Crime

Joe Exotic is explaining why he finally filed for divorce from husband Dillon Passage ... he wants to get hitched to a new guy he met behind bars!!!

The Netflix star's lawyer, Autumn Blackledge, tells TMZ ... Joe's new love interest is a man named John Graham, and the prison romance is the reason Exotic recently filed divorce docs from jail.

Joe sums it up this way ... "God works in amazing ways." Yes, He does.

As we first told you ... Joe and Dillon were estranged for more than a year before Exotic filed for divorce, and Dillon's already got a new man in his life too.

Joe's attorney tells us he met John in February 2021 when they were both locked up at FMC Fort Worth in Texas ... and even though John's since been released from custody, it seems he's had a lasting impact on Joe.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, John was in prison for burglary and possession of a firearm. He was sentenced in 2012 to more than 12 years in prison, although prison records show he was released March 15 of this year.

Joe married Dillon on Dec. 11, 2017 ... only 2 months after Exotic's previous husband, Travis Maldonado, died after accidentally shooting himself.

The felony strangulation charge that Chael Sonnen was hit with following his alleged meltdown at a Las Vegas hotel last year has been dropped ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

According to court records, prosecutors declined to move forward with the battery by strangulation count that they had previously charged Sonnen on last month.

The records show five other battery charges -- all misdemeanors -- against Sonnen were dropped as well.

We've reached out to the Clark County District Attorney's office for comment on the decision -- but so far, no word back yet.

Sonnen is still facing five misdemeanor battery charges in the case after officials claim he absolutely lost it in a hallway at the Four Seasons Hotel on Dec. 18.

As we reported, Sonnen is accused of beating up several men and one woman in a fit of rage inside the hotel.

According to police docs, Sonnen told officers at the scene he had no recollection of his alleged actions -- explaining to them that he had taken a sleeping pill and "could not recall" anything after that.

"I wrestle with feeling it would be easier to not exist. Many survivors share these feelings, and some of Watson's fans have expressed that they would like for us to be raped, imprisoned, or killed."

That was written by one of the women who has accused Deshaun Watson of sexual misconduct during a massage session, writing a piece for The Daily Beast about the alleged abuse she endured after the star QB (who has adamantly denied any wrongdoing) was not charged with any crimes.

The accuser, Lauren Baxley (she has decided to reveal her name), recalls waiting for the Texas Grand Jury's decision ... and when the word came down the men and women of the jury didn't believe there was enough evidence to criminally charge Deshaun, it triggered a barrage of hate.

"More than that, the choice to not indict Watson on our testimonies -- that were deemed 'highly credible' by prosecutors and the detectives who worked our criminal cases -- opened a floodgate of abuse, slander, and libel toward us on the internet," Baxley wrote.

She continued ... "The worst of the women-haters came out, declaring the no-bills proof that we were 'prostitutes' all along."

FYI, "no bill" means no charges.

And, Lauren says she's offended by the assertion she did anything wrong.

"As someone who has faithfully strived to maintain the highest level of professionalism, and as someone who -- in my entire career -- has never experienced the type of behavior that Watson displayed, comments like that are not only infuriating and untrue, they are wholly shifting the blame from a serial predator onto unwitting and unwilling women."

Baxter doesn't go into detail about her accusations against Watson, but does say it's the first time she experienced such an allegedly traumatic incident at work.

"I have worked with dozens of professional athletes over my decade-plus career as a massage therapist, and no session before Watson ever turned sexual in nature. I have worked with dozens of television and film actors through comic conventions, and no man has ever exposed himself to me, nor assaulted me in any way prior to Watson."

Baxter also goes in on the Cleveland Browns for not only trading for the Pro Bowler, but then rewarding him with a $230 million deal.

"Additionally, a failure to charge or convict a crime does not equate to innocence. Watson, his fans, and the Cleveland Browns pretending it does is not only ignorant, it is evil."

She also took a shot at LeBron James -- pointing out what she believes is hypocritical behavior -- after the NBA superstar tweeted, celebrating Watson's huge new contract.

"I would include a certain NBA player along with the other disappointing excuses of men who in one breath may bring awareness to the struggles of marginalized Black women, and in the next praise the elevation of a man who abused dozens of them."

Baxter addressed other famous people who may feel tempted to stick up for Watson, pleading with them to ... just don't.

"I would never expect a public figure to side with Watson's victims. However, I do ask that anyone with a responsibility to uphold basic morality simply shut their mouths and log off Twitter when they are tempted to show him support."

Barring something unforeseen, Watson will not be charged criminally. However, he still has to deal with the 20+ women who are suing him.

David and Victoria Beckham's London mansion was burglarized late last month while the couple and their 10-year-old daughter were still inside the home ... but, thankfully, everyone is safe.

Cops confirmed to TMZ Sports that in the early morning hours of March 1, officers responded to the Beckhams' Kensington home for a report of a burglary that was believed to have taken place between 8:30 PM and 11:30 PM on Feb. 28.

Police tell us "a number of items were reported stolen" ... and, according to The Sun, that included expensive "designer and electric goods."

The Sun reported the break-in was discovered by David's 17-year-old son, Cruz, after he had returned home late in the evening from hanging out with friends.

Cruz reportedly saw broken glass and a ransacked room -- and then helped search the house for the culprit with his father. The alleged thief, though, was believed to have already escaped.

According to The Sun, security video showed the suspect climbing over the Beckhams' gate, then climbing up the couple's home, before breaking into a spare bedroom's window.

The Sun reports that while David, Victoria and the rest of the Beckhams were uninjured in the incident ... the couple is "shaken up" over it all.

Ezra Miller certainly doesn't seem to be making friends in Hawaii -- not only were they just arrested for a karaoke bar dispute -- cops were also called for another disturbance at a bar just weeks before.

In the video, shot earlier this month, you see "The Flash" star get denied entry to a bar -- with a female employee physically preventing them from going inside the Chinatown-area watering hole. A witness tells us the confrontation went down after Miller was kicked out of another establishment across the street.

Things got so contentious between Miller and the female staffer that cops were called, and more than half a dozen officers showed up.

You can see Miller chatting with officers before they asked the actor to leave ... law enforcement sources say EM was given a trespass warning, but they were not arrested.

As we reported, Ezra was arrested Monday for disorderly conduct and harassment after an incident at a bar in Hilo on the Big Island. Cops say they responded to a report of a disorderly patron at a pub ... officers were told Ezra became agitated when folks at the bar started singing karaoke.

Ezra allegedly hurled obscenities and grabbed the mic from a woman who was singing ... and cops say they were told EM also lunged at a guy playing darts and refused multiple requests from the bar owner to calm down.

Chael Sonnen allegedly threw a woman into a light fixture and struck her -- causing her to bleed from her face -- during a wild fight in a Las Vegas hotel in December 2021 ... according to new police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports.

In the docs, officers from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Dept. say they responded to the Four Seasons Hotel on Dec. 18 regarding an alleged fight between Sonnen and several other people, including security guards.

Cops in the documents say a Four Seasons Engineer told them the altercation all started as he was coming out of a room.

Cops say the man said as soon as he opened the door, Sonnen punched him in the jaw. Officers say the man told them he then closed the door and called for security.

Police in the documents say, though, that a short time later ... a couple told them they encountered Sonnen outside of the room and the former UFC star got aggressive immediately.

Cops say Christopher Stellpflug and his wife, Julie Stellpflug, told them Sonnen -- who was apparently wearing a white robe and a partially bloodied T-shirt -- knocked a glass out of Christopher's hand.

Then, cops say the couple told them, Sonnen flew off the handle, attacking Christopher and throwing him to the ground and hitting him repeatedly. Cops say Julie told them he then turned his attention toward her after she tried to intervene.

In the docs, the officers say Julie told them Sonnen threw her against a light fixture and socked her in the face. Christopher, according to police, told them the strike caused Julie's lip to split and bleed.

Cops say a witness on the scene told them security eventually arrived, but Sonnen punched the guard in the throat. Police say the witness was then attacked, with the man saying Sonnen elbowed him in the chest several times and shoved him.

In the documents, police say the fight was eventually broken up ... and when they questioned Sonnen about it all, they say the former pro fighter told them he "did not have memory of anything."

According to the docs, Sonnen told them he and his wife took a sleeping pill hours before the alleged altercation and he "could not recall anything else."

As we previously reported, Sonnen has since been hit with 11 charges -- including felony battery by strangulation -- over the incident. He's also been sued by the Stellpflugs, who claim they both suffered concussions in the alleged attack.

Chris Rock is NOT going to file a police report -- at least for now -- against Will Smith after the latter smacked him squarely across the face ... but the window is still open.

LAPD brass said Sunday night that they were aware of an incident during the 94th Academy Awards between two individuals ... in which one person slapped the other. Obviously, they're referring to Will and Chris -- but they also note ... CR declined to press charges.

They add ... if Chris wants to file an investigative report at a later date, he can do that -- and they'll be all ears.

Now, as for how exactly the cops got involved in this has been a bit of a mystery until now -- namely, nobody really knew if they were called or if they actually spoke to Chris directly. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... there were LAPD officers on site during the actual incident, whom we're told witnessed the hit -- and then approached Chris' team thereafter.

Essentially, they watched what they believed to be a crime ... otherwise, they wouldn't have approached him. Since Chris said he wasn't interested in pursuing it, it's routine in a case like this for cops to stand down.

Presumably ... Will could be dinged on assault and battery, but at the moment -- it doesn't seem he's going to face any repercussions for what he did. It's also unclear if the Academy will hold him accountable.

As you know by now, Will struck Chris on stage during the live broadcast following a joke the comedian cracked about Jada Pinkett -- which was about her shaved head ... a direct result of the alopecia she suffers from.

It's a heartbreaking photo ... Mariupol, Ukraine reduced to rubble as Putin continues his reign of brutality on the country.

The photo was taken after enormously heavy shelling in the Ukrainian city. President Zelensky said more than 100,000 people are still living in what remains of Mariupol ... this despite a Herculean effort to evacuate civilians.

It's hard to process ... once a beautiful city flatted by Russian aggression.

Zelensky has said this of the unrelenting attack ... it's "ultimate evidence that genocide of Ukrainians is happening."

As you know, Putin is sparing no one ... even bombing a theater with the warning emblazoned on the ground -- "Children." It didn't stop Putin from bombing the building, killing hundreds.

On the other hand, Russian troops have largely been checked by Ukrainian forces in much of the country, and Zelensky has said they've killed 15,000 Russian soldiers. There are multiple reports the Russian army is demoralized.

The war is entering an even more dangerous phase, as U.S. intelligence officials worry the Russian dictator may resort to chemical weapons.

Hardly a warm welcome for Korn in Iowa, ironically -- someone used one of their buses for target practice, opening fire on the vehicle and landing at least one shot.

The band is close to wrapping the U.S. leg of its global tour -- with a stop in Iowa Friday night -- but just 24 hours before the show, the tour bus was hit while parked outside a hotel in Davenport, IA.

A spokesperson for the Davenport Police Department tells us they got a call Friday morning for a vehicle that had been hit overnight. Cops say the bus -- which was parked on the street -- had been hit by a single bullet. Luckily no one was injured.

A source familiar with the situation tells us the bullet pierced the exterior wall of the bus and was found inside the cabin. The saving grace here is that no one was on board at the time of the shooting.

New footage from inside a bombed Ukrainian theater has been released, and the images are horrendous ... showing the high level of destruction from the point of view of refugees attempting to escape.

The man filming the aftermath of the Mariupol shelling describes the clip, saying he, and others, were on the first floor when the bombs hit, and luckily they weren't injured ... but many are likely under the massive rubble, as it's where most go to get water.

The City Council of Mariupol announced on local news, "There is information, based on eyewitnesses, that about 300 people died in the Drama Theater in Mariupol as a result of a bombing by Russian aircraft."

They say it isn't certain how many escaped the rubble, but according to those that were inside the building during the attack, the casualty count is high.

As we reported, an airstrike hit the center of the theater last Wednesday, where up to 1,300 refugees were taking cover from Russian shelling ... the location was being used as one of the main shelters in the city.

Ukrainians even wrote the Russian word for "children" on the street in front of the building -- signaling to attackers in the sky to avoid the theater. That did not happen.

The City Council said the bombers were strategic, knowing exactly what they were hitting.

Petro Andriushchenko -- adviser to Mariupol's mayor -- said an estimated 200 people survived the shelling. Hundreds are still missing.

Essentials like water, electricity, and gas have been cut off from the city, and bodies are being left in the streets because it's too dangerous to go out and clean up.

Deshaun Watson is off the hook again, a second grand jury in Texas has declined to charge the new Cleveland Browns QB.

Just days after a grand jury in Harris County, Texas opted not to charge the 26-year-old over allegations that he was sexually inappropriate with female massage therapists, another grand jury in Brazoria County did the same.

According to the district attorney, the grand jury met on Thursday and "declined to charge Deshaun Watson with any crimes."

"Accordingly," the DA added, "this matter is closed."

Watson could still face further charges in other parts of the country, as his alleged victims have accused him of wrongdoing in multiple states.

The new Cleveland signal-caller is also still facing a mountain of civil lawsuits from his accusers.

As we reported, Watson was traded from the Houston Texans to the Cleveland Browns after the Harris County grand jury's decision last week.

Cleveland -- which said it was aware of Thursday's new grand jury hearing -- gave Watson a massive new contract and handed over a bevy of draft picks, including three first-rounders, to the Texans to acquire the QB.

Colby Covington told police the watch that was damaged when Jorge Masvidal attacked him earlier this week was a $90,000 Rolex.

The detail was revealed in new police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, in which cops say the UFC star told them Masvidal caused $15,000 worth of damage to the pricey piece of jewelry when he attacked him outside of Papi Steak in Miami on Monday night.

In the docs, cops say Covington told them his watch "had scratches and a bent/broken wristband" following the altercation.

The new docs also revealed Covington did go to the Miami Beach Police Criminal Investigations Division to press charges on Masvidal.

Cops in the docs also say Masvidal had an injury to his right hand/knuckles "where he had stitches that occurred prior to police contact" when he turned himself in on Wednesday night.

Sarma Melngailis, known as the "Bad Vegan" from the popular Netflix docuseries, is open to starting a new restaurant after she was convicted of stealing millions from her last one ... and her ex thinks she should go for it!

Chef Matthew Kenney wasn't just dating Sarma back in the early 2000s, they went into biz together, opening Pure Food and Wine. As "Bad Vegan" viewers know ... their relationship went south, and Matthew got bumped out of their restaurant venture.

Despite that, a rep for Matthew tells TMZ … he believes in second chances and wishes Sarma the best. If opening another restaurant is what she wants, he thinks she should pursue it.

Matthew hasn't seen the new series yet, despite being featured on it -- but it doesn't appear there's any bad blood between Sarma and her ex.

We're told Matthew spoke to her a few years ago, and actually wrote a letter in support of her.

ICYMI ... Sarma and Matthew opened Pure Food and Wine in 2004, but when they split up the next year, they asked investor Jeffrey Chodorow to choose which one to stay on board, and Sarma was picked.

SPOILER ALERT ... 'cause this is where "Bad Vegan" takes a real bizarre turn!!!

Sarma met Anthony Strangis through mutual friend Alec Baldwin in 2011, then tied the knot a year later. Anthony allegedly promised Sarma immortality for herself and her dog, but required large sums of money from her to prove she was worthy.

In the end, both were convicted for stealing nearly $2 million from the restaurant.

Restaurant employees protested outside the joint over unpaid wages, and the couple went on the run.

Gotta love how they got caught, though -- police got tipped off after Sarma and Anthony ordered chicken wings and pizza from Domino's in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Sarma served 4 months at Rikers Island, and was released in October 2017 with an additional 5 years of probation. In 2018, she filed for divorce from Anthony shortly after her release.

Soccer star Paul Pogba is revealing more information about the terrifying burglary that he says happened at his home earlier this month ... saying his World Cup championship medal was stolen in the heist.

The Manchester United midfielder made the revelation in an in-depth interview with Le Figaro this week -- saying in addition to the prized award, his mother's jewelry was also taken.

Pogba won the medal in 2018, after he and his French national squad beat Croatia, 4-2, in the 2018 World Cup Final.

But, in his interview, Pogba -- who said he was playing in a soccer match on March 15 at the time of the incident -- just seemed grateful that his kids and their nanny weren't hurt during the break-in.

"What scared me the most," he said, "was that my two children were at home with the nanny during this incident. She overheard everything, called my wife and security, then locked herself and the boys in a room."

Vladimir Putin likes to claim relative poverty in public, but behind the scenes he's allegedly rolling in it ... as evidenced by a super yacht some people believe he owns.

The massive vessel -- dubbed the Scheherazade, and valued at around $700 million -- has been docked at an Italian port off the Tuscan coast since September ... and amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, investigative groups have claimed Putin owns it.

The reason they believe that ... documents detailing the crew members allegedly show the majority of the guys aren't just Russian, but work for Russia's Federal Protective Service.

Of course, it might not be Putin's -- it could easily belong to another Russian oligarch -- but if this is Vlad's palace on the sea, it would fly in the face of what he says he's worth.

The Russian Prez has alleged he makes a salary of no more than $140k/year -- and that he lives in an apartment that's about 800 square feet. No one really buys that, and if this yacht is, indeed, his ... that characterization is almost certainly BS. His net worth has been speculated to be in the high billions, despite what he chooses to disclose to the world.

As for the yacht itself ... it's certainly fit for a king, or dictator. It's more than 400 feet in length, and features 6 decks -- not to mention 2 helipads, 3 saunas, a pool and a lot of other perks. It also accommodates 18 guests and 40 crew members.

Independent watchdog groups -- the same ones alleging the yacht is Putin's -- are calling for the Italian government to seize the boat and cut off Putin.

The U.S. government has finally been given access to Brittney Griner in Russia ... and in positive news, she's said to be "in good condition."

U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price made the announcement on CNN on Wednesday ... explaining Russia is now allowing the U.S. to provide consular access to Griner.

Price said an official from the U.S. embassy was able to see her "within the past couple hours" -- saying they checked in on her condition and found she's doing okay while detained.

"There's only so much I can say," Price said, "but what I can say is that our official found Brittney Griner to be in good condition. And we will continue to do everything we can to see to it that she is treated fairly throughout this ordeal."

Price vowed that the U.S. government will "work very closely with her legal team, with her broader network, to see to it that she is treated fairly."

"That is a message that we will continue to convey in no uncertain terms to the Russian Federation," he added.

As we previously reported, Griner has been detained in Russia since mid-February, after she allegedly tried to bring hash oil through airport security.