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Jon Taffer says there's some guy prowling around Florida bars and restaurants pretending to be him ... and pulling some sketchy moves with women while he does it ... according to the federal lawsuit Jon just filed.

The "Bar Rescue" star says Vic Caroleo's been passing himself off as Jon Taffer in and around Naples, FL for more than 3 years -- and even brags openly all over social media about their resemblance.

He even boldly commented on one of Jon's posts about his new book, writing "My Twin ... so they say."

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Caroleo's primary gig is as a television preacher ... and in parts of NY, his sermons air just a few hours after "Bar Rescue" on the same channel. Taffer says that's no coincidence, accusing Caroleo of trying to bolster his ruse ... that HE is actually Taffer.

Jon says Caroleo has even gotten credit cards with the name "Jon Taffer" ... and he allegedly used one of them during a dinner date in Naples back in January -- a move the woman he was out with found fishy enough to rat him out.

In the docs, filed by Jon's attorneys Bradford Cohen and Michael McMullen, they say the woman contacted Taffer's office, texting that "Caroleo, while acting as Mr. Taffer, 'was extremely touchy and inappropriate.'"

And, there was another similar incident ... when a different, anonymous, woman claimed she'd been sexually assaulted by Taffer in Naples. Jon says he was actually filming in San Diego at that time, but the woman lawyered up and sent a letter describing the alleged sexual assault -- claiming the guy reached under her skirt, and also tried to force her to perform oral sex on him.

These 2 very serious allegations were apparently the final straws for Taffer, whose lawyers Bradford M. Cohen and Michael J. McMullen say, "It has become all too common now for Mr. Taffer to be blamed for or associated with various acts committed by Caroleo as he continues to impersonate Mr. Taffer in Florida, unchecked."

Taffer also claims Caroleo's freeloading off his name ... attempting to secure free products and discounted services in various establishments.

Larry H. Parker -- the famous auto accident and personal injury attorney known for his iconic commercials in the '80s and '90s -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

The famed attorney's longtime law firm partner, Ron Beck, confirmed to us Friday that Larry had passed away ... but wouldn't elaborate on details -- including where, when or under what circumstances.

Larry's daughter-in-law, Alissa, also told us the sad news was true -- but she wouldn't reveal more either ... telling us the family is considering their next steps.

We're hearing he may have died as recently as this week, although it's not 100% clear. In any case, it's a huge blow to the legal community ... as LHP was a titan in the industry.

People in and around Los Angeles -- and even in the greater Southern California area -- know Parker well ... if not for his TV ads, then for his many billboards all over the region. If you've been on the 405 in L.A., you've very likely passed by and seen Larry's face.

He's the founder of the Law Offices of Larry H. Parker -- which mostly specializes in taking cases for people who've been in car accidents, but which takes a variety of injury-related cases. His firm has been up and running for at least 50 years ... so he's an L.A. staple.

Larry opened his law office in the '70s, and it's gone on to become one of the biggest in America -- which now employs over 150 lawyers, all of whom work under Larry's brand.

His approach to promoting his services pierced pop culture and arguably served as the blueprint for many other attorneys (and spoofs) seeking to reach an audience. You could say that the spirit of his straightforward legal ads has gone on to inspire several iterations ... both fictional and real. The 'SNL' Green & Fazio sketch seems to have been inspired by Larry's work, and ditto for 'Better Call Saul.'

Of course, there are countless other real-life lawyers who've followed in his footprints all over the country ... buying up billboards, ad space and airtime to let people know they're ready to take a case and go to court for the public.

His slogan was "We'll Fight for You!" ... and safe to say, it's burned into the American psyche.

Larry was 75.

The father of Michigan high school shooter Ethan Crumbley, has been found guilty on all 4 counts of involuntary manslaughter ... just weeks after his wife Jennifer saw the same verdict.

The jury reached the decision for James Crumbley Thursday after 1 day of deliberations. His sentencing is scheduled for April 9, the same date as his wife.

With this verdict, Crumbley was found to be negligent for disregarding warning signs exhibited by his son that could have potentially prevented the devastating event. Prosecutors said he even purchased a gun for his son just days before he used it to open fire at Oxford High School in the Detroit suburb of Oxford Township, MI, in November 2021, killing 4 students.

The verdict comes a few weeks after his wife Jennifer's conviction -- which marked an historic moment, as it's unprecedented for a parent to be criminally charged in connection with their child's involvement in a mass shooting.

Jennifer's testimony during her trial had shed light on the role she says her husband, James, played in the tragic events ... saying he had purchased the gun their son used in the shooting and was the one responsible for hiding it.

She also testified she was aware her son was struggling but had no inkling he was capable of carrying out a mass shooting ... saying if she had known, she'd done the whole thing differently.

17-year-old Ethan was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole back in December.

6:35 PM PT -- A rep for A+E tells TMZ ... "We look forward to the unsealing of our papers as well, as they tell a very different story."

Wendy Williams' guardian sued unsuccessfully to block the release of the new documentary following her struggles ... and now the lawsuit's unsealed -- and it gives an inside look at Williams' day-to-day.

Here's the deal ... the former talk show host's temporary guardian Sabrina Morrissey sued back in February to stop the “Where is Wendy Williams?" doc from coming out -- an attempt that ultimately failed, as we now know.

Those legal docs were originally sealed ... but now, they are available for anyone to peruse -- and they provide a look into both Morrissey's argument and her description of Williams' recent condition.

In the paperwork, obtained by TMZ, Morrissey argued Williams was incapable of handling her own business affairs when she signed the documentary contract. Same goes for her executive producer role -- Morrissey says Williams wasn't able to handle such a job effectively ... including not being able to properly shape how she was portrayed.

SM said WW's ability to care for herself has deteriorated since beginning the guardianship too ... and she says now Wendy needs constant daily supervision to "ensure her safety, well-being, and comfort, and to preserve her dignity."

Morrissey claimed she was originally told the doc would present Williams' comeback story, ultimately showing Wendy in a positive light -- and Morrissey said she was under the impression she would get to see the finished product before it was released.

Sabrina added she was totally blindsided when the trailer came out ... because she said she never saw a final cut of the doc.

Of course ... days before the doc came out, Wendy's team revealed she was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia last year, and she entered a treatment center to deal with her health issues as well.

The creative team behind the documentary said they never would've made it had they known about the diagnosis ... though it seems hard to believe they had no indication of her health struggles given the kind of care Morrissey detailed in her suit.

Bottom line ... the story behind "Where is Wendy Williams?" just got a whole lot murkier.

Alec Baldwin wants to be let off the hook in the "Rust" manslaughter case, because he claims prosecutors stacked the deck against him with the Grand Jury that indicted him.

The actor and his attorney Alex Spiro filed new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, where he seeks to have his criminal case completely tossed ... arguing the grand jury process was completely rigged by the Santa Fe County D.A.'s office -- alleging they trotted out 7 witnesses who were incredibly biased.

Specifically, Alec says 3 of the witnesses were on the D.A.'s "payroll," 2 of them were from the Santa Fe Sheriff's Office, one was already suing him in a separate civil case -- and yet another publicly blamed Baldwin for Halyna Hutchins' death days afterward ... even though Alec says this person wasn't working on the production at the time.

Another eye-popping allegation in the docs involves the FBI testing of the pistol used in the scene. Alec claims the D.A. failed to present all the evidence from that testing ... which he alleges showed the revolver did, in fact, fire without the trigger being pulled when all 6 rounds were loaded, just as they were on the day of the tragedy.

Remember, up until now ... we'd heard the opposite -- that the FBI testing proved without a doubt the gun could only fire if the trigger was pulled. This is crucial, because Alec has always maintained he did not pull the trigger.

For all these reasons, Alec's asking a judge to drop the involuntary manslaughter charge. As we reported, he already pled not guilty in this second go-around ... this after the D.A. dismissed their charges the first time.

Meghan Markle's kicking off her new lifestyle brand, and it looks like she's got a few ideas about what she wants to do with it ... including potentially selling a variety of products.

The Duchess of Sussex's company applied to lock up the rights to something called American Riviera Orchard in early February -- which she officially announced Thursday online -- submitting trademark applications in a bunch of different categories.

Among the items she might end up selling under the new venture -- assuming the trademarks get approved, that is -- are cookbooks, tableware, coffee and tea services, jellies, jams, tablecloths, cookbooks, servingware, cutlery, spreads of all kinds ... and lots more.

It seems she's expecting things to move smoothly in that direction ... 'cause, like we said, she just launched both the ARO website and an Instagram page dedicated to the new venture.

So far, the IG page only shows the company's logo ... but a short clip on the page's story shows Markle baking while Nancy Wilson's "I Wish You Love" plays over it. The page already has 199k followers BTW -- safe to say, people are very excited for whatever Markle's got cookin'.

While it's unclear exactly what MM plans to do with the new site, tons of fans online are speculating it'll be an updated version of The Tig -- Markle's lifestyle blog from before she married Prince Harry.

The Tig also featured recipes, personal essays and advice from Markle, all of which could factor into American Riviera Orchard's offerings. We'll just have to wait and see, we suppose -- Meg hasn't announced when she's gonna pull back the curtain, but there's a waitlist open.

After the royal couple's somewhat turbulent 2023 -- including a Spotify deal that fell through and a rumored Dior partnership that never came to fruition -- this seems like Meg going back to basics, and to her lifestyle roots.

Time will tell if this Orchard bears fruit.

Drake Bell's abuser, Brian Peck, had an army of A-list support behind him during his 2004 sentencing -- and we got a hold of the letters they all wrote, including ones from James Marsden, Taran Killam and Alan Thicke ... who spoke glowingly about the guy.

TMZ has obtained a total of 41 letters written to the judge in Peck's criminal case, and while there were scores of Hollywood types lending their voices in support of the convicted child molester -- all defending his character and asking for leniency -- these 3 are the biggest names.

Marsden's letter is the longest, and he details his extensive personal history and friendship with Peck, saying he'd known him for 14 years (mind you, he wrote this in '04, so they go way back apparently) and generally vouching for his character.

JM writes, "My name is James Marsden and i am very proud to say that i've been a close friend of Brian Peck's for about 14 years now. I am from Oklahoma originally and i met Brian through an actor friend ... Brian believed in my talent as an actor and encouraged my decision to move to Los Angeles and pursue this dream i had."

Marsden goes on to say he and Brian remained close over the years, saying BP mentored and coached him -- all free of charge -- and that they formed a very close bond, with Brian serving as a role model and instilling upstanding character traits.

Marsden says based on what he knows about Brian, he "couldn't breathe" when the charges came down. He says he had lived at his house for months and had shared hotel rooms with Brian -- and he says he never felt uncomfortable or compromised being around him.

He finishes by writing, "Brian is a good person with a very healthy fear and respect for the law and, i assure you, what Brian has been through in the last year is the suffering of a hundred men. I don't want to victimize Brian, nor would he ever wish that, but i do feel compelled to shed light on the fact that (he) has learned his lesson."

Taran -- who worked on the "The Amanda Show" and who also knew Brian very well -- was equally praising in his own letter of support to the judge presiding over the case, calling him his "co-worker, my friend" and saying he's not someone who belongs in jail.

TK writes, "When I found out about Brian being arrested I was shocked. Brian is the last person I would expect to be charged of criminal activities. My first thought was 'this is a mistake.' I know many of our mutual friends had similar thoughts. It is too out of character."

Finally, there's the late Thicke ... whose letter was much shorter but just as supportive of Brian, commenting on their days together on 'Growing Pains,' a period in which Alan says Brian was a "highly professional and nurturing mentor of the young people on our television set." Thicke says BP was never inappropriate.

There are dozens of other letters by people who went to bat for Brian -- including "Boy Meets World" stars Will Friedle and Rider Strong, "Growing Pains" star Joanna Kerns and 'Suite Life' directors Rich and Beth Correll ... whose show Brian worked on briefly, post-conviction.

You can see their letters here in full too ... but there are even more, filed by actors like Ron Melendez, James Marshall, Kimmy Robertson and other showbiz players.

As we reported ... Drake is set to detail exactly what he says Brian did to him before he got his own show on Nickelodeon on the new documentary 'Quiet on Set.' "Quiet on Set' premieres across 2 nights on ID, starting at 9 PM on March 17 and 18.

Pierce Brosnan just took a plea deal in his hot springs hiking case out in Idaho ... this after initially entering a not-guilty plea just two months ago.

According to court documents obtained by TMZ ... Pierce pled guilty to one of two charges brought against him -- namely, one count of foot travel in all thermal areas and within Yellowstone Canyon confined to trails -- after he allegedly wandered into a delicate hot spring at Yellowstone National Park in November 2023.

In exchange, the other charge was dismissed. Brosnan's guilty plea lands him with about $1,540 in fines and other court costs.

Remember ... 007 appeared to post a couple pics from an off-limits area in the park -- areas that are closed to tourists for both the safety of the springs and the safety of hikers.

Those pics got picked up by TouronsOfYellowstone -- an IG page that highlights the tourists/morons who break hiking rules in the gorgeous national park.

Wendy Williams' home is apparently in the crosshairs of the federal government after it slapped her with a lien over unpaid taxes ... which they say amounts to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the former talk show host got hit with a tax lien by Uncle Sam on her pricey NYC condo -- which records show she bought for $4.5 million in 2021 -- because the feds say Wendy owes them $568,451.57.

This unpaid balance, they claim, is a result of her owing big balances for her federal taxes for the years of 2019 and 2021.

The online records show the lien was generated in January of this year, and was recorded with the New York City Department of Finance in early February.

As of now, there doesn't appear to be any evidence the lien has been dealt with yet, but it's possible Wendy already cleared this up -- we've reached out to the court-appointed guardian of her finances, but no word back yet.

Of course, this is troubling for a number of reasons -- most, notably ... the fact that Wendy's health struggles have recently come to light, including the fact her team says she's been diagnosed with aphasia and dementia.

BTW ... Sabrina Morrissey, the guardian of Wendy's finances, was reportedly appointed sometime in Spring 2022, so she came aboard after the alleged tax violations.

The question ... is the guardian dealing with this now?

A woman is taking Novo Nordisk to court over what she claims were negative side effects she experienced after using Ozempic ... alleging the company knew it could jack up your gut.

Caren Elosua just filed suit against the pharmaceutical giant, claiming weight loss meds like Ozempic and Wegovy have long been suspected of being capable of causing serious harm based on studies and trials ... especially in a person's stomach and gastrointestinal system.

In her docs, obtained by TMZ, Elosua says that even with this alleged history of side effects in mind ... she was still prescribed Ozempic to combat her type-2 diabetes.

Elosua says she started taking a dose of 1ml of Ozempic injections weekly starting in April 2021, and goes on to say her dosage was increased by her doc to 2ml a couple years later.

However, toward the end of 2023 ... Elosua claims she started to suffer from symptoms like headaches, vomiting, cramping and severe stomach pain -- so she says she went to see a specialist ... who she says did a stomach emptying test on her to see what was up.

As it turns out, she claims this gastroenterologist diagnosed her with gastroparesis -- which means your stomach muscles get super weak and aren't able to properly digest food -- and she alleges that a second doctor confirmed this diagnosis.

She says her last Ozempic shot was around late January -- but by then, she claims the damage had been done ... alleging she had to be hospitalized due to the constant pain she was experiencing, which she claims has seriously torn up her abdominal area.

Elosua claims Novo Nordisk -- the company behind Ozempic -- knew this miracle drug could screw people up inside, but they cranked it out anyway and made a fortune ... with her claiming it came at the health expense of her and possibly others.

On this episode of The TMZ podcast ...

Controversial influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan Tate are facing more legal troubles after they were detained in Romania on new sexual offenses after four women claim they were physically and sexually abused.

Kate Middleton was spotted in the back of a car with Prince William while he was out and about for a Commonwealth service amid her Mother's Day photoshop scandal.

Cardi B shocked the crowd at Madonna's concert Monday night with a surprise appearance, and the two got raunchy onstage.

Plus, Jamaican musician and rapper Shaggy stunned fans when he revealed his real voice in a new interview.

Andrew Tate is facing more legal troubles ... the online influencer was busted Monday in Romania for alleged sexual offenses.

Tate and his brother, Tristan, were detained last evening for 24 hours after UK authorities issued arrest warrants accusing them of sexual aggression and exploiting people in Great Britain from 2012 to 2015.

Their spokesperson, Mateea Petrescu, categorically denied the accusations to the Associated Press, saying the Tate's "express profound disappointment that such serious allegations are being resurrected without substantial new evidence."

Four women complained to UK authorities, claiming the Tates physically and sexually abused them. But prosecutors declined to move forward with the cases, prompting the accusers to pursue civil litigation against the brothers as a last resort to hold them accountable.

The Bucharest Court of Appeal is expected to make a decision Tuesday on whether to execute the arrest warrants, carrying out the orders issued by the UK's Westminster Magistrates Court in London while the brothers are detained.

In a separate case, the Tates were indicted in Romania last year for rape, human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.

A year earlier, the Tates were originally arrested with two women in that case, but they were released from jail after 3 months and put on house arrest. The brothers have denied any wrongdoing.

The father of Christmas Abbott's kid is off the hook in his revenge porn case ... as prosecutors in North Carolina have dropped all the charges against him.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, prosecutors dismissed the case against Benjamin Bunn -- who shares a 5-year-old son with the 'Big Brother' alum -- due to insufficient evidence.

We broke the story ... Bunn was arrested back in October, and hit with 3 counts of disclosure of private images after Christmas told cops Bunn was behind a fake online profile pretending to be her, and posting her adult content she published behind a paywall.

Police investigated and got a warrant to arrest Bunn, but now prosecutors say there just isn't enough evidence to bring this case before a jury.

Meanwhile, Christmas has also made domestic violence claims against her estranged husband Memphis Garrett, and even got a temporary restraining order against him before he filed for divorce.

The Vermont man who crashed into Treat Williams -- resulting in the beloved actor's death -- is pleading guilty to a reduced charge, and, as a result, he will not go to prison.

Ryan Koss pled guilty on Friday to negligent driving with death resulting. Koss was turning into a parking lot last June when he collided with Treat, who was riding his motorcycle. Although he was wearing a helmet, and was airlifted to a hospital for treatment, Treat did not survive his injuries.

In exchange for his plea, Koss is getting a one-year deferred sentence, probation and his license is revoked for a year. In addition, he'll have to complete a community restorative justice program for the misdemeanor charge.

Prosecutors say Koss has fully cooperated, and been accountable for the tragedy from the start, and even called Treat's wife from the scene of the accident to tell her what had happened.

During Friday's hearing, he said, “I’m here to apologize and take responsibility for this tragic accident.” Interestingly, Treat's family was not interested in pressing charges or seeing Koss do time.

Treat's son, Gill, was in court and told Koss, “I do forgive you, and I hope that you forgive yourself." Treat's wife, Pam, expressed a similar sentiment in a statement that was read in court ... but she added, “Our lives will never be the same, our family has been torn apart and there is a huge hole that can’t possibly be filled."

Koss had originally been facing up to 15 years in prison ... as he'd been charged with gross negligent operation with death resulting, a felony. He pled not guilty to that charge, before copping a plea for the reduced misdemeanor charge.

Jail is hell for Hannah Gutierrez-Reed ... the "Rust" armorer is having a tough time behind bars as she awaits sentencing for her manslaughter conviction.

Hannah's lawyer, Jason Bowles, tells TMZ ... she is having a really ​difficult time in her new digs, a New Mexico detention center.

We're told Hannah's family is already setting up a time to visit her ... and her loved ones have been devastated by her guilty verdict for involuntary manslaughter in the accidental shooting death of Halyna Hutchins.

Hannah was found guilty Wednesday and was quickly booked into the Santa Fe County Adult Detention Facility, posing for a mug shot.

As you know ... Hannah was the armorer on the "Rust" movie set when Alec Baldwin shot Halyna with a prop gun loaded with live ammunition during a scene.

Hannah's lawyer says they will be appealing her conviction, seeking to overturn the verdict and judgment.

While Hannah was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, she was found not guilty of evidence tampering.

Remember, Hannah's defense blamed the accident on her being overworked by the production, and her legal team insisted Halyna's fatal shooting wasn't on Hannah at all.

Hannah's attorney says the courtroom was shocked when the guilty verdict was returned ... and it sounds like she's dealing with shock of her own as she tries to adjust to life behind bars.

Bad Bunny is mad at a fan whom he claims posted unauthorized concert footage on a YouTube account ... and now he's suing the dude.

According to a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Bad Bunny claims a man named Eric Guillermo Madronal Garrone posted full song performances on the YouTube channel he runs, MADforliveMUSIC.

Bad Bunny claims Garrone went to his Feb. 21 concert in Salt Lake City, Utah and recorded multiple videos of his live performance ... uploading the footage to Garrone's YouTube channel.

Problem is ... Bad Bunny says he owns the rights to the live performance music and Garrone did not have his authorization or consent to record and post them online for people to watch for free.

Bad Bunny says Garrone is using the famous singer’s name and music to draw eyeballs to the YouTube channel ... thus taking views and ad revenue away from Bad Bunny's own official YouTube page.

In the docs, Bad Bunny says he tried to issue standard takedown notices under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act -- also known as DMCA -- demanding YouTube remove Garrone's videos.

Bad Bunny claims YouTube took down the videos but Garrone filed a counterclaim to get them back up … leaving BB no choice but to file the lawsuit.

TMZ did some digging and found the YouTube channel Bad Bunny has beef with ... and it seems all the videos of his song performances are deleted for now ... except for this video of the concert orchestra that opened for Bunny that night there in SLC.

Clearly, Garrone had a great view at the show and some high-quality camera equipment ... and this orchestra footage runs 9 minutes in the YouTube upload.

If Garrone was shooting/posting similar videos for the rest of Bad Bunny's concert -- as Bunny claims -- it seems a lot different than just uploading a cell phone video of the show to social media .... as millions of people do. In fact, lots of shorter clips of his concert from that evening are up on TikTok -- but none of them are all that lengthy.