Crime & Arrests

Memphis jurors took several hours to reach a verdict Thursday, ultimately delivering a guilty verdict to Justin Johnson ... one of the men prosecutors claim murdered Young Dolph back in 2021.

The jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts to the charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm -- and Judge Jennifer Mitchell immediately threw the book at him with a life sentence!!!

Closing arguments were delivered Wednesday. Johnson never took the stand but Cornelius Smith testified during the trial Yo Gotti's slain brother Big Jook and suspect Hernandez Govan orchestrated for them to kill any Paper Route Empire rappers they could find.

One of Sean "Diddy" Combs' alleged encounters with a sex worker was videotaped, and that tape is now in the hands of federal prosecutors ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the male sex worker met with the feds Wednesday in NYC and signed a proffer agreement, which allows him to speak to federal investigators without fear of prosecution.

We're told the conversation revolved around Diddy ... with the man explaining how he got in touch with an escort to engage in a "freak off" involving himself, Diddy and a woman.

Diddy's not afraid of other inmates giving him a poisoned apple in prison ... 'cause TMZ has learned he's not as paranoid about what's going into his food as some have suggested.

Here's the deal ... multiple outlets have reported Diddy's stopped eating behind bars because he's paranoid about someone poisoning his food at New York's notorious MDC Brooklyn.

However, a source close to Diddy says this is total BS ... he's eating normal jailhouse food like any other inmate -- the music mogul receives no special treatment.

Julie Chrisley's attorney is slamming a federal judge's decision to resentence her to 7 years in prison for bank fraud and tax evasion charges ... chalking it all up to fame.

Jay Surgent, one of Julie's defense attorneys, tells TMZ he thinks the judge refusing to lower her sentence is the result of bias against celebrities. Julie is well-known by millions of people, and he thinks the judge is making an example out of her.

Surgent says Julie has been a model inmate and is not a threat to society in any way. Moving forward, we're told, Julie's legal team is definitely going to appeal the resentencing.

Diddy's lawyer offered a potential "explanation" for why the feds found a large stock of baby oil at the rapper's homes -- namely, buying in bulk at Costco, but the folks at Costco beg to differ.

A spokesperson for Costco tells TMZ ... none of the company's U.S. locations carry baby oil, even though Diddy's attorney Marc Agnifilo told us the rap mogul might have bought the item in bulk at the members-only warehouse retailer.

The proof is in the pudding, so to speak ... as a quick search of the store's site shows there's nothing akin to baby oil offered at Costco. There is, however, hair and cleansing gel sold for babies, but it'd be a stretch to confuse that with baby oil.

Mayor Eric Adams is facing some pretty serious charges ... with the U.S. Attorney just unsealing the indictment against him -- but, don't worry about him 'cause he looks downright cheery.

The U.S. Attorney's Office just unsealed the 57-page indictment ... and sent out an accompanying press release announcing they've charged the mayor with campaign finance, bribery and conspiracy charges.

According to the indictment, Damian Williams -- the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York -- claims Adams sought and accepted improper valuable benefits from foreign businesspeople and at least one government official from Turkey looking to gain influence over him.

Huge news in the Diddy criminal case ... he's chomping at the bit to defend himself in a federal courtroom ... and he will take the witness stand to tell his story.

Diddy's attorney, Marc Agnifilo, appears in a new TMZ Studios documentary -- "The Downfall of Diddy: The Indictment" -- which is dropping soon on Tubi ... and he tells us Diddy can't wait to testify in court.

It's a risky move ... Diddy's going to be able to tell his side of things, but he's also going to be cross-examined ... and obvious topics include the Cassie beating video, the famous "freak off" parties and accusations he blew up a car belonging to one of Cassie's exes.

People are buzzing about the massive quantity of baby oil found when the feds raided Diddy's homes in Beverly Hills and Miami, and his lawyer is offering up an explanation.

Attorney Marc Agnifilo appears in a new TMZ Studios documentary -- "The Downfall of Diddy: The Indictment" -- which is dropping soon on Tubi.

Agnifilo has a different view of Diddy's "Freak Offs" than the U.S. Attorney. Agnifilo says there were typically threesomes, with Diddy, Cassie and another male.

50 Cent is nearing the final lap of his damning Diddy doc -- and he's reworking the logo of the much-ballyhooed baby oil confiscated by the feds ... labeling it "Diddy Oil"!!!

Of course, 50's not mass-producing the baby oil himself -- he shared a meme on Wednesday to pad the latest announcement that filmmaker Alex Stapleton would be directing and co-executive-producing the documentary project.

In another post, 50 doubled down on the point that he's a notorious Diddy detractor ... "I been telling y’all about all this weird s***, I don’t do NO puffy party’s. you didn’t believe me 🤨but I bet you believe me now!!!"

8:48 AM PT -- Authorities tell TMZ ... the Tuesday incident was allegedly the fourth time in two months that the 28-year-old mom snuck her kids into the park. This just happened to be the first time she was caught afterward ... hence the arrest and citation.

Disneyland Resort wasn't the happiest place on Earth for one parkgoer, who was put in handcuffs and escorted out of the Anaheim park yesterday ... as her crying children screamed and held on.

Video footage of the arrest has been making the rounds on TikTok ... showing an unidentified woman yelling obscenities while police and park personnel boot her out of Disney's California Adventure.

The suspect repeatedly shouts ... "You're f***ing hurting me," as onlookers take in the dramatic scene.

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" star Eduardo Xol has passed away a week after being stabbed ... TMZ has learned.

The Riverside County coroner tells TMZ ... Xol, a resident of Palm Springs, Calif., died Thursday afternoon, Sept. 19, at Desert Regional Medical Center. Xol's mother also confirmed his death to TMZ.

His family tells TMZ ... "We are heartbroken at the tragic loss of our beloved Eduardo Xol. As his family, we know that his kindness has touched the lives of so many. We ask for that kindness returned now allowing our privacy to be respected as we process our grief. In lieu of flowers we ask that donations be made in Eduardo’s name to the Lupus Foundation of America as he spent so much of his life in the service of others."

Suge Knight is warning Diddy ... he better watch his back in the can, because other inmates are likely plotting against him.

The former Death Row Records exec spoke with NewsNation's "CUOMO" from prison about his longtime rival, saying Diddy has a target on his back.

Suge says prison and jail are inherently dangerous environments for anyone -- famous or not -- and there are inmates in there who want to harm Diddy to make a name for themselves, or prove themselves.

Bam Margera has officially been released from jail ... and is heading straight into treatment to get his life back on track, TMZ has learned.

The "Jackass" star's lawyer, Michael T. van der Veen, tells TMZ it was a court victory for Bam Wednesday ... adding he's on the right track to reclaiming his successful career and his wonderful life with his wife, Dannii Marie, once he wraps up his short-term treatment.

Sources tell us Bam's going directly to Recovery Centers of America for Inpatient Treatment, and his case can officially be closed once his treatment is over -- but a bench warrant will be issued if any noncompliance with his treatment is reported.

Anna Delvey and Tori Spelling are the first 2 stars to fall out of the "Dancing with the Stars" sky ... heading home in a double elimination -- and, their reactions couldn't be more different.

The socialite and the actress were eliminated Tuesday night after landing in the bottom 3 with "Family Matters" star Reginald VelJohnson ... and, ultimately, hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough didn't call their names.

Anna and Tori couldn't have had more different reactions to getting the hook BTW ... just watch the clip -- Tori talks about how grateful she is to have participated in the show and encourages her kids to keep following their dreams.

Police in New York shot a man who was wielding a machete inside an apartment ... and it's all on video.

Dramatic new body cam footage shows the violent interaction between two NYPD officers and 24-year-old Alydar Cruz, who cops say ran into a bedroom and emerged with a machete.

In the video, you hear the cops ordering Cruz to drop the blade ... but after he refuses to drop the large knife, one of the officers opens fire and the guy falls to the ground.

3:55 PM PT -- Artem's attorney Dmitry Gorin of Eisner Gorin LLP tells TMZ ... "Mr. Chigvintsev has maintained his innocence from the beginning. He is grateful that the district attorney accurately assessed what took place, and determined he should not be charged."

He continues, "He enjoys tremendous support from the community, and requests privacy for the pending divorce matter. He loves his son, wants the best possible for him, and looks forward to the next chapter in his life professionally and as a father."

Artem Chigvintsev will NOT be prosecuted after his arrest on suspicion of felony domestic violence.

Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley announced Tuesday her office declined to file criminal charges against the "Dancing With The Stars" pro in connection with last month's arrest.

Prosecutors say they decided not to pursue criminal charges after reviewing the investigation and evaluating all the evidence.