announced the product.

The shipment of ALP Drifters -- which is said to be worth millions -- was picked up in Southern California logistics facility by someone who "presented what appeared to be legitimate operating credentials," the company told TMZ in a statement. Cameras caught the truck driving out of the facility.

A former mayor of a small Louisiana city is in big trouble ... she was found guilty at trial for having sex with her son's 16-year-old buddy during an alcohol-filled pool party, according to news reports.

Misty Roberts -- ex-mayor of DeRidder, LA, with a population of under 10,000 -- was reportedly convicted by a jury of having sex with a minor in 2024 while she was still in office.

Local news outlets reported it only took the jury less than hour to find the 43-year-old former mayor guilty on two felony charges of carnal knowledge of a juvenile and indecent behavior with a juvenile yesterday.

"American Idol" alum Caleb Flynn is seen getting emotional while asking an officer where his wife's dead body went ... after she was murdered inside their Tipp City, Ohio home.

Check out the body cam video released by police -- Flynn, who has since been charged with his wife Ashley's murder -- wonders if she's been taken to a funeral home. Clearly, this video was recorded not long after her corpse was found deceased in bed ... because the officer says she is still located exactly where she took her last breath.

Police unloaded tons of body cam footage from their initial investigation, including video of Caleb being cuffed and processed at the station ... it's all in the clip. He was arrested Thursday by the Tipp City PD and booked into the county jail for murder, felonious assault, and tampering with evidence.

American Idol alum Caleb Flynn broke down in tears as police swarmed his Ohio home after his wife was shot to death, frantically asking one officer, "Is she gone?" ... according to new body cam footage.

Monday, Tipp City PD released body cam and dashcam video showing officers responding to Flynn's house after he called 911 to report his wife was shot by a burglar on February 16. Police blurred the body cam video inside the house, but not outside.

At one point in the clip ... Flynn is sobbing and repeatedly asking a police officer if his wife is "gone." He then says over and over, "Oh my God."

Here's what it looked like after a gunman opened fire inside a Texas bar over the weekend, killing three and injuring more than a dozen people ... some folks are hiding and some don't seem fazed.

TMZ obtained video from the aftermath of Saturday night's mass shooting at Buford's Backyard Beer Garden on Austin's West 6th Street ... and you see bar patrons cowering in fear, and hiding behind tables and columns.

At least a couple dudes were more interested in taking photos of themselves amid all the death and destruction than actually looking out for their safety ... you can see them boldly taking each other's photos in the middle of the room.

Kiefer Sutherland isn't in the clear yet regarding allegations he threatened and assaulted an Uber driver ... but the case is still being closely examined by authorities as more clues come to light.

The L.A. County District Attorney's Office tells us ... they're reviewing newly submitted evidence and the matter is under review. However, TMZ has learned no charges have been brought forward as of yet.

Cher's son Elijah Blue Allman seems to be racking up charges lately ... after being arrested for assault on Friday, he was taken into custody again on Sunday for felony burglary, TMZ has learned.

According to docs obtained by TMZ, Allman allegedly broke into a home in Windham, New Hampshire, Sunday ... leading to a female resident hiding in a closet.

The report says police arrived to find Allman sitting on the living room couch, smoking a cigarette ... and he was arrested without incident ... though nothing appeared to be missing from the home.

A $10 million lawsuit against Kodak Black over a shooting at an after-party during Super Bowl LVI weekend has been dropped, and it can't be refiled ... TMZ has learned.

Remember ... a shooting took place outside The Nice Guy restaurant in Los Angeles on February 12, 2022 at an event hosted by Justin Bieber. Kodak reportedly took a bullet to the leg during the kerfuffle, and 2 bystanders -- Mark Schaefer and Adam Rahman -- were also allegedly shot.

Schaefer and Rahman ended up suing Kodak for their injuries, claiming he escalated the situation, which they say eventually led to someone else firing a weapon.

While Jeffrey Epstein's island and jet have been a point of fascination for years, his New Mexico mansion has gotten less scrutiny, until now ... state officials have renewed interest in the ranch, which is rumored to have dead bodies buried on site.

According to The New York Times, Epstein purchased the sprawling 30,000-square-foot estate -- known as the Zorro Ranch -- in 1993 from the family of former NM Governor Bruce King. Epstein was reportedly drawn to "The Land of Enchantment," as the state is called, due to its obscurity and the lenient sex offender registry laws.

In 2019, the year Epstein died, an anonymous tip from someone who claimed to have worked at the ranch alleged that Epstein ordered the dead bodies of 2 abused girls to be buried in the hills outside the ranch, NYT reports.

The feds are going hard on the anti-ICE demonstration Don Lemon covered at a Minnesota church ... because dozens more protestors are going to be arrested.

According to a superseding federal indictment, obtained by TMZ, the feds are charging 30 new people. Don and 8 others were already arrested and charged in relation to the January 18 protest.

The feds say a group of approximately 40 "agitators" went into Cities Church in St. Paul in a "coordinated takeover-style attack and engaged in acts of oppression, intimidation, threats, interference, and physical obstruction."

Shia LaBeouf asked a Louisiana judge to defer to an even higher power ... begging the court to be allowed to leave the country to attend his father's baptism.

The actor filed documents earlier this week requesting to leave the jurisdiction from March 1 to March 8 for religious reasons to see his dad, Jeffrey ... who is set to be baptized in Rome, Italy.

Shia has no scheduled court appearances for the dates in question, his lawyers argued ... and, he was happy to provide the address where he's saying to the court upon request.