Crime & Arrests

A YouTuber was sentenced Monday to 6 months in federal prison for obstruction of justice after deliberately crashing his single-propeller plane ... to bolster his social media.

Trevor Daniel Jacob, 30, of Lompoc -- a former Olympic snowboarder who was facing a max sentence of 20 years -- was sentenced to just 6 months by United States District Judge John F. Walter ... after pleading guilty to one count of "destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation" on June 30.

Federal prosecutors say in a recent news release that Jacob confessed to orchestrating the crash on November 24, 2021 ... posting the pre-planned event to YouTube nearly a month later on December 23, titling it, "I Crashed My Airplane."

The video sees Jacob flying a single-engine plane from Lompoc City Airport to Mammoth Lakes ... before claiming the plane's engine had failed 30 minutes in.

The footage captures Jacob opening the side door and leaping out to deploy a parachute just as the plane hurtles downward into a crash below.

Prosecutors say he purposely waited two days to report the pre-planned crash to the National Transportation Safety Board, who advised him to preserve the wreckage --- though he stalled the investigation, telling them he didn't know where the plane went down.

Instead, he used a helicopter to lift the wreckage out of the Los Padres National Forest on December 10, 2021 ... before dismantling and disposing of it.

During his sentencing Monday, Judge Walter ordered him to surrender to the authorities by Jan. 29 ... with Jacobs saying in a statement conveyed by his lawyer: "This experience has been so humbling."

A white female Alabama cop has been placed on leave for laughing while using a stun gun on a crying handcuffed Black man ... with the distressing video widely circulating online.

In the clip, the unidentified cop from the Reform Police Department in Pickens County was filmed Saturday swearing and berating the man ... who District Attorney Andy Hamlin says was arrested on a trafficking fentanyl charge.

She's seen shouting at the cuffed man to lie on the front of the vehicle with his face down and ordering him to "stay still."

However, when the man responds, "I ain't doing s***, bro. I got a gun right there," she takes the gun out of his pocket and immediately deploys the stun gun into his back.

With the man clearly in pain and crying, she warns: "Do you want it again? Shut your b***h a** up!"

In response to the venom shown by the cop, reform police Chief Richard Black and Mayor Melody Davis released a joint statement ... reading: "The Reform Police Department is aware of a video circulating involving a citizen's arrest on December 2."

It was added: "The department is in the process of turning over all materials related to this arrest to the Alabama State Bureau of Investigation and has requested a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the arrest. In accordance with City Policy, the officer involved has been placed on administrative leave while the investigation is conducted."

The clip has drawn widespread fury online ... with some labeling it "sickening" and an "abuse of power" and others calling for her arrest.

George Santos says getting fired from a job is no big deal -- because it's all down to what you make of the experience ... something he's now telling his Cameo legion.

That's just one questionable piece of advice he's already dished out after joining the personalized video message platform ... less than a week after he was booted from Congress.

The disgraced politician proudly introduces himself as the "Expelled member of Congress from New York City" and "Former congressional "Icon"!💅🏼" on the site ... where for $200, you can nab yourself a customized message from the man himself.

Santos has already been hard at work doling out responses to some requests ... leveraging his recent experiences to inspire and motivate one person in his new career.

This comes hot on the heels of the House's vote to expel him earlier this month -- a decision spurred by a controversial time in office, which includes multiple felony charges.

Back in May, Santos was arrested on a variety of felony charges, including lying, wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, and making false statements to the House of Representatives.

Tiffany Haddish appears to have ditched booze during her birthday celebration this weekend -- that is, if her reported sober behavior earlier in the week is any indication.

The comedian celebrated her 44th born day Sunday ... and it looks like it was a musical affair. She posted a clip of herself performing in this big cabaret-type show at a private shindig where she was front and center in front of a lot of friends.

Her caption reads, "Happy Birthday to me!!!!! I am ready for my next chapter in life." TF goes on to share she has more original music coming, not to mention another book ... among other ventures.

She adds (somewhat cryptically) ... "I keep my promises anyone that knows me knows that. It might take some time but I always keep my promise. Just ask God."

While she didn't specifically mention her DUI from a couple weeks ago, it sounds like she might be touching on it here. Not just that, but Page Six reports that Tiffany was actually among Paris Hilton's many famous guests at her "Slivmas" holiday party earlier last week ... and they say she was completely sober there.

If true, that's big news considering she got arrested for allegedly drinking and driving (again) after a night out in L.A. -- this, of course, about a year after she got arrested for the same thing out in Georgia. If she was steering clear of alcohol at Paris' bash, it stands to reason she might've done the same at her own.

TMZ broke the story ... Tiffany was arrested in Beverly Hills after cops say they found her sleeping at the wheel and blocking the road with her car. In the end, they felt they had probable cause to take her in for DUI ... and did exactly that.

Less than 24 hours later, she was back onstage and performing yet again -- this time at a Laugh Factory all the way down in Long Beach ... where she jokingly addressed her arrest.

She might've been laughing about it then, but it's a very serious matter ... and prosecutors in Georgia have already signaled they want stricter restrictions on her as her case there plays out -- including forcing her to stay off of alcohol consumption.

Dos hombres acusados de golpear brutalmente a un fanático de Nardo Wick se han entregado a la policía, según ha indagado TMZ.

Fuentes policiales le dicen a TMZ que los sospechosos, Zachary L. Benton, de 34 años y un varón de 15, se entregaron a la policía de Tampa el viernes por la noche. Ambos están acusados por el delito grave de agresión. El chico de 15 años también está acusado por ser menor de edad y poseer un arma de fuego mientras llevaba una máscara.

Una fuente cercana a Nardo nos dice que los hombres no tenían una relación estrecha con el rapero, sino que eran amigos de amigos.

Nos dicen que los dos sospechosos se pusieron en contacto con el equipo de Nardo a principios de esta semana para discutir la logística de la entrega, lo que es interesante, pues tenían suficiente conexión cómo para llegar a alguien del equipo de Nardo.

TMZ fue el primero en informar la noticia, un video muestra a George Obregon Jr., fan de Nardo Wick, caminando hacia el rapero después de un show, y luego siendo emboscado y golpeado por dos personas que estaban afuera con el rapero. Los policías nos dicen que Benton fue el primero en golpear a Obregon, mientras que el chico de 15 años corrió y le dio un puñetazo varias veces más.

La madre de George nos dijo que su hijo, de 20 años, solo quería tomarse una foto con Nardo cuando fue atacado. Fue trasladado a la unidad de cuidados intensivos de un hospital con una conmoción cerebral grave y una hemorragia cerebral. Desconocemos su estado actual.

Nardo se disculpó por el incidente, pero culpó a los otros hombres diciendo que no puede controlar cómo reaccionan otros hombres adultos. También dijo que estaba molesto por todo el incidente.

Two men accused of throwing punches in the brutal beatdown of a Nardo Wick fan have turned themselves into police ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the suspects -- 34-year-old Zachary L. Benton and a 15-year-old male turned themselves in to Tampa PD Friday night. They are charged with felony battery. The 15-year-old is also charged with minor in possession of a firearm while wearing a mask.

A source close to Nardo tells us the men did not have a close relationship with the rapper ... they were friends of friends.

We're told the two suspects reached out to Nardo's team earlier this week to discuss logistics of surrender. That's interesting ... they had enough of a connection to reach out to someone from Nardo's team.

TMZ broke the story ... video shows Nardo fan George Obregon Jr. walking up to the rapper after a show, and getting ambushed and sucker punched by two people who were walking out of the venue with Nardo. Cops tell us Benton is the one who first punched Obregon and the 15-year-old ran over and punched him several more times.

George's mom told us her 20-year-old son was just seeking a photo with Nardo when he was attacked. He was taken to the critical care unit of a hospital with a severe concussion and brain bleed. We do not know his current condition.

Nardo apologized for the incident but blamed the other men ... saying he can't control how grown men react. He also said he was upset by the whole incident.

Fat Joe believes rappers have a right to use their imagination and lyrics any way they see fit ... and those words shouldn't be used in criminal cases.

The Bronx-bred rap legend spoke to TMZ Hip Hop Friday in NYC as he supported the United Justice Coalition at the Jacob Javitz Center ... he really wants justice for Young Thug after feeling prosecutors in his ongoing RICO trial are trying to jam him up by highlighting generic lyrics.

Joe explains he never goes into writing a song to lie ... he says hip hop is the ultimate storytelling vehicle and compares it to fictional books and movies.

If he had a bad day, Joe says he may record an aggressive track like "Take A Look At My Life," a good mood could birth a Grammy Award nominee in "All The Way Up" ... emotions have always been his guide to lyrical content.

Joe was recently on CNN where he made the 95% estimate during a convo about Young Thug's ongoing RICO trial where his lyrics are being used as evidence by the prosecution in attempts to prove murders and corruption.

He tells us freedom of speech shouldn't come with prison sentences -- or censorship of art.

Joe says he would hate to see Martin Scorsese abandon mafia movies and notes he recently watched three Netflix movies involving killers ... and nobody is going to trial for depicting the fake murders.

Derek Chauvin, el policía condenado por asesinar a George Floyd, fue apuñalado 22 veces en un brutal ataque en prisión y el recluso responsable dice que quería matarlo.

Los fiscales federales anunciaron este viernes que el recluso John Turscak fue acusado de intento de asesinato por el apuñalamiento en prisión. Con un cuchillo improvisado, Turscak atacó a Chauvin el 24 de noviembre en la biblioteca jurídica de la Institución Correccional Federal de Tucson, Arizona.

Según los fiscales, Turscak, de 52 años, le dijo a los funcionarios de la prisión que habría matado a Chauvin si no hubieran intervenido.

Como hemos informado, la familia de Chauvin no había tenido mayores detalles en los días siguientes al ataque. Los funcionarios de la prisión cabreados no les habrían ofrecido más información que el hecho de que Chauvin estaba en estado crítico pero estable.

Chauvin fue declarado culpable del asesinato de Floyd y condenado a más de 22 años de prisión. También se le dio un plazo de 20 años en un cargo federal separado por violar los derechos civiles de Floyd, que es lo que está cumpliendo en Arizona.

Derek Chauvin -- the cop convicted of murdering George Floyd -- was stabbed 22 times in a brutal attack behind bars ... and the inmate responsible says he wanted Chauvin dead.

Federal prosecutors announced Friday inmate John Turscak was charged with attempted murder in the prison stabbing. Using an improvised knife, Turscak attacked Chauvin on November 24 in the law library at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson, Arizona.

According to prosecutors, 52-year-old Turscak told corrections officers he would've killed Chauvin if they hadn't intervened.

As we reported, Chauvin's family had been left in the dark in the days following the attack ... pissed prison officials hadn't offered them more info other than the fact Chauvin was in critical but stable condition.

Chauvin was convicted of Floyd's murder and sentenced to more than 22 years in prison. He was also given a 20-year term on a separate federal charge of violating Floyd's civil rights ... which is what he's serving in Arizona.

Casanova just came up empty in his push for an early release from his 15-year prison sentence ... a judge denied the Roc Nation rapper's plea after admitting responsibility to his crime.

A federal court ruling handed down on Friday denied Casanova's motion for a compassionate release, noting he already got a sentence at the bottom of the sentencing range and has yet to even serve 20% of it.

You'll recall, Cas pled guilty to robbery in August 2020. He distanced himself from his previous associations with the Gorilla Stone Nation gang in a passionate letter to the judge ahead of sentencing, but the judge said Cas hasn't proven he's no longer a danger to anyone in the community, and the 188-month sentence imposed is still warranted.

Jussie Smollett has lost his big appeal in his fake attack case, but that doesn't mean he's going straight to jail to serve his sentence ... not by a long shot.

As we reported, an Illinois appeals court ruled by a 2-1 vote to uphold his conviction for faking an "attack" on the streets of Chicago back in January 2019. He was sentenced to 150 days in jail, but only served 6 days before being freed pending appeal.

Well now the appeals court has spoken, but it's not the only appeals court. Jussie can, and has vowed, to file a petition with the Illinois Supreme Court to review his case. The High Court is not required to hear it -- it's discretionary -- but while he pushes for the Court to hear his case, he won't go back to jail.

We did some digging, and here's the way it works. Jussie has 35 days to file his appeal with the Illinois Supreme Court. It usually takes around 2 months for the court to decide whether it wants to hear a case. If they reject Jussie's, his appeals are pretty much over, and that would mean he'd be back in the pokey by late February or March.

Now if the appeal is granted, it would take around a year for the court to hear the case and make a decision. During that time, Jussie would be free. So if the Supreme Court hears the case and upholds the verdict, Jussie would go to jail, but that wouldn't happen until mid-2025!

In other words, Jussie could dodge jail for three and a half years after his conviction under that scenario.

Lil Wayne is being dragged to court a former bodyguard who is suing the rapper after telling cops Wayne allegedly brandished a gun and punched him in the ear.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Carlos Christian claims Weezy threatened to shoot him with a semiautomatic rifle ... a threat he says he took seriously considering Wayne once spent time in prison on weapons charges.

TMZ broke the story ... Christian called cops back in December 2021, claiming Lil Wayne pulled an assault rifle on him during a dispute at the rapper's Hidden Hills, CA home.

The bodyguard told police an altercation escalated to physical violence and Weezy ended up brandishing an AR-15, but sources close to Weezy denied the incident ever happened and claimed Wayne didn't even own a gun.

In the docs, the guard says he incurred medical expenses, lost wages, and suffered emotional distress as a result of the alleged incident ... and he's going after Lil Wayne for compensatory and punitive damages.

11:18 AM PT -- Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ Sports ... James Anthony Hill Jr. is Jamahal Hill's brother.

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill was arrested in Michigan for domestic violence earlier this week ... TMZ Sports has learned.

According to records, the fighter was booked at a Kent County jail on Monday at around 1 AM ... and released later that evening, at 7:35 PM. That same day, prosecutors formally charged the 32-year-old with one count of misdemeanor aggravated domestic violence.

In court documents we obtained, officials allege Hill assaulted James Anthony Hill Jr., inflicting "serious or aggravated injury upon him."

It's unclear if the two Hills are related, though officials said in the docs James is "a resident or former resident" of Jamahal's household.

Further details surrounding the allegations were not made immediately available. Hill is due in court in January for a hearing on the matter.

We've reached out to Jamahal's reps for comment, but so far, no word back.

Jamahal just recently earned his light heavyweight crown in January with a win over Glover Teixeira at UFC 283 -- though he relinquished the title in July after he ruptured his Achilles while playing basketball.

Once healed, Jamahal is expected to get another crack at regaining his belt in a fight with the division's current champ, Alex Pereira.

10:05 AM PT -- Jussie Smollett y su equipo no van a caer sin antes luchar, un representante nos dice: "Queremos destacar que la decisión fue dividida, con el juez Lyle ofreciendo un análisis detallado a favor de Smollett. Nos estamos preparando para elevar este asunto al Tribunal Supremo, armados con un conjunto sustancial de pruebas".

Jussie Smollett acaba de recibir un gran portazo en los tribunales, pues su condena por haber falseado un ataque acaba de ser confirmada.

Un tribunal de apelaciones de Illinois emitió el fallo el viernes. El panel de tres jueces votó 2-1 para mantener la condena de Jussie, de acuerdo con nuevos documentos legales obtenidos por TMZ.

La clave de la apelación de Jussie era el argumento de que él no puede ser procesado porque, después de la acusación inicial, la Fiscal del Estado del Condado de Cook, Kim Foxx, decidió no procesar el caso. Ello suscitó enormes críticas y se nombró a un fiscal especial que, en última instancia, acudió al gran jurado que lo volvió a acusar.

Los dos jueces que confirmaron la condena dijeron que no era relevante que se hubiese retirado la acusación inicial. El juez que discrepó, en tanto, dijo que la decisión de Foxx de no procesar el caso era en realidad una promesa a Jussie de que este había terminado.

Con el fallo, es probable que Jussie regrese a una cárcel de Chicago para completar su condena de 150 días.

Recordemos, el actor fue condenado inicialmente en 2022 y pasó 6 días en la cárcel del condado de Cook antes de ser puesto en libertad mientras intentaba conseguir que anularan su sentencia.

Ahora, Jussie se ha quedado con las manos vacías, pero su equipo legal tiene la opción de apelar la decisión a la Corte Suprema de Illinois, que luego decidiría si escuchar el caso.

Durante su apelación, Jussie lanzó nueva música, dirigió una película con Vivica A. Fox, hizo ejercicio con Taraji P. Henson, fue a rehabilitación y se afeitó la cabeza.

Será interesante ver si Jussie apela nuevamente, o bien, si se dirige de otra vez a la cárcel ... Permanezcan atentos.

11:51 AM PT -- Special prosecutor, Dan Webb, tells TMZ ... "The appellate court ruled on every issue Mr. Smollett raised in our favor and against him. This was a resounding and profound victory for us today. Having a dissenting voice in the ruling is not uncommon. The decision by the appeals court is final."

He concluded, "What happens next is Mr. Smollett can file a petition for a higher appeal to The Illinois Supreme Court. This is purely discretionary meaning the court does not have to hear this appeal. He lost all legal rights to an appeal with today’s decision. If the Supreme Court decides to hear his appeal, there will be briefs filed and a hearing date set. If not, then the case goes back to the trial court, which will execute his sentence."

10:05 AM PT -- Jussie Smollett and his team aren't going to go down without a fight, a rep tells us, "We wish to highlight that the decision was divided, with Justice Lyle offering a detailed analysis in favor of Smollett. We are preparing to escalate this matter to the Supreme Court, armed with a substantial body of evidence."

Jussie Smollett just took a big L in court ... because his conviction for his hoax attack was just upheld.

An Illinois appeals court handed down the ruling Friday, with the three-judge panel voting 2-1 to uphold Jussie's conviction ... according to new legal docs obtained by TMZ.

The key to Jussie's appeal is the argument he could not be prosecuted because after the initial indictment, Cook County State Attorney Kim Foxx decided not to prosecute the case. That drew enormous criticism, and a special prosecutor was appointed who ultimately went to the grand jury that indicted him again.

The 2 justices who upheld the conviction said the decision not to move forward with the case was not equivalent to an agreement never to charge him. The 1 dissenting justice said Foxx's decision to not prosecute was in effect a promise to Jussie the case was over.

With the ruling, Jussie appears likely to return to a Chicago jail to complete his 150-day sentence.

Remember ... Jussie was initially convicted in 2022, spending 6 days in Cook County Jail before being released while trying to get his sentence overturned.

Now, Jussie's come up empty ... but his legal team has the option of appealing this decision to the Illinois Supreme Court, which would then decide on whether to hear the case.

During his appeal, Jussie dropped new music, directed a film with Vivica A. Fox, worked out with Taraji P. Henson, went to rehab and shaved his head.

It will be interesting to see if Jussie appeals again, or heads back to jail ... stay tuned.

Fat Joe says when it comes to his rap lyrics, keeping it real is just a catchphrase ... he's been spinning tall tales in 95% of his music!!!

The Bronx rap star made the shocking confession while defending Young Thug to Gayle King during a CNN special report on Thursday.

According to Joe, he's been able to carve out a career by using his imagination, and not actually committing crimes his "Don Cartegena" persona has historically bragged about.

“I’ve been rapping professionally for 30 years — I’ve lied in almost 95 percent of my songs,” Joe told the panel. “I’m being honest. I write like I feel that day. I’m just being creative. You couldn’t build a jail high enough for the lyrics I’ve said on songs which are all untrue."

The "All The Way Up" rapper went on to criticize the prosecutors overseeing Young Thug's RICO case for enforcing lyrics they know aren't real all the same.

Thug's lawyer Brian Steel recently argued in court that Thug's name was an acronym for "Truly Humble Under God" and denied his lyrics had any coded gang meanings.

Joe's been combatting rappers being prosecuted over the lyrics for several years ... having played a significant role in pushing New York's "Rap Music On Trial" bill as the push for legislation continues.

Rappers like Bobby Shmurda want similar bills passed in Georgia -- which would work greatly to Thug's benefit.