TMZ.com

Prior to his arrest Monday night, Diddy hit the NYC streets and interacted with fans ... days before ending up in federal custody.

Check it out ... Diddy smokes alongside a fan, named Chris Dayes (Christian Daigle), while listening to a song off a cellphone. Diddy, dressed in sunglasses, a baseball cap, and a Prince sweatshirt, looks totally at peace ... even though a grand jury indictment loomed over his head at the time.

The tipster tells TMZ ... the fan encounter occurred on the evening of September 9, when Chris approached the music mogul to pitch himself as a potential new artist.

12:16 PM PT -- Federal prosecutors have fired back, responding in court documents that claim Diddy is just too dangerous to be out walking the streets -- no matter what the rap mogul's lawyers say or do.

As the prosecutors point out ... Diddy repeatedly obstructed justice during the investigation -- not to mention, is still an alleged flight risk. They claim Diddy is capable of coercing witnesses to comply with his demands.

They also voiced concerns that Diddy could consume drugs or throw his so-called "freak parties" if out on bail ... despite the rapper's promise he wouldn't have any female visitors.

Diddy is taking another swing at getting out on bail, and he's upping his offer to the court -- declaring he will forgo contact with almost all women while he's out.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Diddy's legal team says if he's released on bail, the security company that keeps a log of all visitors to his Miami Beach home, will hand over those logs to the government nightly in order to be fully transparent about who Diddy is contacting. They also say Diddy will limit all visitors to family, property caretakers and friends who are not co-conspirators in the federal indictment.

Specifically, they say Diddy will restrict female visitors ... with the only exceptions being family members or mothers of his children.

Diddy's feeling a severe reversal of fortune right now -- locked up in a federal jail that's held plenty of famous people, but is also about as far from the lap of luxury as the embattled mogul's been in at least 30 years.

On the heels of the judge ordering Diddy to be held without bail, the feds shipped him outta the Lower Manhattan federal courthouse and off to Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn ... a facility notorious for its brutal, sometimes fatal, conditions.

MDC Brooklyn's been the temporary home to several celeb inmates in recent years, including R. Kelly, Fetty Wap, Michael Cohen, Allison Mack and Ghislaine Maxwell. Now, Diddy will be settling into his new surroundings -- a horrifically stark difference from his Miami and L.A. mansion lifestyle.

Diddy's sons are in New York watching their father go through an indictment and court proceedings ... but his teenage twin daughters are hanging back in California with a family friend.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ … Diddy's teen, twin girls 17-year-old D'Lila and 17-year-old Jessie are currently in Los Angeles under the care of their late mother Kim Porter’s best friend, Lala.

We're told Lala has acted as a caregiver for the girls for several years, though she is NOT a legal guardian.

Legal bigshot, Adam Wolf, partner at Peiffer Wolf, said, "What makes this case so outrageous is that RPMG not only failed to label Marissa and Stephen’s embryos, but then threw away those unlabeled embryos without any thought or concern. Then RPMG repeatedly failed to disclose their records of this disaster. Instead of providing a full set of records, as it was required, RPMG provided incomplete records on three separate occasions. RPMG gaslighted Marissa and Stephen. This is no way to treat any patient, let alone people who trusted you to start their family."

A popular IVF clinic frequented by the likes of former patients including Kim Kardashian, Chrissy Teigen and Paris Hilton threw a couple's precious embryos in the trash, and now they may not be able to have kids ... at least according to a new lawsuit.

Reproductive Partners Medical Group, a Los Angeles-based fertility clinic, is being sued by Marissa Calhoun and Stephen Castaneda ... a couple of everyday people who say the clinic sabotaged their dream of having children.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, the couple claims Marissa had her eggs retrieved, frozen and stored by RPMG in 2021 and 2022 ... but says tragedy struck in October 2023 when the IVF clinic made a huge error.

8:50 AM PT -- The feds do not want Diddy to be allowed out on bail. U.S Attorney Damian Williams says his office believes he is a flight risk, and is also a danger to society ... as he's allegedly resorted to violence against multiple victims.

Prosecutors point to the fact Diddy, if convicted, is facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years, and a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison ... as motive enough for him to potentially flee.

Williams broke down the indictment during Tuesday's news conference ... sharing photos of the AR-15s the feds say were seized during the raids at Diddy's homes in Beverly Hills and Miami. He says the guns were found in Diddy's bedroom closet in Miami.

Diddy's the only defendant charged in the indictment, but Williams says the investigation is ongoing and they are looking into all the people in Diddy's orbit for possible criminal charges.

Williams says Diddy did not act alone and needed a lot of help to set up the "Freak Off" parties. The feds say Diddy recorded the Freak Offs and they seized the footage in the raids.

The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York will hold a news conference at 11:30 AM ET to provide more details on the massive indictment of Sean "Diddy" Combs ... and TMZ will live stream the presser.

Damian Williams will speak about the indictment, which includes allegations of racketeering, sex trafficking, kidnapping, prostitution, narcotics offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice.

Williams is also expected to address the "Freak Off" parties that are mentioned prominently in the indictment.

Aubrey O'Day is weighing in on Sean "Diddy" Combs' arrest in NYC ... posting a cryptic message online about "justice" to her followers, and sharing her reaction with TMZ.

The Danity Kane singer took to Instagram Monday amid the news of Diddy's booking in the Big Apple, where she shared a message about the "purpose of justice."

She wrote ... "The purpose of justice is to provide an ending and allow us the space to create a new chapter. Women never get this. I feel validated. Today is a win for women all over the world, not just for me."

8:05 PM PT -- Just a couple hours before Diddy got busted, he was confidently strolling around NYC with his son Christian "King" Combs. He even stopped to greet some fans and take selfies.

7:13 PM PT -- A law enforcement source tells TMZ ... Diddy's arrest was scheduled for Tuesday. But something happened that caused the feds to move in a day earlier.

However, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams says federal agents took him in based on a sealed indictment filed by the Southern District of New York.

Diddy was just arrested and taken into federal custody in New York Monday night ... TMZ has learned.

Sources tell TMZ ... Homeland Security swooped into a midtown hotel late Monday where Diddy was staying and they arrested him. We have unconfirmed reports the feds are searching his hotel room.

We're told Diddy was taken to the federal building in lower Manhattan.

It appears the action was taken in connection with the ongoing criminal investigation into alleged sex trafficking and other offenses that led to search warrants being issued and executed at Diddy's homes in Beverly Hills and Miami. As we reported, a grand jury has been hearing testimony from various accusers over the last few months.

Miley Cyrus copied a popular Bruno Mars song for her hit "Flowers" ... at least according to a new lawsuit.

The singer is being sued for copyright infringement by Tempo Music Investments, a company claiming it owns a share of the copyright for Bruno's song "When I Was Your Man."

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Tempo Music claims there are so many musical similarities between Miley's "Flowers" and Bruno's "When I Was Your Man" that it's obviously the result of Miley "intentionally copying" Bruno.

Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev are tag-teaming quality time with their son, Matteo ... weeks after the "Dancing With the Stars" pro was arrested for domestic violence.

The retired WWE star came into contact with her estranged husband in Napa Valley on Sunday ... marking the first time the exes have been photographed together since their drama at home.

Their exchange was all business, as Artem arrived at the house he previously shared with Nikki for some one-on-one time with 4-year-old Matteo ... when he briefly crossed paths with his estranged wife in the front yard.

Cher and her son Elijah Blue Allman are putting her request for a conservatorship behind them, according to several reports.

The lawyers representing both the singer-songwriter and her son appeared over Zoom Friday to announce the two sides had come to a mutually agreed upon deal.

According to Rolling Stone, Cher's lawyer Gabrielle Vidal told the judge the two sides met with mediators outside of court and have privately resolved the matter. Allman's lawyer, Steven K. Brumer, reportedly told the court the deal had "most definitely" been agreed upon.

Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Bella's divorce is already getting ugly ... because they are at odds over two major issues ... money and their son.

According to a report by Us Weekly, Artem responded Friday to Nikki's divorce filing ... and he's asking for joint legal and physical custody of their 4-year-old son, Matteo.

The "Dancing With The Stars" pro is also asking for spousal support from Nikki.

The Netflix cash cow "Squid Game" is a blatant ripoff of a movie that was released more than a decade earlier in India ... at least according to a new lawsuit.

Netflix is being sued by a man named Soham Shah, who claims he is the creator of the 2009 Hindi-language Indian film "Luck" ... which he says served as a blueprint for the hit 2021 streaming series "Squid Game."

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, the "Squid Game" franchise straight-up jacked the storyline from Shah's movie ... because "Luck" is a story about a group of desperate, indebted people enticed to take part in a series of competitive games for the chance to win large sums of money.

5:50 PM PT -- Correction: An earlier version of the story identified the plaintiffs in the lawsuit against Louis Vuitton as the singer Brandi Williams and her mother Tracy Renee Williams. This was inaccurate. The story has been changed to correct the error.

Louis Vuitton has been hit with a lawsuit from a mother and daughter who claim they were treated unfairly at the fashion brand's stores compared to white shoppers in the same stores.

According to court docs, Tracy Renee Williams says she preordered and paid about $50,000 for items at a Costa Mesa LV store, but never received the delivery. When she went to a Beverly Hills location, she claims a white manager told her she was no longer welcome and that she would be arrested if she stayed or came back.

11:15 AM PT -- Suffolk County D.A. Raymond A. Tierney just released a statement ... saying they appreciate Justin Timberlake's willingness to accept responsibility for his actions -- and to use his platform to increase public awareness of drunk driving.

He adds Timberlake didn't receive any special treatment because of his celebrity status ... adding justice should always be applied fairly.

10:10 AM PT -- The first photos of Justin Timberlake from inside the courthouse are out ... capturing the singer-songwriter as he and his lawyer Ed Burke Jr. handled the plea in his case this morning.

While he looked somber in some photos, he cracked a huge grin in others ... looking pretty relieved to put the whole ordeal behind him.

9:50 AM PT -- Justin is addressing the media outside the Sag Harbor courthouse for the court-ordered apology ... telling the assembled press, reiterating much of what he said in the courtroom. He says he tries to hold himself to a high standard -- something he didn't do in this case.

JT adds he could've made a different, more responsible decision, but he did not. He tells people not to get behind the wheel of a car, even if they only have one drink.

Timberlake thanks everyone -- from the residents of Sag Harbor to those in the courtroom to police on the streets -- for working through this process with him. He says he's going to do his part to end drunk driving, and he hopes everyone else can do the same.

9:44 AM PT -- Justin Timberlake has officially left the courthouse ... walking out quietly in front of numerous onlookers after pleading guilty.

9:07 AM PT -- The judge has officially accepted Justin Timberlake's plea deal ... and he will do 25 hours community service within one year, and pay a fine up to $500 and issue a court-ordered apology. The judge thanked Justin for all that he said and for speaking from the heart. His license in NY State will have a 90-day suspension.

9:04 AM PT -- The judge asks Justin Timberlake how the court can be certain this won't happen again ... and, he responds he can say with "the utmost honesty I won't be back here again" -- joking he doesn't mean Sag Harbor, 'cause he loves the city.

9:00 AM PT -- JT's saying he's had time to reflect on his actions and didn't live up to his own personal standards. He says he understands his platform, one he spent a life building.

Timberlake adds he's grateful for the opportunity to learn, and he should've made a better decision for himself. He says he was raised on a certain set of values ... and, this isn't it.

8:57 AM PT -- Justin has just confessed to consuming alcohol before his arrest and driving impaired. Remember, back in July, his lawyer insisted Justin was not intoxicated when cops pulled him over.

8:53 AM PT -- Justin Timberlake's court appearance is underway ... and, as part of the guilty plea, he's agreed to do 25-40 hours of community service, and he will make a public service announcement, presumably about driving while impaired.

Remember, back in the day, Justin and the rest of *NSYNC made a PSA about drunk driving ... so, familiar territory for the the star.

Justin Timberlake just arrived at the Sag Harbor courthouse to enter his plea in his driving while ability impaired case, and the pop star ain't smiling in the clip.

The singer-songwriter arrived in a navy blue sweater and brown-gray slacks, rose-colored sunglasses covering his eyes ... and, a serious expression on his face as he marched up the stairs toward his hearing.

There's a lot of shouting and yelling from photogs in the clip ... and, someone asks if he has a message for his fans -- though he chooses not to respond.

Two men have been arrested following the bold smash-and-grab gallery heist of one of Banksy's most famous art pieces in London ... and the brazen theft was captured on camera.

A masked man is seen on security video Sunday night smashing through the glass door of the Grove Gallery ... storming in, making a beeline for the iconic "Girl with Balloon" painting, and bolting out with it in tow.

The artwork is one of several versions of Banksy's famous stenciled image of a child reaching for a heart-shaped red balloon floating away ... easily one of his most iconic pieces and reportedly worth a whopping $355,000.