Arrests

10:47 AM PT -- The U.S. Attorney's office tells TMZ Mack is facing up to 40 years, 20 for each count.

Former "Smallville" star Allison Mack just entered a guilty plea to racketeering charges in her sex cult case ... and all signs point to her cutting a deal with prosecutors.

Mack, who starred as Chloe Sullivan on "Smallville," appeared in a Brooklyn courtroom Monday and pled guilty to 2 counts ... racketeering conspiracy and racketeering. Prosecutors say she was the pimp for the sex cult.

In court she sobbed and said, "I must take full responsibility for my conduct. I am very sorry for my role in this case. I am very sorry to my family and to the good people I hurt through my misguided adherence to [NXIVM leader] Keith Raniere’s teachings.”

It's unclear what the terms of Mack's deal are -- she had initially pled not guilty when she was indicted on sex trafficking charges for her role in running the sex cult led by Raniere. Prosecutors say she recruited and directed women, including other actresses, to have sex with Raniere, who was also busted.

You'll recall ... Mack was on the scene last March in Mexico when cops took Raniere into custody in Puerta Vallarta, where he was hiding out.

Mack was later arrested and extradited to the U.S., where she was outfitted with a GPS ankle monitor as a term of her bail.

Conor McGregor has one less legal issue ... the man suing him in the Miami phone smashing incident has dropped his lawsuit against the UFC star and all signs point to settlement.

As we previously reported, 22-year-old Ahmed Abdirzak sued Conor for battery, assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress over the March 11 incident at the Fontainebleau hotel.

Abdirzak claims Conor "flew into a rage and punched [Abdirzak's] smart phone out of his hand" before "stomping on the phone repeatedly." Abdirzak was demanding north of $15,000.

Part of the incident was captured on video and posted by TMZ Sports.

Now, court records show Abdirzak has filed new documents to dismiss his suit against McGregor with prejudice -- which likely means the two reached a settlement agreement.

It's smart money for Conor considering he's worth a fortune and could easily cut a check to put the matter behind him.

McGregor is still facing criminal charges for the incident -- including felony robbery and misdemeanor criminal mischief. If convicted on all counts, Conor faces up to 6 years in prison.

His case is due back in front of the judge later this week.

McGregor doesn't seem too bothered by the situation -- he's been partying all over the world, feuding with his UFC rivals and watching WrestleMania.

Before he filed his lawsuit, Abdirzak appeared on "TMZ Live" in March and told us he hadn't decided if he was going to sue, insisting he just wants "justice."

NBA YoungBoy has officially been charged in his weed case ... and it could have a serious impact on a separate and ongoing criminal case.

The rapper was charged with 2 misdemeanors -- possession of less than an ounce of marijuana and disorderly conduct -- stemming from a case back in February in Atlanta ... this according to court records obtained by TMZ.

As we first reported ... YB was busted along with a female companion, Starr Thigpen, after he allegedly ordered her to get housekeeping out of a room that was supposed to be unoccupied. Starr allegedly struck one of the maids in the face before cops arrived and arrested both of them.

Here's where things could get tricky for YB ... as we first reported, the rapper was indicted in Waycross, GA back in March 2018 for allegedly beating the hell outta his then-GF. One of the charges he faced was felony kidnapping.

We've reached out to the Waycross D.A.'s office to see if the new misdemeanor charges will impact the 2018 case, for which YB's currently out on bond. We do know this much ... YoungBoy has a status conference in front of the judge in the kidnapping case next week.

Stay tuned ...

Jack Osbourne is the victim in a coffee shop attack -- his morning cup of Joe was brutally interrupted when a random stranger delivered a blow to his head in a totally unprompted attack.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Jack was at a coffee shop Wednesday in Studio City where he was sitting on the sidewalk patio. We're told someone who appeared to be homeless came out of nowhere and sucker punched Jack on the right side of his head. Jack, who had his back to the street, got up and threw his coffee at the guy ... who then ran away.

Our sources say cops were called and they found the attacker, who struggled with cops and needed to be tazed to calm the hell down. The suspect was ultimately arrested for battery and assault.

A rep for Jack tells us he is doing just fine.

The attack comes on the heels of Jack and his now ex-wife, Lisa, finalizing their divorce ... rather amicably too.

About a month ago, they reached a settlement that saw Jack pay Lisa a $1 million lump sum ... while he got to keep a bunch of their artwork.

9:30 AM PT -- Attorney Gloria Allred tells us she is representing the woman from Texas, but would not comment further on the case.

Mally Mall had his home raided and searched because police are investigating allegations of multiple sexual assaults and human sex trafficking, along with alleged importation of exotic animals ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ, but the music producer says the principal accuser is an extortionist.

Sources connected with the investigation tell us, the LAPD SWAT informed supporting officers, the raid was triggered by allegations of "multiple rapes and human sex trafficking, as well as firearms on the premises." They added they also believe, "he was illegally importing exotic species into California for people working in the entertainment industry."

As for the alleged rapes and alleged human trafficking, sources involved in the investigation tell TMZ, a woman claimed back in January, Mally Mall flew her out from Texas after seeing her fitness videos on social media. She says she was staying at his home and he drugged and raped her and locked her in a room.

The woman claimed she stayed another day and had intercourse with him a second time because she felt she had to be "submissive." The following day she says she developed a rash and went to a hospital where a nurse called the cops after observing vaginal trauma.

Sources close to Mally Mall say everything was consensual and they were partying together the entire weekend. They add the woman was in no hurry to leave his home. He also says he has voicemails and texts proving she was trying to squeeze money out of him.

We're told the woman has been in touch with various authorities, including the sex unit in the LAPD's Robbery Homicide Division. Our sources say cops believe there are at least 3 women who have come forward with similar allegations of rape.

As for the exotic animals, law enforcement sources tell us, Mally Mall's social media posts showing the various creatures triggered the interest of the California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. We're told 3 animals were seized in Tuesday's raid ... 2 monkeys and a Serval cat.

Our sources say the initial search warrant was issued on March 21 but was never executed, and police went back to a judge a week later to get an extension that allowed them to conduct Tuesday's raid.

Mally Mall was NOT arrested but rather detained and released, however, cops tell us the investigations are ongoing.

Mally Mall's lawyer, Steve Sadow, tells TMZ, "If they had real evidence, they would have arrested him. They don't have evidence. It's bogus. Period."

Nipsey Hussle was in the middle of a good deed right before he was gunned down in front of his store ... where he was trying to help out an old friend who just got out of prison.

Sources connected to Nipsey tell TMZ ... the reason he was at his Marathon Clothing store Sunday is because he was trying to hook up his ex-con pal with some new gear so he could look good before meeting up with his own family and friends later in the day.

We're told Nipsey's friend had just walked out of the pen after 20 years behind bars.

Our sources say Nipsey didn't notify his team or his primary security guard he'd be going to the store solo -- it was a spur of the moment thing ... we're told no one in his camp was aware he'd left home.

Nipsey's friend is one of the other two people who were injured in Sunday's shooting -- we're told the third guy was the friend's nephew, who drove him to Marathon Clothing.

We broke the story ... a man walked up on Nipsey and co. and fired multiple rounds before fleeing in a waiting car. The shooter circled back to shoot Nipsey multiple times, not to mention kicking him in the head before leaving. Nipsey died from his wounds.

Police have identified 29-year-old Eric Holder as the suspected gunman -- who they finally brought into custody Tuesday after a 2-day manhunt.

Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman could cut plea bargains if they want 'em -- but they wouldn't be getting off easy ... because prosecutors want prison time, TMZ has learned.

Federal law enforcement sources tell TMZ, any plea would come with a recommendation by prosecutors that the actresses serve some time behind bars. The official told us, "You can't have people being treated differently because they have money. That's how we got to this place. Every defendant will be treated the same."

Prosecutors will not have the final word if the cases are plea bargained. The U.S. Attorney would make a recommendation to the judge, but the judge has the final word.

Lori and Felicity each face a maximum of 5 years in prison if convicted of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.

Our sources say it is "likely" plea bargain discussions will begin, but we're told no plea deal has been made.

Lori and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, have been accused of paying ringleader Rick Singer $500,000 to get their daughters into USC by falsely claiming they would participate in the crew team.

Felicity is accused of paying Singer $15,000 to rig her daughter's SAT test.

50 people have been charged in the alleged scams, and we're told more indictments are expected.

Nipsey Hussle's alleged murderer, Eric Holder, is going to be behind bars for a long time, and he'll be there all alone -- 'cause cops are afraid he'll be offed in jail.

As you know, LAPD picked up Holder from the L.A. County Sheriff's Department station in Lakewood Tuesday and took him to a police station in South L.A. -- and law enforcement sources tell us he's currently being held in solitary confinement.

We're told police refuse to let Holder mingle with the general population, because they believe he's a target. As it is, cops were in a race to arrest him before someone on the street took him out. Our sources also say he'll remain in solitary once he's transferred to L.A. County Jail while awaiting trial.

BTW, if there's any doubt about him seeing the light of day before his trial ... a judge set Holder's bail early Wednesday morning at $7,040,000.

As we reported ... Holder -- who goes by the street name, Shitty Cuz -- was located and captured in the Lakewood area Tuesday, where he was cuffed by cops and later ID'd by the LAPD.

2:50 PM PT -- The L.A. County Medical Coroner says Nipsey died from gunshot wounds to his head and torso. He was pronounced dead Sunday at 3:55 PM ... at a downtown L.A. hospital.

4/1 -- Nipsey Hussle was enjoying March Madness like the rest of us Saturday night -- less than 24 hours before he was gunned down Sunday. The rapper was sitting courtside in Anaheim, CA for the Texas Tech/Gonzaga game. This is one of the last known public photos of him out there.

7:50 PM PT -- Somebody is already claiming to have been the one who shot and killed Nipsey Hussle. An artist by the name of Cinco says he was on Instagram Live Sunday after news broke that Nipsey had been shot. He says in the middle of his Live session, a young man under the username @gasstongbo hopped on with his own video and said he was the shooter.

Check out the interaction ... the guy says he literally walked up on Nipsey and shot him in front of his "daughter." Nipsey was photographed right before the shooting in the presence of a young child, but it's unclear if that was his kid or not.

We should make clear ... we do NOT know if this is the same man police have ID'd as the suspect in the case. It's simply someone who is making a claim to the crime.

6:02 PM PT -- Our sources are clear ... this appears to be gang-related to the law enforcement officers working the case.

5:46 PM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the suspect cops are looking for is a black male in his 20s. We're told he approached Nipsey and co. by foot Sunday afternoon and fired multiple shots ... only to depart right after in what we're told appeared to be a nearby waiting vehicle with a separate driver, who our sources say was female.

5:12 PM PT -- Our law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Nipsey Hussle has died. He was 33 years old. He's survived by two children and his girlfriend, Lauren London, with whom he had a child in 2016.

4:32 PM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... 3 people were shot at Nipsey's store, and one just died at the hospital. It's unclear if that person is Nipsey. We're being told that one man fled in a vehicle after the shooting.

Nipsey Hussle was just shot in L.A. ... TMZ has learned.

Multiple sources tell us the rapper was gunned down Sunday in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, south of the Crenshaw area. We're told he was at his clothing company called The Marathon Clothing. He opened the place back in 2017.

His condition is unknown at this point, but eyewitnesses say they heard multiple shots. Police and paramedics have swarmed the area and taped off the crime scene.

Nipsey received CPR on the scene as well. Videos are circulating showing him receiving CPR from an EMT, who's doing chest compressions.

What's crazy ... Nipsey seems to have tweeted right before the shooting, and alluded to "enemies." He wrote, "Having strong enemies is a blessing."

Nipsey -- who's from the Crenshaw area of L.A. -- is said to have ties to the Crips. That hasn't stopped him from working with artists who have rival gang affiliations ... he's made music with both YG and The Game -- both of whom have been tied to Bloods.

Nipsey has also worked with other huge names in the industry, like Drake, Childish Gambino, 50 Cent, Kendrick Lamar, Rick Ross, Young Thug, Snoop Dogg, Ne-Yo, Kirko Bangz, Dom Kennedy, Tyga, Jadakiss, Chamillionaire and many, many others.

He's released multiple mixtapes over the course of his 10-plus year career but just dropped his first studio album last year. It's called "Victory Lap" ... and it got him a Grammy nod for Best Rap Album just a month ago. Nipsey lost out to Cardi B at the award show.

Nipsey's mixtapes date back to 2005. He dropped 10 projects independently before releasing his debut album, which was distributed through his own record label, All Money In, and Atlantic Records.

Despite being a polished rapper, Nipsey was no stranger to the streets. He got roped into a brawl out in West Hollywood back in December of 2018 ... which turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.

This isn't the first time trouble has descended onto Nipsey's store either. Gunfire erupted there back in September of 2018, but no one was shot. Nipsey was not at the store that time.

Nipsey was incredibly involved in his local community, in which he worked to prevent gang violence. He helped spear a major art initiative in his home neighborhood called "Destination Crenshaw" -- a 1.3-mile open-air museum that will feature local art.

He also recently helped launch Vector 90 -- a Crenshaw district based STEM learning center and workspace dedicated to developing science and technology education in the area.

During a showcasing of Vector 90 last year, Nipsey told the LA Times ... "I grew up in gang culture. We dealt with death, with murder. It was like living in a war zone, where people die on these blocks and everybody is a little bit immune to it. I guess they call it post-traumatic stress, when you have people that have been at war for such a long time. I think L.A. suffers from that because it’s not normal yet we embrace it like it is after a while."

Nipsey has been dating Lauren London since at least 2015, when she got pregnant with their child. They kept a low profile as a couple, but stirred up engagement rumors when they did a coordinated shoot for GQ back in January ... where they were wearing matching white outfits.

Speaking of GQ, Nipsey and Lauren had worked with them quite recently by doing a "Couples Quiz," which just got released a few days ago.

Lauren hasn't said anything publicly about Nipsey's shooting.

8:03 AM -- The hearing's now over and, as we reported, Greenberg's requested all communication between Foxx and Avenatti. As for Kelly's request for approval to travel ... that motion's been withdrawn. Greenberg said he understood Kelly's chances to travel were "slim" considering the matter wouldn't be taken up until the next court hearing May 7. Kelly had previously said he needed to travel to Dubai later this month, but the Dubai government said Kelly had no business there.

BTW ... Kelly was not at the hearing, citing an illness.

7:40 AM PT -- Kelly's legal team is already raising Avenatti's federal charges for extortion. According to the motion filed Monday morning, Greenberg says Avenatti bragged about his ability to put public pressure on Nike ... at least, according to federal prosecutors.

Greenberg also points out Avenatti has publicly talked about multiple convos with Foxx regarding the alleged sex tape. In docs, Kelly's lawyer says Avenatti has "acted as a de facto prosecutor."

Greenberg also calls out Foxx in the motion ... saying the Jussie Smollett case shows she is "able to be influenced and wowed" -- a clear reference to Foxx's communication with Tina Tchen. Foxx ended up recusing herself as a result of that communication.

Greenberg is concerned Avenatti might have "bullied or just simply manipulated" Foxx.

Avenatti's response to the motion is, "[Greenberg] is now trying to distract attention away from the clear guilt of his client by raising bogus arguments about me and Kim Foxx. The evidence is the evidence. Multiple witnesses/tapes, plus DNA. R Kelly will be convicted for his sexual abuse of girls."

7:25 AM PT -- Kelly's attorney, Steven Greenberg, wants to know more about Michael Avenatti's relationship with Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx.

Greenberg spoke to the media before the hearing, and said he is going to request all records of Foxx and Avenatti's communications. You know, of course, Avenatti came forward with 2 sex tapes he claims show Kelly having sex with a 14-year-old.

The tapes are part of the new evidence that prompted the 10 count indictment.

R. Kelly's looking for the judge to give him the green light to travel outside the U.S., and he could get an answer when he shows up in a Cook County courtroom ... where TMZ will be streaming live.

The singer and his legal team will be in court for a hearing that had originally been scheduled for May, but it was pushed up to Monday. It's unclear exactly what the judge will cover, but we know there are a couple of unsettled issues from last week's brief hearing.

As we reported ... Kelly's legal team asked prosecutors to hand over copies of the sex tapes it claims to have as evidence. Also, their request to travel was continued but it could be brought up once again.

Kelly's side had previously said he needs permission to travel to Dubai in April for a few scheduled concerts. Problem is ... the Dubai government says Kelly's got no business there whatsoever.

Monday's hearing is set to begin at 7:30 AM PT.

Stay tuned ...

6:37 PM PT -- Donald Trump Jr. just threw some major shade at Avenatti at his father's political rally in Michigan, joking that Michael's presidential ambitions took a serious hit this week.

Junior jokes that Michael went from "Avenatti 2020 to Avenatti 20 to 25" ... clearly hoping his foe is going to prison for his role in the alleged extortion plot.

Michael Avenatti was loaded for bear Wednesday night, proclaiming his innocence in the extortion case, proclaiming that the R. Kelly case would be unaffected by the extortion case and proclaiming it's only a matter of time before top Nike execs would be led away in handcuffs.

We got the embattled celeb attorney in WeHo Wednesday night ... and we strolled along with him on a long, long walk ... where he unpacked his outrage.

Avenatti said all the talk that his indictment will torpedo the R. Kelly prosecution is BS ... because the evidence is the evidence is the evidence.

And then, he talked Nike. As you know, he's been accused of trying to extort the shoe co. for more than $20 million in return for keeping his silence on alleged misdeeds -- specifically, Nike secretly paid off the families of star high school basketball players in order to direct them to Nike-sponsored colleges.

He goes after Nike execs with a vengeance, saying they are corrupt to the core and it will be exposed. He also insists any money he may have demanded was not a quid pro quo for his silence. Avenatti says he was going to expose Nike regardless of whether the company paid him or not.

The U.S. Attorney claims he has a videotape from a March 21 meeting between Avenatti and Nike attorneys in which he allegedly says, "If [Nike] wants to have one confidential settlement and we're done, they can buy that for $22.5 million and we're done."

Jussie Smollett got off in his criminal case simply because he's a celeb -- so says Chicago's mayor, Rahm Emanuel ... who stops short of calling this a corrupt move, but certainly insinuated it.

Mayor Emanuel went on GMA Wednesday morning following his blistering attack on the Cook County State's Attorney's Office the day before, after they dropped all 16 charges against Jussie and let him walk scot-free.

The Mayor said flat-out ... if he did the same type of thing, he'd have the book thrown at him.

First Assistant to the State's Attorney Joseph Magats says they decided to drop the charges because it wasn't a violent crime -- and thought Jussie coughing up $10k and doing community service sufficed as punishment. Hizzoner says no one on the outside can make sense of it.

Jussie Smollett had pals of his in the Cook County State's Attorney's ear early on in his case -- and, based on leaked correspondence, it looks like she acted on his behalf.

Texts and emails between State Attorney Kim Foxx and two Jussie allies -- one of which is reported to be a family member of his -- have been leaked, and they show that Foxx was asked to intervene in the case a few days after he'd reported the alleged attack to Chicago PD. It appears that she did exactly that ... and kept Jussie's camp in the loop.

The initial correspondence started when Michelle Obama's former chief of staff, Tina Tchen, emailed Foxx to say that she was reaching out on behalf of Jussie's family to express "concerns" they had with how the investigation at that point was being handled.

Jussie had not been charged with a crime yet, but it's believed Chicago PD was already doubting his story and leaking info to the press pushing that narrative.

Foxx responded to Tchen on Feb. 1, saying ... "Spoke to Superintendent Johnson. I convinced him to Reach out to FBI to ask that they take over the investigation. He is reaching out now and will get back to me shortly."

The same day, an unnamed relative of Jussie's texted Foxx herself, as well, and Foxx said she was working on getting the case sent over to the FBI. The relative replied, "Omg this would a huge victory." Foxx then responded, "I make no guarantees, but I'm trying."

Later, Foxx recused herself from the case when Jussie became a suspect. And, of course, her office just announced Tuesday that it was dropping all of the charges against Jussie, after coming out strong with a 16-count indictment just weeks earlier.

Her official reasoning for dropping the charges ... Jussie has done community service in the community, so we're good. Her office asked a judge to seal the case, and they obliged. Mayor Rahm Emanuel strongly hinted at corruption in the State's Attorney's Office.

The Chicago-Tribune first reported on the leaked texts and emails.

Michael Avenatti's new legal woes -- being accused of extortion and fraud -- could derail the case against R. Kelly ... that's what the singer's lawyer thinks.

R. Kelly's attorney, Steve Greenberg, tells TMZ ... now that Avenatti has been charged with extortion as well as bank and tax fraud, his credibility is now a centerpiece in the singer's case -- specifically, the circumstances surrounding how prosecutors obtained a key piece of evidence.

That evidence, of course, is a sex tape that Cook County investigators claim shows R. Kelly having sex with an underage girl, who's alleged to be 14 years old. It's what many believe to be a smoking gun against R. Kelly ... and the catalyst that led to a 10-count indictment.

Greenberg says the issue of "chain of custody" -- how Cook County got hold of that tape via Avenatti -- is now questionable. Greenberg strongly suggests the possibility the tape could've been altered before it got to prosecutors.

Sources connected to the case tell us that the man who handed the tape over to Avenatti is a whistle-blower who has a history of extorting R. Kelly.

We're told the man recently confessed to prosecutors in Chicago that he squeezed about a million dollars out of R. Kelly's team in the past to stop the tape from going public. So, the question ... if the guy got the cash, how would Avenatti have gotten it?

Remember, there were supposedly TWO R. Kelly sex tapes that Avenatti turned over to Cook County officials, but Greenberg tells us he's only aware of one.

Either way, if Greenberg can create reasonable doubt in the jury's mind as to authenticity ... he could get R. Kelly off. Hey, we've seen it happen before.

3/26 -- Avenatti tweeted early Tuesday morning thanking his supporters for their kind words. He then claimed that he "never attempted to extort Nike & when the evidence is disclosed, the public will learn the truth about Nike's crime & coverup."

6:13 PM PT -- Avenatti just held a brief press conference, saying, "I have fought against the powerful -- powerful people and powerful corporations -- I will never stop fighting that good fight." He added he's "highly confident" he'll be "fully exonerated."

4:33 PM PT -- Avenatti has just been released on a $300,000 bond. He didn't have to pay that amount, but it had to be co-signed by 2 people who say they're good for it.

While he's out on bond, his travel will be restricted to New York and California ... and all travel plans must be approved by the government. Avenatti is also barred from contacting Mark Geragos.

2:53 PM PT -- Avenatti's indictment will NOT have any major impact on the pending R. Kelly criminal case, in which he reps the family of Azriel Clary ... so says Gerald Griggs, who represents Joycelyn Savage's family. Griggs tells TMZ ...  that while Avenatti's criminal cases present problems for himself personally, Griggs says they'll have "minimal" effect in the R. Kelly matter. He adds, "[T]he ten charges are based on four independent accusers and other information independent of Mr. Avenatti. The Savage family continues to seek reunification with their daughter, and that process of justice continues on course for all the alleged victims of Robert Sylvester Kelly."

1:15 PM PT -- The Nike indictment says Avenatti had an unnamed co-conspirator, and we've confirmed reports it is famed attorney Mark Geragos.

12:08 PM PT -- Nike just broke its silence following the news conferences ... saying it "will not be extorted or hide information that is relevant to a government investigation. Nike has been cooperating with the government's investigation into NCAA basketball for over a year."

The shoe giant goes on to say, "When Nike became aware of this matter, Nike immediately reported it to federal prosecutors. When Mr. Avenatti attempted to extort Nike over this matter, Nike with the assistance of outside counsel at Boies Schiller Flexner, aided the investigation."

"Nike firmly believes in ethical and fair play, both in business and sports, and will continue to assist the prosecutors."

If you recognize the law firm -- Boies Schiller Flexner -- the "Boies" is David Boies, the famous high-powered lawyer who's represented everyone from Al Gore to Harvey Weinstein.

In fact, Boies was also heavily involved with Theranos -- the blood testing company -- and was featured in the HBO documentary "The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley."

11:55 AM PT -- The NY Presser just finished up, and prosecutors there had quite a bit to say about Avenatti's alleged extortion efforts toward Nike.

Prosecutors in NY say the alleged Nike scheme played out over the course of a few days last week. Avenatti repped an AAU coach whose team had just lost a Nike sponsorship worth $72k a year. The coach claimed that Nike made payments to families of some high school basketball players, and Avenatti demanded payment from Nike to keep him quiet.

He was arrested Monday at the location where he was supposed to meet with Nike brass, presumably to strike a deal or keep the convo going.

For the record .. the only thing that was coordinated between NY and California was how the bust would go down. That said ... these are two separate federal cases.

11:33 AM PT -- The L.A. Presser just wrapped, and investigators didn't pull any punches in condemning Avenatti's alleged criminal behavior ... calling him a "corrupt lawyer" who was only out for his own personal gain.

Among the most damning allegations in Avenatti's financial case ... Avenatti allegedly siphoned off a $1.6 million settlement he scored for a client in 2017 and hid it in a personal bank account that he controlled ... but never told his client a thing about it. The U.S. Attorney alleges Avenatti used that money to fund his lavish lifestyle and to help pay for his coffee business in California and Washington State. All the while, the client never received a penny.

What's more ... the U.S. Attorney and the IRS also claim Avenatti defrauded a bank for millions of dollars worth of loans by submitting fake tax returns between 2011 and 2013, in which he claimed to have earned around $4-$5 million a year each year and supposedly paid $2.8 million in taxes. The government says all of that was a lie ... he didn't file taxes those years at all.

Michael Madsen is behind bars ... after wrecking his Land Rover in Malibu, he got arrested for driving under the influence.

The veteran actor of Quentin Tarantino flicks like 'Kill Bill,' 'Hateful Eight' and "Reservoir Dogs" got into a single-car crash, hitting a pole, Sunday around 8 PM ... according to law enforcement sources. We're told the L.A. County Sheriff's Department deputies responded and, when they arrived, immediately suspected Madsen had been boozing.

We're told Madsen smelled of alcohol, so he was given a field sobriety test and, according to law enforcement, it didn't go well -- his BAC was .10.

The legal limit is .08, so Madsen was arrested for misdemeanor DUI. His bail has been set at $15k.

Madsen was also busted for DUI in Malibu back in 2012, when his BAC was twice the legal limit. He entered a 30-day rehab after that arrest, and the judge also ordered him to get outpatient treatment.