'TikTok Dance Cult' Sex Trafficking Warrant Served at L.A. House Co-Owned by Pastor

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The home co-owned by the alleged "TikTok Dance Cult" pastor Robert Shinn was the target of a sex trafficking warrant today, TMZ has learned.

The El Monte Police Department tells TMZ ... their department's SWAT team assisted the U.S. Postal Service and the FBI Friday morning as a warrant was served at a residence in the Tujunga neighborhood of L.A. for sex trafficking, tax evasion, mail fraud and money laundering.

The Los Angeles FBI branch declined to comment. TMZ reached out to the U.S. Attorney's Office ... so far, no word back.

'Top Boy' Actor Micheal Ward Facing Rape, Sexual Assault Charges

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Micheal Ward, a British actor famous for his work in the Netflix series "Top Boy," is facing some serious allegations across the pond ... he's been hit with multiple charges of rape and sexual assault.

London's Met Police say Ward is charged with two counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault in relation to an alleged January 2023 incident with a woman.

The Met says Ward is due to appear in Thames Magistrates' Court in London on August 28.

Bryan Kohberger Kaylee Derailed My Plan to Rape ... So I Disfigured Her Face, Ex-FBI Agent Says

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Bryan Kohberger butchered the face of Kaylee Goncalves because she screwed up his plans to rape one of his other victims, Maddie Mogen, according to a retired FBI agent.

TMZ interviewed former fed Jennifer Coffindaffer, who has long studied and been a media consultant on the Kohberger case -- and she's now sharing with TMZ her horrific theory of the convicted killer's motive.

Coffindaffer tells TMZ ... Kohberger broke into the house in Moscow, Idaho, that fateful night in November 2022 to forcibly rape Mogen in her bed on the third floor.

Smokey Robinson 5th Alleged Victim Goes To Police ... Claims Sexual Battery

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A fifth woman accusing Smokey Robinson of sexual battery has officially come forward and filed a police report … TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us the woman spoke with a deputy last Wednesday at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department's Malibu/Lost Hills station, where she formally reported her allegations against the Motown singer.

We're told all five accusers have filed reports with LASD.

Bryan Kohberger My Eyes Are Steely, My Face Is Sweaty ... Peep My New Mug Shot

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Bryan Kohberger brutally disfigured one of his victims' faces when he murdered four college students in Idaho ... but he doesn't have so much as a blemish on him in a new booking photo.

We obtained the mug shot the confessed butcher snapped after getting sentenced to life in prison ... and he's mostly expressionless and clean-shaven, staring into the camera with his pale skin and blue eyes.

Kohberger's latest booking photo looks a lot like his previous ones ...  minus some facial hair  ... and they're all kinda creepy.

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CHILLING NEW DETIAILS

Bryan Kohberger 'What's The Worst Way To Die?' ... Murderer Asked Tinder Match

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Bryan Kohberger totally freaked out one of his Tinder matches when he asked her about death during one of their conversations, police say.

The convicted murderer asked the unidentified woman what the worst way to die is ... after she shared her friend had been murdered in her town years earlier, according to freshly released Moscow, Idaho police documents from the BK investigation.

Kohberger was quite intrigued by the woman's response that a knife would be an awful way to die, and he went on to ask if she was referring to something "like a KA-BAR?"

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CHILLING NEW DETIAILS

Ghislaine Maxwell Preparing 'New Evidence' ... Ahead of Chat With Feds

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Ghislaine Maxwell is reportedly preparing "new evidence" to present during her upcoming meeting with the federal government this week.

As you know, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday it plans to meet with Maxwell to hear what she has to say that could help the government track down abusers connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's criminal enterprise.

Her brother, Ian Maxwell, told The New York Post via email that she "will be putting before that court material new evidence that was not available to the defense at her 2021 trial, which would have had a significant impact on its outcome."

Bryan Kohberger 'Disfigured' Kaylee Goncalves' Face ... Xana Kernodle Put Up An 'Intense' Fight

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Bryan Kohberger brutally "disfigured" Kaylee Goncalves' face and fought through a violent struggle with Xana Kernodle before fleeing the scene of the University of Idaho murders ... according to newly unsealed police reports.

Moscow Police documents just released say the November 2022 killings were even more savage than initially reported -- describing Goncalves' injuries as so severe her face was left unrecognizable. The responding police officer noted the disfigurement in his report, while others called the crime scene a bloodbath.

On the floor below, Kohberger clashed with Kernodle after she either saw or heard him kill her roommates upstairs. The police sergeant wrote that "an intense struggle" clearly took place, and Kernodle had deep defensive wounds between her fingers -- evidence she fought for her life.

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CHILLING NEW DETIAILS

NYC Crypto Torture Suspects Granted $1 Million Bail ... No Crypto Accepted -- Only Cold, Hard 💵

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The two NYC "crypto bros" accused of kidnapping and torturing an Italian millionaire to extract his Bitcoin password were granted $1 million bail each.

A Manhattan Supreme Court Justice handed down the decision on Wednesday for John Woeltz and William Duplessie, ordering neither can use cryptocurrency to post bail. If they have the funds, the pair will be released into home confinement with electronic monitoring and passport surrender pending trial.

Celebrity bail bondsman Ira Judelson will put together the bail packages for both men and fit them with ankle monitors.

'Chimp Crazy' Star Tonia Haddix Arrested ... Wigless and Downtrodden In New Mug Shot

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7:38 PM PT -- TMZ has obtained Tonia Haddix's latest mug shot from Phelps County jail ... after being transferred from Camden County jail.

As you can see, the chimp lover looks a bit disheveled and down in her latest snap.

"Chimp Crazy" star Tonia Haddix -- the Missouri woman who once faked her beloved chimp Tonka’s death – is back in hot water ... and this time, she’s behind bars.

The 55-year-old exotic animal broker was arrested Saturday after a judge threw her in jail for dodging court orders to cough up $224k in legal fees owed to PETA. But get this ... when officials raided her home, they found another hidden chimpanzee living in her basement.

In court docs obtained by Rolling Stone, authorities say Haddix was secretly stashing a "mature female chimp" in a makeshift enclosure, complete with blankets, a Gatorade bottle, and half-eaten candy. They safely removed the ape during a surprise search earlier this month.

Bryan Kohberger Gets Life in Prison During Sentencing Hearing

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Bryan Kohberger has finally been sentenced after admitting to murdering 4 University of Idaho college students -- with the victims' families telling him exactly how they feel.

The confessed killer was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences ... one for each of the first-degree murder counts he pled guilty to, without the possibility of parole.

Kohberger wore an orange prison uniform during sentencing ... different than the buttoned-up shirt and tie he wore last time we saw him in court.

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EMOTIONAL DAY IN COURT

Ghislaine Maxwell Subpoenaed By Congress ... As Judge Denies DOJ Request to Unseal Grand Jury Docs

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1:22 PM PT -- Ghislaine Maxwell's attorney David Oscar Markus tells TMZ ... "We understand Speaker Johnson’s general concern—Congress should always vet the credibility of its witnesses. But in this case, those concerns are unfounded. If Ms. Maxwell agrees to testify before Congress and not take the 5th—and that remains a big if—she would testify truthfully, as she always has said she would and as she will with Mr. Blanche. The truth should not be feared or preemptively dismissed. No previous prosecutor from the Southern District of New York or elsewhere has had the courage to meet with Ms. Maxwell and ask her these important questions.

So we are grateful to Mr. Blanche and his DOJ that they are approaching this with an open mind. That's how our system is supposed to work. As for the Congressional subpoena, Ms. Maxwell is taking this one step at a time. She looks forward to her meeting with the Department of Justice, and that discussion will help inform how she proceeds."

Ghislaine Maxwell has been subpoenaed by the United States Congress amid questions about the so-called Epstein Files.

Republican Congressman James Comer -- the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chair -- announced the news Wednesday ... sharing a statement which reads, in part, "The facts and circumstances surrounding both your and Mr. Epstein’s cases have received immense public interest and scrutiny."

Congress wants to set the deposition for August 11 at Federal Correctional Institution Tallahassee, where Maxwell is incarcerated.

Rex Heuermann The Gilgo Beach Killer ... Watch on YouTube

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Rex Heuermann is accused of hunting sex workers in a quiet Long Island beach town ... but could sloppy police work have allowed him to keep killing?

Our deep dive from 2023 is now officially on YouTube ... and it peels back the layers of the investigation, exposing critical mistakes and overlooked clues that may have cost more lives.

From the shocking discovery of multiple victims to the arrest of a seemingly ordinary man, we unpack how the system failed the victims and their families.

It’s a story of secrets, missed red flags, and a trail of tragedy that rocked a community to its core.

Watch "TMZ Investigates: Gilgo Beach Serial Murders" now on YouTube.

White House President Trump Would've Made Kohberger Talk!!!

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Donald Trump would've used his lasso of truth to make Bryan Kohberger spill on the motive for his heinous crimes ... so says the White House Press Secretary.

Karoline Leavitt spoke from the White House Briefing Room Wednesday ... and, she kicked it off by addressing the families of Kohberger's victims -- telling them the administration is so sorry for the grief and pain caused by the murderous Kohberger.

Leavitt then added, "If it were up to the President, he would have forced this monster to publicly explain why he chose to steal these innocent souls."

Candace Owens Sued By French President, First Lady ... Over Transgender Claims

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French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte have sued Candace Owens over what they call her "invasive, dehumanizing, and deeply unjust" claims that Brigitte is secretly a man who transitioned into a woman.

In the Wednesday filing, the Macrons say the conservative commentator has caused them "substantial" reputational and economic damages due to "outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched fictions" that Brigitte was born a man and transitioned to become female -- and stole someone's identity.

While the 219-page defamation complaint claims Owens has pushed such lies for a while, it specifically mentions a March 2024 post on X in which she wrote ... "I would stake my entire professional reputation on the fact that Brigitte Macron is in fact a man."

Matthew Perry Death Dr. Plasencia Pleads Guilty

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A doctor charged in connection with "Friends" star Matthew Perry’s ketamine death has officially entered a guilty plea.

Dr. Salvador Plasencia just pled guilty to 4 counts of distributing ketamine in front of Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett in L.A. federal court Wednesday -- Plasencia is the fourth of five people charged in the "Friends" star's tragic 2023 death.

Plasencia is now staring down a max of 10 years per count in federal prison when he’s sentenced on December 3.