NBA YoungBoy Not Guilty In Federal Gun Case

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UPDATE

1:07 PM PT -- A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles tells TMZ, "We believe the evidence presented in this case supported the charges brought by the grand jury. While we are disappointed with the verdict, we respect the jury’s decision."

UPDATE

11:28 AM PT -- YoungBoy's attorney, Andre Belanger, tells TMZ the rapper put his head down and started to cry when the verdict was read ... it's been a stressful and emotional situation for him. In walking out of the courtroom, Belanger tells us YB exclaimed, "I was never guilty of this."

NBA YoungBoy has just been found not guilty in his federal gun case.

The verdict, confirmed by both NBA's lawyer Andre Belanger and the U.S. Attorney's Office comes after a 3-day trial ... the jury found him not guilty of a charge of illegal firearms possession over a loaded handgun found in his car last year.

As we reported, LAPD and the feds attempted to pull over a vehicle the rapper was in last March on an outstanding federal warrant.

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SEARCHING FOR YOUNGBOY

The guy apparently didn't give up easily -- a short pursuit went down, but once the car stopped, cops said the rapper bolted on foot. Police set up a perimeter and brought in a K-9 to help find YoungBoy. The gun in question was found in his vehicle.

He was released on a $500K bond from federal prison back in October, but the judge ordered him to sit in home confinement in Utah until his trial date.

Support was shown for the rapper leading up to his sentencing -- a swarm of fans surrounded the court entrance in L.A. Friday as they awaited the verdict. Floyd Mayweather also showed up to court this week.

Kanye West Production Co. Sues ... You Screwed Us Out of $7M!!!

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Kanye West and his team continued to string a production company along with unfulfilled promises of payment, which eventually swelled up to more than $7 million ... according to the company, which is now suing Ye.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Phantom Labs says they worked on multiple large-scale projects with Kanye between June 2021 to March 2022. Among the ventures were 4 weeks of Sunday Service, a listening event for "Donda 2," the "Free Larry Hoover" show with Drake and his canceled 2022 Coachella performance.

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HITTIN' THE STAGE TOGETHER

Phantom, repped by attorney Howard King, says at first, Ye and team were good about making payments -- but it wasn't long before bills started to pile up -- and by February 2022, they say they were owed over $6 million.

The docs say Ye had allegedly promised to settle his debt with Phantom, using the reported $9 million he was supposed to make at Coachella, but when he unexpectedly canceled on the festival, Phantom says it became clear, Ye wasn't going to pay.

Phantom says in addition to the $6 million tab Ye already had with the company, they were hit with another $1.1 million in Coachella-related cancelation fees they also want Ye to cover.

TMZ broke the story, Kanye backed out of Coachella less than 2 weeks before the festival kicked off. While the reason behind his cancelation still isn't totally known, he made the decision after a rough few months which saw him lash out against Kim Kardashian.

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WEEKND WRAP UP

The Weeknd and Swedish House Mafia eventually filled Kanye's headlining spot, and got a ton of praise for an incredible performance.

As for Phantom, they're suing for breach of contract, among other things, and want Ye to fork over the $7.1 million they say they're owed, plus more.

Alex Murdaugh Charged with Killing Wife & Son

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Alex Murdaugh — who’s at the center of a double murder scandal in South Carolina — has been charged with murder in connection to the killings of his wife and son.

The disgraced powerhouse attorney was indicted by a grand jury Wednesday, which heard evidence from prosecutors and decided there was enough to charge Murdaugh with two counts of murder ... according to the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.

Maggie Murdaugh and 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh were found dead at the family’s hunting property last summer after they were shot and killed by what investigators believed were two different weapons. Alex told investigators he discovered them there after the fact, and claimed he had an alibi as to his whereabouts at the time of the murders.

Despite being a person of interest for a while, Murdaugh was never formally charged over their deaths. He was, however, arrested and charged for allegedly trying to stage his own death months later.

Murdaugh survived the ordeal — a gunshot wound to the head that left superficial injuries — but prosecutors claim his intention was to actually die, and have his surviving son collect a $10 million life insurance policy. Instead, he lived … and was subsequently accused of trying to hatch an elaborate scheme.

In addition to those charges, he’s also been hit with dozens of other charges over financial crimes — prosecutors claim he swindled various people out of millions of dollars through his legal practice.

Murdaugh has pled not guilty to all the charges thus far. He’s due in court later this week, and is expected to enter a plea on the new murder charges as well.

He’s currently being held in jail on a $7 million bond.

Britney Spears Judge Says Jamie Must Sit For Depo ... No Decision on Brit Yet

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6:09 PM PT -- Britney's dad has to sit for his deposition in Los Angeles before August 12, the judge ruled, but a specific date and location for the depo have not been determined.

UPDATE

The heated court hearing just ended, with no appearances from Britney or Jamie, and there's one other item worth noting ... Jamie wanted Britney to produce documents before the depo, but the judge denied him. We're told Jamie plans to file an appeal.

Britney Spears' father can't dodge her attorney Mathew Rosengart anymore ... a judge has ruled Jamie Spears will be grilled about the conservatorship.

The ruling came down Wednesday in Los Angeles, and as you know ... Britney's dad and Rosengart have been going back and forth for months on this issue. Jamie has insisted that his lawyers be allowed to depose his daughter as well.

On that matter, the judge was prepared to deny the motion to compel Britney to be deposed -- but after hearing arguments, decided to put off a final ruling until July 27.

As for Jamie's deposition ... we don't know yet when it will happen, but we know Rosengart has been very vocal about wanting him to hand over documents and answer questions about how the conservatorship was operated under his watch.

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WHAT DO WE WANT? #FREEBRITNEY

In particular, he's claimed Jamie blew way too much of Brit's money. Rosengart also wants to interrogate him about cameras and listening devices being placed in Britney's room.

Jamie's argument for Britney being deposed centers on the fact she's made so many accusations about how he's treated her -- such as claiming he forced her into rehab and wouldn't allow her to get married -- and he deserves to question her under oath about those allegations.

Originally Published -- 4:06 PM PT

Amber Heard Shut Down By Judge ... Sorry, No Jury Fraud Here

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Amber Heard lost what may have been her best argument for a new trial ... because the judge has just slammed the gavel on her claim that one of the jurors committed fraud.

Amber's legal team had filed docs claiming one of the jurors actually took the summons from his father -- who shared the same name -- and got himself fraudulently empaneled. The father and son live together.

The judge didn't buy what Amber was selling, ruling there was no fraud because the summons did not include a birth date. What's unclear ... does the son's name have anything distinguishing him from his dad, like a "junior" or a "II" at the end. Whatever ... the judge said there was no fraud, suggesting either the father or son could have shown up for jury service.

What's more ... the judge said Amber's motion was sour grapes ... she could have made it much earlier, but the only reason she's doing it now is that she lost the case. In other words, she sat on her hands, so she gets no judicial relief.

Amber also argued the $10 million compensatory damage award that Johnny Depp received was excessive. No surprise here, the judge turned thumbs down on Amber. There was testimony Johnny lost way more than that after his movie roles were pulled in the wake of Amber's defamatory Op-Ed in the Washington Post.

Short story ... Amber was shut down. She can still appeal but her chances of winning are slim to none.

'Love Is Blind' Jeremy Hartwell NETFLIX HAD US DRUNK, STARVED, SLEEP-DEPRIVED ... And Paid Us Like Crap!!!

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"Love is Blind" contestant Jeremy Hartwell says the producers behind the Netflix reality show plied contestants with booze, deprived them of food and water, and paid them less than minimum wage ... and now he's suing.

Jeremy, who appeared on season two of the popular reality dating show, is going after Netflix, production company Kinetic Content and casting company Delirium TV with a class action lawsuit.

According to the suit, obtained by TMZ, the show manufactured drama by forcing the contestants to film while they were drunk, starved, sleep-deprived and underpaid.

Jeremy claims the only drinks regularly provided to the cast were alcoholic beverages, energy drinks, soft drinks and mixers ... he says water was strictly limited during long days on set.

He claims producers would sometimes even withhold hotel room keys so contestants couldn't get sleep, while directing hotel staff not to provide the cast with food.

Jeremy says the combination of sleep deprivation, isolation, lack of food, and an excess of alcohol contributed to inhumane working conditions on the show ... and says it made cast members hungry for social connections, altering their emotions and decision-making.

In the show, contestants go to separate pods to meet their dates, flirting and conversing through speakers while unable to see the other person. In order to meet in person, two contestants have to first get engaged.

Jeremy says he left the show feeling like a zombie and realized he was open to emotional manipulation during production.

As for the pay scale ... Jeremy says producers paid the cast a flat rate of $1,000 per week and forced them to work up to 20 hours a day, 7 days a week, working out to as little as $7.14 an hour ... well below L.A. County's $15 minimum wage.

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Jeremy, who wants more contestants from 'Love Is Blind' and other reality shows to join his class action suit, is going after Netflix, Kinetic and Delirium for money, and he wants them hit with civil penalties for labor code violations.

We reached out to Kinetic Content ... so far no word back.

Mickey Rourke I Know How Johnny Depp Feels ... Calls Amber Heard A 'Gold Digger'

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THE TRUTH ALWAYS COMES OUT

Mickey Rourke stands in strong defense of his pal Johnny Depp after his legal war ... saying he's been in the same position as him, and he thinks Amber Heard is nothing but a gold digger.

Mickey joined Piers Morgan for an interview on Britain's Talk TV Tuesday, admitting he knows what it feels like to go through what Johnny did, claiming he's also been blamed for something he didn't do.

He says he went through a costly battle, giving him a bad reputation, and it wasn't until he'd lost tons of work that the "truth came out" ... allowing him to land roles once again.

Unclear exactly what Mickey feels he was blamed for -- he didn't get specific -- but it is true he seemed to be blacklisted in Hollywood in the '90s.

As for Amber Heard, MR says he sees right through her -- he refers to her as "some gold digger" ... Piers asks if he truly believes that, to which he responds, "Abso- f***ing-lutely."

As we reported, Amber filed legal docs last week claiming one of the jurors in the defamation trial was fraudulently empaneled -- saying a man was summoned to be a juror for the trial, but his son appeared instead. She believes that's grounds to throw out the verdict and have a new trial.

Johnny's lawyers fired back, saying she's grasping at straws ... and the $10M judgment accurately reflects the financial loss he suffered after she defamed him.

Elon Musk Sued by Twitter for Backing Out of Deal ... You Said $44 Bil, Now Pay Up!!!

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Twitter's delivering on its promise to sue Elon Musk for backing out of what they say was his promise to buy the platform -- and they want a judge to force him to follow through.

In the lawsuit, Twitter says it's clear that Elon's only backing out because the stock market tanked right after he signed the deal in April to purchase for $44 billion. The company says that dip reduced Musk's wealth by $100 billion, and Twitter's value also slumped ... making his offer even more over the company's market value.

Translation: His offer suddenly looked ridiculous, and that's the only reason he wanted out.

According to the suit, Twitter's not buying his excuse about the platform being riddled with bot accounts ... calling that a "model of hypocrisy." As Twitter puts it ... Elon had very publicly said one of the reasons he wanted to buy Twitter was to "defeat the spam bots."

Bottom line for Twitter ... Musk signed on the dotted line, so he should have to pony up. It's asking the court to force him to close the deal at the agreed upon price of (GULP) ... $44 BILLION.

Alabama Prison Escape Casey White Charged With Felony Murder ... Over Prison Guard's Death

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Casey White, the inmate who escaped from an Alabama prison before getting caught, just got charged over the death of the prison guard who was on the run with him.

Casey is charged with felony murder in connection with the death of Vicky White, who died from a gunshot wound to the head when police were closing in on them.

The grand jury indictment, obtained by TMZ, alleges Casey caused Vicky's death in the course of committing escape in the first degree.

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SUSPECTS APPREHENDED

Remember ... Casey and Vicky were on the run for 11 days after his prison escape, leading to a national manhunt. They were tracked down to a small town in Indiana, where they got into a police chase and crashed their car in a cornfield. Vicky then allegedly shot herself in the head.

Casey was pulled from the wreckage and taken into custody ... and law enforcement officials said he showed no remorse in learning of Vicky's death.

Prosecutors say Casey, who is already serving a 75-year sentence for a 2015 crime spree, was served a copy of the indictment Monday in prison.

'Yellowstone' Actress Charged with Fraud ... Allegedly Got $96k in Disability While Working!!!

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Q'orianka Kilcher has been charged with insurance fraud over what officials claim was improper collection of disability benefits over 2 years ... amounting to tens of thousands.

The actress -- who's appeared on 'Yellowstone' lately -- was slapped with 2 felony counts of workers' comp insurance fraud after an investigation by the California Department of Insurance.

The agency says Kilcher started making claims back in 2019, and allegedly raked in north of $90,000 in disability benefits.

According to CDOI -- Kilcher had reported a work-related neck and shoulder injury she allegedly suffered in October 2018 while filming 'Dora and the Lost City of Gold,' for which they say she sought treatment a few times that year ... only to stop and start back up again a year later, when she apparently told her doctor the pain had returned and she wasn't able to work due to the neck pain.

That turned out to be BS, at least according to the Dept., because it claims she actually had been working right before she told the doctor the pain was too severe to do her job -- filming 'Yellowstone' between July and October of 2019. According to records, she started getting benefits just 5 days after last working on the show.

Officials allege she continued to collect disability money until Sept. 2021 ... amassing a total of $96,838. Kilcher -- who's big break came as Pocahontas in 2005's "The New World" -- turned herself in and was arraigned this past May.

'Cheer' Star Jerry Harris Sex Offender Registration, Treatment Program To Follow Prison Sentence

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"Cheer" star Jerry Harris will have a lengthy list of rules to follow after doing time for his child pornography case ... including completion of multiple treatment programs.

According to legal documents, obtained by TMZ, Harris' registration as a sex offender will be just the tip of the iceberg.

The terms of his supervised release require him to participate in a mental health program, and take any meds prescribed by the treatment provider.

On top of that, he'll also have to go through a sex offender treatment program, which might include psychological and physiological testing.

In addition to the treatment, there's an obvious criterion -- Harris is forbidden from coming into contact with the minors involved in his case.

As you know, Harris was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison last week after a string of his friends and supporters read statements about the disgraced reality star's character.

He was facing up to 50 years after pleading guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography, and one count of traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. Prosecutors had recommended a 15-year sentence, so the judge showed some leniency.

'General Hospital' Star Steve Burton Files for Divorce

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"General Hospital" star Steve Burton is pulling the plug on his marriage after 23 years ... TMZ has learned.

Steve beelined it to court and filed docs to divorce his pregnant wife Sheree Gustin, who he has previously accused of having another man's baby.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Steve lists March 1 as the date of separation ... and he's citing the usual "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the split.

As we reported ... Steve claimed in May that Sheree was having a baby, but the baby-to-be wasn't his.

Steve and Sheree tied the knot way back in January 1999 and they have 3 kids together ... including 2 minor children in 16-year-old Jack and 8-year-old Brooklyn.

Steve is seeking joint legal and physical custody of the kids.

The soap star also wants the court to terminate either party's ability to get spousal support once they legally part ways.

Johnny Depp Pushes Back on Amber ... My $10 Million Verdict Was Fair!!!

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Johnny Depp is scoffing at Amber Heard's move to set aside his jury verdict on grounds it was excessive ... firing back that the $10 million judgment reflects the loss he actually suffered after she defamed him.

Johnny's lawyers say there's clear evidence that after Amber's Op-Ed appeared in the Washington Post back in 2018, he had no work ... he didn't appear in a single studio production until October, 2020. That alone, the lawyers say, supports the $10M verdict.

In fact, Depp's legal docs refer to one of Johnny's reps negotiating a deal for the 6th installment of "Pirates of the Caribbean" for $22.5 million. Just prior to the Op-Ed being published, the producer, Jerry Bruckheimer, was all in, saying he really wanted Johnny.

As you know, after the Op-Ed, Johnny was persona non grata on the production.

The lawyers say Johnny proved with experts during the trial his actual loss came to far more than $10M ... it was more than $40 million.

Short story ... Johnny's lawyers say Amber is grasping at straws.

TMZ broke the story ... Amber filed legal docs last week claiming one of the jurors fraudulently was empaneled. Her legal team says a man was summoned, but someone with the same name from his household -- the man's son -- took the summons to court and became a juror, and that, her team says, should warrant a new trial. Johnny's team fired back ... Amber could have objected at the beginning of the trial but didn't, so it's tough luck for her.

'RHOSLC' STAR JEN SHAH Pleads Guilty in Fraud Case

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UPDATE

11:30 AM PT -- Jen's attorney, Priya Chaudhry, tells us, "Ms. Shah is a good woman who crossed a line. She accepts full responsibility for her actions and deeply apologizes to all who have been harmed. Ms. Shah is also sorry for disappointing her husband, children, family, friends, and supporters. Jen pled guilty because she wants to pay her debt to society and put this ordeal behind her and her family."

Jen Shah is no longer claiming total innocence in her fraud case ... because she just changed course and took a plea deal.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" star filed a change of plea notice Monday with the court.

Jen just went before a judge and pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with telemarketing ... and as part of her plea deal, federal prosecutors dropped one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The plea deal comes a week before Jen's trial was set to begin ... and it calls for a sentence of up to 14 years behind bars and for Jen to pay back over $9 million to her alleged victims and forfeit another $6 million.

As we reported, Jen's attorney said she was "totally innocent" in the wake of her March 2021 arrest for allegedly targeting and scamming folks out of their money as part of an alleged telemarketing scheme.

The feds accused Jen of "greater culpability" in the scheme ahead of her trial, and Jen initially pled not guilty.

TMZ broke the story ... Jen even tried getting the criminal case against her dismissed, claiming two federal agents were way too chatty about her case on a Hulu documentary, which she claimed tainted the jury pool and destroyed any chance of her getting a fair trial.

We reached out to Jen's legal team ... so far no word back.

Originally Published -- 9:03 AM PT

'CHEER' STAR JERRY HARRIS Prison Sentence Isn't Cause For Celebration ... Twin Accusers' Mom Says

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"Cheer" star Jerry Harris getting a dozen years behind bars in his child pornography case wasn't a reason for joy in the household of two of his accusers ... so says their own mother.

Twin brothers Charlie and Sam are among the victims who accused Jerry of soliciting nudes and sex from minors, and their mom, Kristen said in a lengthy statement she's still heartbroken and angry despite his prison sentence.

Kristen says every aspect of Jerry's case is tragic, and she's not feeling a sense of justice just yet ... because she wants to see the folks who run big-time cheerleading take steps to prevent other minors from being abused.

As we reported ... Jerry was sentenced Wednesday to 12 years in prison, appearing in court and telling his victims, "I am ashamed as I know that I took advantage of your youth and weakness. I was wrong and selfish. I caused you harm and I do not blame anyone. I regret my decisions and I am deeply sorry."

Remember ... the Netflix star had been under FBI investigation since 2019, with the feds claiming he was soliciting sex from minors at cheerleading competitions, as well as coercing teen boys to send him sexually explicit photos.

Harris was arrested in September 2020, with the second season of "Cheer" diving into his arrest and sharing the story of his twin accusers.

Charlie claims he was only 13 when a 19-year-old Harris sent him a direct message on Instagram, asking his age and wondering if he would send him nudes. Charlie says he felt pressured to send the pics because he looked up to Jerry as a male cheerleader.

From there, Charlie claims he continued communicating with Harris until they met at a cheer competition, where Harris allegedly assaulted him.

Sam claims Harris started contacting him after allegedly assaulting his twin, and their mom says she started looking into their relationship after finding some of their communications.

The twins provided emotional victim impact statements, which were read at Harris' sentencing, with Sam telling Harris, "You were consuming our innocence and didn’t care at all about how you were hurting us, but all we could think about was how to avoid hurting you or messing up your life!"

Derek Chauvin Can't Work In Law Enforcement ... During Supervised Release After Prison

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Derek Chauvin can't return to law enforcement after he serves his prison sentence ... and he can't even be a rent-a-cop ... at least for the 5 years he's on supervised release.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ, the former cop's supervised release specifically bars him from working as a law enforcement officer, corrections officer, or security officer while on his 5 years of supervised release after he's out from behind bars.

Chauvin will have to find a new career outside policing .. even Derek Chauvin the mall cop is off the table.

In addition, Chauvin can't contact George Floyd's family ... unless he gets prior approval from his probation officer.

As we reported ... Chauvin was recently sentenced to more than 20 years in federal prison, plus 5 years of supervised release once he's out, for violating Floyd's civil rights.

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EXCESSIVE FORCE

Remember ... Chauvin was already found guilty of murdering Floyd and sentenced to 22.5 years behind bars in that case. The sentences will be served concurrently.

During his supervised release, Chauvin will also deal with financial restrictions ... like being barred from opening new lines of credit without approval from his PO.