Crime

Joe Giudice is back in the 'Real Housewives' universe after his cameo in the New Jersey reunion ... where he was looking for a surgical consultation, of all things!

The 'RHONJ' alum called his ex-wife Teresa on the phone just as the first of the 3-part reunion kicked off with host Andy Cohen. Teresa and the other housewives -- Melissa Gorga, Margaret Josephs, Dolores Catania, Jennifer Aydin, Rachel Fuda and Danielle Cabral -- seemed surprised.

As Teresa answered the phone, she said, "Look who's calling me: Joe Giudice," who has been living in the Bahamas since 2021 after leaving Italy following his deportation from the States.

Joe had an important question for Jennifer's plastic surgeon husband, Bill, who was not present either, so he addressed it to Teresa. Joe said, "Tre, ask Jennifer's husband, Bill, if he does bags under your eyes," while everyone chuckled.

Andy then snatched the phone from Teresa and asked, "Giudice, are you looking to get your eyes done?"

Hell no!! Joe said he was just researching the procedure for his uncle and pointed out, "[Mine] aren't baggy yet."

Besides all that ... we learned Joe has a few girlfriends in the Bahamas, and he never watched 'RHONJ' -- not even while he was in prison.

After everyone said their goodbyes, Andy hung up and remarked, "Wow, unexpected." Not so sure about that, but anyway ... it was a moment.

As we reported, Joe was convicted in 2014 of conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud and served 41 months in federal prison. A judge ordered him to be deported to his native Italy, and he was eventually booted from the U.S. after losing several appeals.

The Dollar General cashier who took down an alleged shoplifter with her car says she's been fired after footage of the incident went viral.

The ex-Dollar General employee in the wild video is Jessie Sotto and she tells TMZ ... she's upset about her firing because she loved her job, and thought she was a good cashier who had her former employer's best interests at heart.

Jessie, who was a criminal justice major in college, says the alleged shoplifter had been a known problem at her Fresno, CA store ... ignoring prior warnings to stop stealing. She says she'd finally had enough, and decided to take matters into her own hands.

As we reported ... doorbell footage shows Jessie smashing her car into the alleged shoplifter while he was riding a bike down a residential street, with the crash scattering the alleged stolen items all over someone's front yard.

The incident went down earlier this month, and Jessie says once the video was on the internet she was canned.

Jessie claims the guy walked out with flowers, chips, donuts, bread, cheese, bologna and other items without paying ... and says she chased him down and asked him to give the stuff back. When he refused and called her a "bitch," Jessie says she tried to stop him with her car.

The guy in the video threatened to press charges against Jessie, but she says she hasn't seen or heard from him and police tell us they responded to the scene but the guy was nowhere to be found so no report was taken.

The frustration in her voice is clear ... and Jessie is now working for DoorDash.

A North Carolina bus driver got into a shootout with a passenger while traveling along a designated route ... and the violent encounter was caught on video.

David Fullard was behind the wheel of a Charlotte Area Transit System bus when Omarri Tobias approached and asked to be let off between stops. The two began to argue after Fullard said Tobias would have to wait until the next stop, prompting each to whip out guns.

Check out surveillance footage from inside the bus, which shows the men aiming their firearms at one another and squeezing off shots at close range.

Tobias was hit in the stomach, but he managed to crawl to the back of the bus. Fullard, who was struck in the arm, stopped the bus and continued to fire at Tobias. But, Tobias was able to slither out the side door to safety.

Both men were treated for their injuries and expected to make a full recovery. Two other passengers aboard the bus were unharmed.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Police arrested Tobias and charged him with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injuries, communicating threats and carrying a concealed firearm.

Fullard has not been criminally charged ... but he was fired by RATP Dev, which employs transit system bus drivers in the region.

The Charlotte Area Transit System said Fullard failed to follow proper procedure, explaining he should have de-escalated the situation by allowing Tobias to exit the bus before arriving at the next stop.

A wild shootout at a New Mexico motorcycle rally left at least 3 people dead and 5 injured ... and TMZ has obtained video of the violence erupting.

Check out the footage, which shows a woman walking behind a pick-up truck standing in traffic and carefully peering around the side of it.

Suddenly, she turns around and moves swiftly away, crossing the road. She then breaks into a trot when the crackle of gunfire is heard nearby. A motorist repeatedly yells to her, "Get out of the way!"

In another clip, people inside a vehicle are filming the aftermath of the Saturday shooting at the Red River Memorial Day Motorcycle Rally. A rescue truck with lights flashing can be seen parked outside a building as bikers ride down the street.

Red River Mayor Linda Calhoun told NBC News ... "I can confirm 3 dead and 5 injured. One person died at the hospital."

New Mexico State Police said the 5 wounded were being treated at hospitals, but their conditions and the extent of their injuries were not disclosed.

Calhoun said motorcycle gang members were involved in the bloodshed, which ended with several arrests. Upwards of 28,000 bikers attended the rally.

It was as terrifying as it gets on a flight over South Korea Friday ... after a passenger opened an emergency exit door mid-flight ... triggering chaos and fear in the cabin.

An Asiana Airlines Airbus was cruising high during its 1-hour flight when a passenger somehow was able to open the emergency exit just behind the wing. Other passengers tried to thwart the effort but failed.

The plane -- which normally cruises at around 500 MPH -- became a wind tunnel inside the cabin, and the video graphically shows the force of the gusts that enveloped the 194 passengers.

The plane landed safely and the passenger who opened the door was taken into custody. The motive is unclear.

Miraculously, none of the passengers suffered any injuries -- however, some were taken to the hospital for observation.

Shannon Sharpe's home in L.A. was burglarized last week ... and cops say the thieves made off with around $1 million in goods from the ex-NFL star's residence.

Law enforcement tells TMZ Sports ... the break-in happened back on May 19 between 7 PM and 9:30 PM -- after Sharpe had left his place for a few hours in the early evening.

We're told when Sharpe returned home after dinner with friends and noticed something was not right ... so he called the police.

Shannon told cops he was missing expensive watches, jewelry and some designer bags.

According to law enforcement, there were no obvious signs of forced entry -- and an investigation into the matter remains ongoing.

No arrests have yet been made ... but make no mistake, Shannon wants the perpetrator held accountable. So much so, Sharpe has put up a $50k reward for info leading to an arrest and conviction.

A mysterious adoption more than a decade ago is getting the spotlight thanks to an upcoming docuseries ... about a Ukrainian girl who allegedly tried blending in as a small child and attempted to murder her new family.

Attorney Beth Karas joined us on "TMZ Live," giving us the scoop ahead of the first episode of ID's "The Curious Case of Natalia Grace" ... which follows an American fam that adopted Natalia back in 2010, only to discover she was MUCH older. A few years in the parents believed she wasn't 8 years old ... they were sure she was around 22.

Beth says Natalia repeatedly threatened her new family with knives and even tried poisoning them.

Natalia's child persona had folks split on whether she was a kiddo or fully grown -- she would interact with young children as if she were a peer but also displayed an adult side.

Her tale has often been compared to the horror flick "Orphan" ... which came out the year before Natalia's adoption and is based on a horrifyingly-similar story.

Tom Petty's family is ripping the auction house that's selling his wardrobe to the highest bidder ... claiming the items are stolen!!!

The late singer's family tells TMZ ... "We believe RR Auction, headquartered in Boston, is offering stolen Tom Petty memorabilia with a completely false provenance inaccurate to fact and in complete denial of clear evidence they have been presented. They will not disclose the cosigner who has provided these items or how they were acquired. But they are clearly stolen, there is no other word for it."

As we first reported ... RR Auction says the items are from Tom's former home in Encino, CA and the collection includes hats, jackets, shirts, shoes and more.

Tom's family is "pursuing swift legal action" against the auction house ... their goal being to get Tom's gear returned to the family.

The Pettys also say they firmly believe the auction items have "been outright stolen from a secured archive based on prior knowledge, staff observations and documentation."

RR Auction is already auctioning the items off, but the bidding doesn't end until June 22 ... so it seems like there is time for this to be resolved.

In the meantime, Tom's family is asking fans and collectors to "refrain from participating in this auction until the matter is settled to avoid getting further involved in this legal action."

Bottom line for the Pettys ... "These items have irreplaceable sentimental and educational value for the family and legacy of Tom Petty and we look forward to their safe return."

We reached out to RR Auction ... so far no word back.

Fetty Wap is going away for 6 years -- the judge just sentenced him in his federal drug trafficking case.

The rapper learned his fate Wednesday after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine, for which he was arrested in October 2021.

The judge also sentenced Fetty to 5 years of post-release supervision ... according to a rep for the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

Fetty ended up getting one year more than he was hoping to get. As we first reported, he'd petitioned the court for a 5-year sentence, which is the mandatory minimum.

U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace asked the judge to give him somewhere between 7 and 9 years, claiming Fetty participated in a huge drug trafficking organization that flooded Long Island with cocaine.

Ultimately, the judge landed right in the middle.

TMZ broke the story ... Fetty was arrested on his way to Rolling Loud New York in 2021, with the feds accusing him and several others of using USPS trucks to smuggle cocaine. The feds say their investigation turned up 16 kilos of coke.

Murder's just the tip of the iceberg with Alex Murdaugh ... the feds say he plotted with bank CEOs and other attorneys to plunder millions from clients, and the estate of the housekeeper who died mysteriously in his home.

The feds just dropped a 22-count indictment on the convicted murderer, and according to the docs ... Murdaugh had quite the operation going behind the scenes of his family's personal injury law firm.

Perhaps the most disturbing charge involves Gloria Satterfield, the Murdaughs' longtime housekeeper, who died in 2018 after an alleged slip and fall -- caused by the Murdaughs' dogs -- in the family's home.

According to the indictment, Murdaugh recommended Gloria's family hire another attorney ... who was one of Murdaugh's close friends.

That lawyer negotiated settlements for Gloria's death from 2 insurance companies -- Lloyds of London and Nautilus Insurance Group -- totaling about $4.3 million. However, the feds say the lion's share of that settlement got funneled into an account Murdaugh set up to look like a legit consulting firm ... but it absolutely was not.

Gloria's family members spoke out in the Netflix documentary, "Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal," and said they never saw a dime of the insurance payouts. This indictment backs that up, and provides an answer for where the money went ... allegedly.

The Satterfields are just one of several of Murdaugh's financial victims, according to the indictment, which details other alleged incidents of pilfering his clients' funds.

He's accused of money laundering, wire fraud, bank fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud.

One dollar store employee appears to be taking security detail into her own hands ... taking down an alleged shoplifter with her own damn car!

Check out the doorbell footage, taken earlier this month ... the guy riding a bike with a basket full of goodies gets absolutely NAILED by the employee's ride, sending him straight to the concrete -- and scattering the alleged stolen items all over someone's yard.

The man starts picking some stuff up before she whacks him with the car door -- but he doesn't give up once all seems lost, calling her a "b****" while still trying to recover some of his lost merch. She even chucks his bike away from him as he keeps cussin' her out!

It's a pretty insane clip ... she claims this isn't the first time stuff has been swiped from her store, and he even says he's gonna press charges after he got knocked off his bike -- but she clearly couldn't care less, peeling off as he walks away with his hands full of whatever he could grab.

It's currently unclear if the man was arrested.

Former music exec Lance 'Un' Rivera is clearing the air about his stabbing 24 years ago, saying Jay-Z absolutely did not do it ... and he insists prosecutors got it wrong when they nailed the rapper for the crime.

Rivera, best known for his affiliation with Notorious B.I.G., sat down with "Vlad TV" ... and got candid about the highly-publicized stabbing, for which Jay ended up getting 3 years probation just as his career was blowing up.

Rivera says Jay was in the nightclub on that fateful night, but he's not the one who stabbed him in the back with a large blade -- and adds, everyone knows Jay wouldn't have done something like that. However, he's not saying who actually did it.

This all goes back to December 2, 1999, when Rivera was stabbed leaving a release party for Q-Tip's Album "Amplified." He says Jay and other members of Roc-A-Fella Records approached him and accused him of leaking Hov's "Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter" album.

Witnesses reportedly identified Jay as the stabber, and although he turned himself in to NYPD for questioning, he maintained his innocence.

He was arrested for felony assault charges, and after a 2-year-long legal battle, finally pled guilty in 2001.

Although he avoided prison time, Jay couldn't leave NY state during his 3 years of probation -- a major career hurdle, as it happened after the success of his Grammy-winning '98 album "Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life."

There's always been debate about what actually went down ... with Nas notably stating on his track, "Ether," that Jay-Z took the fall for a friend.

The family of the alleged shoplifter shot and killed by a Walgreens security guard adamantly disagrees with the San Francisco D.A. ... believing the guard should be charged with first-degree murder.

John Burris, attorney for Banko Brown's family, tells TMZ ... Michael Earl-Wayne Anthony should be facing murder after last month's incident, or at the very least, manslaughter.

Burris, who famously repped Tupac and Rodney King in civil suits against police, says with District Attorney Brooke Jenkins so far declining to charge Anthony at all ... the family's overall goal is to get him charged with something in hopes of getting some level of accountability.

The Brown family just wants Anthony to stand trial, because, in their eyes, he should be convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

The SF Walgreens is currently shut down following protests, but the family's hoping it will reconsider having armed security guards ... something they're not even sure was necessary in the first place.

As we reported, the D.A. released surveillance footage, police reports, and witness accounts earlier this week -- all in an attempt to defend her decision to not charge Anthony. Jenkins claims Anthony fired in self-defense, but many folks still aren't convinced, especially after seeing the video.

JoJo Siwa's swanky home was the subject of a terrifying break-in ... and those allegedly responsible are still on the loose as cops work to track them down.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... officers responded to a call around 2:40 AM Monday from an alarm company about the break-in at JoJo's San Fernando Valley home -- but by the time they arrived, the suspects had already taken off.

We're told cops found an open door at the property, which is believed to be what they used to get into JoJo's house.

The total value amount of what was taken is still unclear, as sources say no one was home at the time -- we're told investigators are still waiting to hear from JoJo on what's missing.

The dancer shared the scary incident with her fans Tuesday, claiming the alleged suspects were armed when they got in. Police didn't confirm with us if the suspects had weapons.

A security guard fatally gunned down a shoplifter at a Walgreens in San Francisco ... and the entire violent encounter was captured on surveillance video.

San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins released the footage Monday to show why she declined to bring charges against Michael Earl-Wayne Anthony for killing Banko Brown at the store on April 27 in what Anthony says was self-defense.

The video starts off with Anthony blocking Brown -- carrying a bag of alleged stolen items -- from exiting the store. Anthony then goes after Brown, repeatedly punching him and placing him in a chokehold.

At one point, Anthony lifts Brown off his feet and throws him to the floor, getting on top of him as the two thrash around. Finally, Anthony lets him up, prompting Brown to grab the bag of merchandise and start for the exit. At the door, Brown whirls around and appears to make a move at Anthony, who then pulls a gun and opens fire, killing the alleged thief.

Anthony told cops that he ordered Brown to give back the stolen goods, but Brown refused and became aggressive. He also told police Brown threatened to stab him, although it was later determined Brown did not have a knife. Anthony said he ultimately shot Brown after he thought Brown -- upon turning around at the exit -- was going to take a run at him.

D.A. Jenkins clearly believed Anthony's story of self-defense because she did not charge him with a crime and released the security footage, police reports and witness accounts to prove to the public that she made the correct decision.

But not everyone was convinced.

Chris Claybrooks' domestic assault case has been dropped ... TMZ Sports has learned.

According to court records, prosecutors dismissed the two misdemeanor charges against the Jacksonville Jaguars defensive back on Monday morning.

It's unclear why -- we've reached out to the Davidson County District Attorney's office and Claybrooks' lawyer for comment ... but so far, no word back yet.

Claybrooks was initially hit with one count of domestic assault with bodily injury and one count of vandalism under $1,000 after authorities claimed he got into a dispute with a woman in a movie theater parking lot in Nashville on April 14.

During the alleged incident, prosecutors said Claybrooks grabbed the woman's phone from her hand and destroyed it. Authorities added in court documents that the altercation resulted in bruises and abrasions on the woman's hand.

TMZ Sports spoke with Claybrooks about the alleged incident ... and he's adamant he never put his hands on the woman.

Claybrooks says she showed up at the movie theater with a wig on and confronted him about money ... and he only threw her phone after he feared for his son's safety.

At the time, the Jaguars said in a statement they were aware of the allegations and were in "the process of gathering information."