Money

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried is going away for a long time ... the judge hit him with a 25-year sentence for scamming customers and investors in his federal cryptocurrency fraud case.

Judge Lewis Kaplan handed down the hefty sentence Thursday in Manhattan, and although he didn't order restitution -- due to the large number of victims impacted by SBF's biz -- the judge did order a forfeiture of more than $11 billion.

Explaining the lengthy sentence and fine, Judge Kaplan said ... "This man will be in a position to do something very bad in the future, and it’s not a trivial risk.”

10:00 AM PT -- Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore are adamant they were not the reason for the failed deal, releasing a statement through their spokesperson on Thursday afternoon that read, "We have fulfilled our obligations, have all necessary funding and are fully committed to closing our purchase of the team as soon as the NBA completes its process."

"Glen Taylor's statement," the two continued, "is an unfortunate case of seller's remorse that is short sighted and disruptive to the team and the fans during a historic winning season."

Alex Rodriguez won't be the majority owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx after all ... the orgs' owner just announced the former MLB star's bid to buy the teams has fallen through.

Glen Taylor, the current honcho of the NBA and WNBA squads, announced the news in a statement on Thursday morning ... explaining Rodriguez and former Walmart CEO Marc Lore's effort to become new majority owners collapsed after the two missed a key deadline this week.

"Under terms of the purchase agreement," Taylor said in the statement, "the closing was required to occur within 90 days following the exercise notice issued by Lore and Rodriguez. That 90-day period expired on March 27, 2024."

"Under certain circumstances, the buyer could have been entitled to a limited extension. However, those circumstances did not occur."

Rodriguez and Lore had previously bought 40 percent of the teams in prior sales. The most recent agreement between the two and Taylor was set to give them an additional 40 percent of the franchises.

Taylor said despite the failed pact, he'll still work with Lore and Rodriguez to "ensure our teams have the necessary resources to compete at the highest levels on and off the court."

As for going forward, Taylor doesn't appear to have plans of re-entering into talks with the two about a purchase ... saying, "The Timberwolves and Lynx are no longer for sale."

The Wolves currently have one of the best teams in the NBA, holding a 50-22 record. The Lynx -- who've won four WNBA titles -- are slated to begin their season this summer.

Kim Zolciak and her daughter Brielle Biermann are suffering a luxurious loss -- failing to make payments on a Range Rover means they've now been ordered to hand over the keys ... TMZ has learned.

In new court documents, obtained by TMZ, a judge ruled against the reality TV stars, granting Ally Bank the right to repossess their Range, after the bank sued BB and KZ in December for failing to meet the terms of their sales agreement.

The judge issued the order Wednesday ... making the 2019 vehicle immediately available for repossession.

Kim Zolciak y su hija Brielle Biermann están sufriendo una pérdida por no hacer los pagos de un Range Rover, y ahora han tenido que entregar las llaves... TMZ ha indagado.

En los nuevos documentos judiciales obtenidos por TMZ, un juez falló en contra de las estrellas de telerrealidad y le concedió a la compañía el derecho a recuperar su Range. Todo esto después de que el banco demandó a Brielle y Kim en diciembre por no cumplir con los términos de su acuerdo de venta.

El juez emitió la orden el miércoles, haciendo que el vehículo 2019 esté disponible inmediatamente para su reposesión.

Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts tells TMZ Sports despite all of the recent drama surrounding Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter ... L.A. is absolutely locked in on the 2024 season.

Betts made it clear to us while out at a charity appearance at a Raising Cane's in Alhambra, Calif. that the Ippei Mizuhara gambling scandal is just not a distraction.

"No, no, no, no," the shortstop said. "We're just focused on business. Taking care of business and that's all we keep first."

La superestrella de los Dodgers Mookie Betts le dice a TMZ Sports que a pesar de todo el reciente drama que rodea a Shohei Ohtani y su ex intérprete, L.A. ha sido absolutamente bloqueado en la temporada 2024.

Betts estuvo en una caridad en un Raising Cane's en Alhambra -California- y nos dijo que el escándalo de apuestas de Ippei Mizuhara simplemente no es una distracción.

"No, no, no, no", dijo el campocorto. "Solo estamos centrados en los negocios. En ocuparnos de los negocios y esa es nuestra prioridad".

Bhad Bhabie cumplió 21 años y quiere que el mundo sepa que está viviendo su mejor momento al celebrar con una cena de miles de dólares.

La rapera, cuyo nombre real Danielle Bregoli, no se contuvo en Snapchat, compartiendo su extravante cumpleaños en Nobu -Malibú- la noche del martes y asegurándose de mostrar la factura por un total de $6.477 para que todos la vean

Bhabie y su equipo gastaron 3.386 dólares en comida, incluyendo ostras, langosta y todos los mariscos que Nobu tiene para ofrecer.

Logan Paul says the coverage of his failed CryptoZoo project led to the darkest period of his life ... revealing he at one point contemplated taking his own life amid the backlash.

The YouTuber, boxer and WWE Superstar opened up on his mental struggles in Graham Bensinger's documentary, "5 Months with Logan Paul" ... detailing the breakdown he had while in Denmark with his fiancée, Nina Agdal, and her family in 2022.

Logan said he missed out on the chance to meet Nina's father due to his emotional state ... admitting he was in "a pretty dark spot" after YouTuber Coffeezilla released a video series investigating his NFT game and accusing it of being a scam.

Bhad Bhabie turned 21 ... and she wants the world to know she's living her best life by racking up a dinner bill in the thousands.

The rapper -- real name Danielle Bregoli -- didn't hold back on Snapchat, sharing her birthday extravaganza at Nobu Malibu on Tuesday night and making sure to flex the bill for all to see, totaling a whopping $6,477.

Breaking it down, Bhabie and her crew dropped $3,386 on food, including oysters, lobster, and all the seafood staples Nobu has to offer.

Ice Cube clearly thinks Caitlin Clark can succeed in the Big3 ... but one man who's convinced she can't is ex-NBA star Kenyon Martin, who said Wednesday she wouldn't be able to score a single point in the 3-on-3 league.

The Iowa Hawkeyes star received a $5 million offer to join Cube's hoops org. on Wednesday ... but when Martin was asked how he thinks she'd fare if she accepted the deal -- he made it clear, he thinks it'd be a mess.

"It's a step under prison ball," the former NBA player said of the Big3's action on Gilbert Arenas' "Gil's Arena Show." "Could you imagine her getting stuck down on Reggie Evans?"

Ariana Madix está extendiendo sus alas en el mundo de los realities show, ahora como anfitriona de "Love Island USA", luego de la salida de Sarah Hyland de la franquicia.

Fuentes con conocimiento directo le dicen a TMZ que la estrella de "Vanderpump Rules" se convertirá en la nueva anfitriona de "Love Island USA" en su próxima temporada, lo que significa que va a sustituir a Sarah, quien ha estado como conductora durante las últimas dos temporadas (Temporada 4 y 5).

En términos de por qué ocurre este cambio, nuestras fuentes dicen que Sarah se va porque optó por otra oportunidad que estaba buscando y dio la casualidad de que ese proyecto estaba agendado para ser filmado en el mismo período que "Love Island USA".

Before Mookie Betts steps up to the dish for the Dodgers for their home opener, he was out serving dishes at Raising Cane's ... doling out a bunch of chicken and fries to a grip of fans who turned out to support him.

The shortstop worked a shift at the fast food chain's location in Alhambra, Calif. some 24 hours before L.A. takes on the Cardinals at Dodger Stadium in order to raise some funds for his foundation ... and hundreds flocked to the eatery to get a glimpse of the baseball star.

Mookie was in great spirits as he worked the cash register ... handing out tendies and Texas Toast with a big smile on his face.

Betts also signed autographs for those who ordered from him -- before he addressed the massive crowd that showed up.

The 31-year-old thanked everybody -- and then he received a $100,000 donation from Cane's for his charity.

Amid all of the festivities, Betts spoke with TMZ Sports about getting behind the counter ... saying he was sure his many times as a drive-thru customer would translate to the other side of the window.

Ariana Madix is spreading her reality TV wings even further -- now jumping on over to "Love Island USA" to take on hosting duties ... this as Sarah Hyland exits the franchise.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the "Vanderpump Rules" star is set to become the new host of "Love Island USA" next season -- meaning she'll be replacing Sarah ... who's been in the driver's seat for the past two seasons (Season 4 and 5).

In terms of why this is happening -- our sources tell us Sarah is leaving because she took another job opportunity that she wanted to pursue ... and it just so happened to be shooting during the same time frame she'd be needed for 'LIUSA.'

El equipo de Caitlin Clark no ha respondido a la oferta de 5 millones de dólares de Big3 todavía, y Ice Cube reveló que su liga de baloncesto no sabe si ella va a aceptar el dinero.

El cofundador de la organización 3 contra 3 se unió al "Pat McAfee Show" el miércoles para hablar de la histórica propuesta, y a pesar del silencio por parte de Clark hasta el momento,  a él le gustaría escuchar un sí.

"Estaremos encantados de que juegue en el Big3", dijo Cube.

Caitlin Clark's team hasn't pounced on the Big3's $5 million offer just yet ... with Ice Cube revealing his basketball league doesn't know whether she'll take the massive payday.

The 3-on-3 organization cofounder joined the "Pat McAfee Show" on Wednesday to discuss the historic proposal ... and despite the radio silence on Clark's end so far, he's holding out hope until he gets a definitive "yes" or "no."

"They have it and if they wanna sign it, we'll be happy to have her play in the Big3," Cube said.

Will Smith se tomó una pregunta sobre su patrimonio neto como si fuera una cuestión filosófica, aunque cuando lo presionaron para que dijera su valor, el tipo se desvió.

Speedy Morman de Complex le preguntó al actor si era cierto que su patrimonio neto era de 350 millones de dólares como aparece en Google, pero Will se rio y dijo que en realidad no hacía seguimiento a esas cosas. Así que, en otras palabras, no lo confirmó ni lo negó.

Finalmente, Will se sumergió en la pregunta, pero solo elaboró su manera de pensar sobre estas cosas. Dijo que cuando estaba avanzando en Hollywood, todo se trataba de hacer dinero. Pero que ahora no tanto, sin embargo.