Mel B Cops Say Texts to Siya Not Witness Intimidation
Mel B did not commit the crime of witness intimidation by sending text messages to a witness in her divorce case ... this according to several cops who reviewed the texts.
TMZ broke the story ... the LAPD opened a witness tampering investigation listing Mel B as the suspect, after rapper Siya went to the station and filed a police report. As we reported, Siya is on the witness list and is prepared to testify Mel B's claims of physical abuse at the hands of estranged husband Stephen Belafonte are untrue. Siya will also testify about Mel B's alleged drug use and how she engineered the now-infamous 3-ways.
Our law enforcement sources say Siya went to the police station Sunday to file a police report, but the desk officer who reviewed the texts was unimpressed and said the messages did not rise to the level of witness intimidation. We're told Siya left, returned the next day with her lawyer, and this time a report was taken.
We're told the LAPD has a policy of taking a report if the alleged victim insists, even if cops believe no crime was committed. We're told the case will ultimately be sent to prosecutors for review and a decision.
See also
Mel B Badgers Woman to Testify Stephen Raped Her
Mel B's being accused of harassing another potential witness in her divorce war with Stephen Belafonte ... and this time the woman claims Mel wants her to lie about rape.
TMZ has confirmed ... a 22-year-old Swedish student allegedly had threesomes with Mel B and Belafonte and made sex tapes -- just like with their former nanny, Lorraine Gilles.
The student claims she got a surprise call from Mel and, according to the Daily Mail, Mel told her ... "Your sex tape is already out there and your name is already out there and you have to be in court in about 2 or 3 weeks."
Mel allegedly told her it's the law for her to appear in court, and insinuated she wanted the student to testify that Belafonte raped her in the sex tape. She claims Mel said ... "I know about the sex act and that you were crying and saying 'no' and I want you to be in court for that."
The Swedish student denied Belafonte raped her. Our sources say Mel then became angry and tried to badger her into saying he did.
The Daily Mail report comes on the heels of news broken by TMZ that Mel B's under criminal investigation for witness tampering ... for allegedly threatening rapper Siya if she testified against her.
See also
Janet Jackson Wissam Made Her Feel Like a Prisoner ... Says Randy Jackson
Janet Jackson was verbally abused by her estranged husband, Wissam Al Mana, particularly while she was pregnant with their son ... this according to Janet's older brother, Randy Jackson.
Randy claims Wissam called Janet a "bitch" every day while she was expecting. Randy added, "It came on later in the relationship, verbal abuse and being [made to feel like] a prisoner in her own home."
He went on to tell PEOPLE Janet's been breaking down into tears backstage during her recently resumed world tour ... because "the abuse is still going on" through harassment related to the custody battle over Eissa.
Wissam's attorneys said they would not dignify the hurtful allegations with a response.
See also
Supreme Court Justice Breyer Here's My Opinion On a Bill Murray Classic
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer tackled a critical topic head on, and with very little hesitation revealed the ruling on ... his favorite movie of all time!
We got Justice Breyer at Reagan National Airport in DC, and with SCOTUS just a few weeks from starting a new session -- we had to know what he's been doing in his off-time. Turns out Breyer's a bit of a movie buff.
We got his recommendation for a current flick (it's a good one too), but also asked for his top 3 movie picks ever. Breyer only gave up one, and we gotta say, it's a little surprising ... from a 79-year-old, anyway.
Here ya go ... the first argument before the bench when Breyer and co. return. Bill Murray's oral argument would be awesome!
See also
Apple Unveil$ iPhone X Features Animoji & Face ID
Apple unveiled the much-hyped iPhone X -- and it's both pretty awesome and pretty damn expensive!!!
The announcement came Tuesday morning at the Steve Jobs Theater in Apple's new HQ in Cupertino, CA ... where the final item introduced was the iPhone X. The new phone has a radical new design -- no more home button, edge-to-edge display and a bunch of other cool features:
-- Animoji tracks 50 facial muscle movements to create your own emojis
-- Wireless charging
-- And, of course, Face ID to unlock the iPhone X
It unlocks after recognizing your face and only when you look directly at it. It won't unlock if you're facing away. There was a hiccup when the X wouldn't unlock but a backup phone solved the issue.
For those concerned about safety ... facial recognition data is stored on a chip in the X and NOT sent to an Apple or third-party server, per Apple, which added there's a 1 in 1,000,000 chance that a random person can unlock your iPhone X.
The iPhone X starts at $999 and pre-orders start October 27. They ship November 3. Apple also unveiled the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, new AppleWatch and AppleTV. The company next year plans to unveil AirPower, a charging station for multiple Apple products.
See also
Bobbi Kristina's Estate Joins Bobby Brown to Stop Biopic
Bobbi Kristina's estate has now joined forces with Bobby Brown to stop TV One from doing a biopic on Bobbi Kristina's life ... TMZ has learned.
Bobby has already filed suit, claiming the portrayal as a bad dad is defamatory.
Bobbi Kristina's estate has now joined the lawsuit, claiming the biopic violates Bobbi Kristina's right to privacy, which they claim survived her death.
Bobby Brown has already claimed in his lawsuit the movie falsely shows him as a violent person toward Whitney Houston. The show suggests Bobbi Kristina witnessed the alleged abuse. He also claims the scenes show him as an unloving father.
The estate and Bobby want more than $2 million in damages and they want the judge to block the airing of the show.
The show is set to air on TV One next month.
See also
L.A. Lakers Retiring BOTH of Kobe Bryant's Numbers!
Kobe Bryant will be the first Laker in team history to have TWO jersey numbers retired ... when they put #8 and #24 in the Staples Center rafters in December.
TMZ Sports broke the story ... the Lake Show will have a ceremony to retire Kobe's jersey on Dec. 18 before the Lakers play the Golden State Warriors.
The big question was which # would get the VIP treatment.
The answer? Both ... according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.
Of course, Bryant dominated in both numbers ... winning 3 NBA championships in #8 (2000, 2001, 2002) and 2 in #24 (2009, 2010).
BTW, Rick Fox kinda called this ... predicting a double number retirement way back in 2015.
See also
Britney Spears My Bod Needs Massaging, Y'all!
-
EXCLUSIVE
- 1.7K shares
Britney Spears spent millions in 2016, but dropped most of it in the same stores where you probably shop -- of course, you probably didn't make over $15 million last year.
TMZ obtained new docs filed in Britney's conservatorship, which show she dropped $10,956,873.91 last year. Sounds like a lot, 'cause it is, but the good news is she earned nearly $16 mil.
According to the docs, her biggest expenses include $122,613 for massages, grooming and nails ... $69,668 on wardrobe and $24,392 for hair and makeup. As much as she's been toning her bod ... the massages make sense.
Her pooches are still very well cared for -- $29,852 for the year, which is slightly down from the previous year.
As for shopping sprees ... she rarely spent more than a few hundred dollars at a time in Pottery Barn, Albertsons, Ralphs, Vons (lots o' groceries), Target and yes ... she had enough time to hit up Bed Bath & Beyond too.
Her total property and assets at year's end were $55,745,288 -- up about $5 million from 2015 -- and that number doesn't even include untold millions more in various trusts.
See also
Mel B Under Criminal Investigation For Witness Tampering
Mel B has been accused of intimidating a witness who was prepared to testify against her in her bitter divorce war with Stephen Belafonte, and police have opened a felony investigation.
Rapper Siya, who starred in "Sisterhood of Hip Hop," filed a police report Monday, claiming Mel B sent her texts last Saturday threatening her if Siya dared testify against her ... this according to law enforcement sources.
Our sources say Siya showed police the text messages and a felony witness intimidation case was opened.
We're told Siya was prepared to contradict Mel B and testify Belafonte never physically abused his wife. Siya claims she was a close friend of both Mel B and Belafonte. Sources connected with Mel B dispute that, saying Mel B only met Siya a couple of times.
We're told in addition to disputing Mel B's claims of abuse, Siya is prepared to testify Mel B frequently used illegal drugs. She's also prepared to testify about the 3-ways between Mel B, Belafonte and their nanny, Lorraine Gilles. Siya claims Mel B was the one who called the shots in the 3-ways.
Sources connected to Mel B are calling BS on Siya's allegation of witness intimidation.
See also
Floyd Mayweather Not a Fan of Taylor, Ariana or Selena ... 'Who the F*** is That?'
Floyd Mayweather ain't no Swiftie, and he ain't no Ariana Grande or Selena Gomez fan either -- that much he made clear in an interview with a puppet.
Floyd sat down outside his strip club, Girl Collection, with the puppet Diego from YouTube's "Awkward Puppets" series. Diego lobbed up a bunch of pop trivia questions for the champ, but total softballs ... like what's your favorite Taylor Swift song?
Hard to tell if he's kidding -- y'know, 'cause he's talking to a puppet. He did show love for one singer ... naturally. But definitely NOT Fifth Harmony. Sorry, girls.
See also
Aaron Carter I Don't Talk to My Family ... They're Lying About Suicide Concerns
Aaron Carter's family is full of crap and merely trying to keep him down on his knees ... according to Aaron.
Aaron was in NYC Monday evening when a photog asked him about police coming to his home 3 times in one day. As TMZ first reported, at least one of those calls was placed by a family member concerned Aaron might harm himself, or relapse into substance abuse.
The troubled singer's blowing off those concerns, and says he doesn't even talk to anyone in his family ... besides his mother. As he puts it, "When I'm trying to get back up on my feet, don't try to swing me off my feet."
On a positive note -- he appears to have a new chick, fresh off his breakup with the last. He was spotted Monday night in Times Square with the mystery woman, only identified as Chloe. She's reportedly a fan who paid for a meet-and-greet with Aaron.
Score!
See also
Charles Oakley Blasts James Dolan, Knicks In Scathing New Lawsuit
Charles Oakley tears into the NY Knicks as the "laughingstock" of the NBA -- and rips owner James Dolan as an incompetent, insecure liar in a brand new lawsuit obtained by TMZ Sports.
Oak is suing Dolan and the Knicks over that infamous Feb. 2017 incident when Oakley was forcibly removed from Madison Square Garden and arrested following an altercation with security.
In his suit, filed in federal court in NY, Oakley says Dolan had it out for him from the moment he took over the team because Charles refused to "kiss the ring."
"Dolan constantly disrespected Mr. Oakley, refusing to make eye contact or shake his hand during meetings, denying the type of fan appreciation nights given to much less popular and successful members of the Knicks."
The coup de grace ... Oakley says Dolan made him buy his own tickets to Knicks games while routinely treating other retired players to free courtside seats.
Oakley says things came to a head on Feb. 8 ... when Dolan ordered security to remove him from the building and a physical altercation ensued. Oakley says Dolan then ran a smear campaign, falsely accusing him of being an alcoholic who was drunk at the Garden.
In fact, Oakley points to an ESPN Radio interview in which Dolan said Charles "may have a problem with alcohol" and then claimed Oak was verbally abusive to MSG staff.
Oakley says he was neither intoxicated nor otherwise behaving inappropriately that night.
Oakley is suing for defamation, assault, battery, false imprisonment and more. Oakley does not specify how much money he's seeking.
We spoke with Oak's attorney, Douglas Wigdor, who tells us, "While the facts of the complaint speak for themselves, Mr. Oakley filed this lawsuit out of principle and his desire to hold Mr. Dolan accountable for his actions which I can assure you that our Firm is committed to doing on his behalf."
A rep for the Knicks tells us, "this is a frivolous lawsuit and nothing more than another attempt by Mr. Oakley to garner attention. We will deal with this accordingly."
See also
Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna Close to Striking Custody Deal
Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna are close to an agreement for custody and child support, but they're not there yet.
Sources familiar with the case tell TMZ, lawyers from both sides as well as Rob and Chyna themselves have been hashing out a joint custody arrangement for months. We're told they are not far apart over the division of physical custody -- each is fine giving the other substantial physical custody.
It's significant because the Dept. of Children and Family Services opened a case even before Rob and Chyna split over her alleged drug use. We're told it's still an open case in L.A. County Dependency Court.
Our sources say Rob believes Chyna can handle parental responsibilities. We're told, however, the Kardashian women are not as understanding and believe there are serious questions about Chyna's fitness because of the drug allegations.
We're told there's something more problematic ... child support. Our sources say Chyna wants a lot ... way more than Rob thinks she deserves, but it appears there's been some movement toward a compromise.
Because there's an open case in Dependency Court, we're told any custody agreement must be signed off by that judge.
Short story ... they're getting a lot closer to hashing things out.
See also
Christian Slater Has Hack-Proof Tips ... If Ya Want Them
Christian Slater sounds like your office I.T. guys ... seriously paranoid about hackers and big brother peeping.
The "Mr. Robot" star was out in Bev Hills, and we had to know -- does the guy who brilliantly plays the leader of the hacktivists group "fsociety" take real-life precautionary measures to avoid getting hacked?
Well, he does safeguard his digital footprint, but he doesn't stop there. He's kinda obsessed with one particular security measure. You might be interested too ... IF you believe they're watching.
See also
Alexis Arquette David Reminisces 1 Year After Death
Alexis Arquette died a year ago on September 11, and her brother, David Arquette, still gets choked up talking about keeping her memory alive.
We got David Monday night at Bootsy Bellows, where he and his fam were holding a memorial for Alexis ... who died of a heart attack and battled HIV for years.
He talked about launching the Alexis Project to support LGBT communities in L.A. He also told us what he thinks Alexis' legacy will be.
Emotional moment, but Dave did laugh when we asked how Alexis would have wanted the party to go.
See also
Kendall Jenner, Blake Griffin She's On a Runway And So is He
Kendall Jenner and Blake Griffin just took a major step in their dating life -- 'cause nothing says "we're together" like dinner and a movie ... and a 2,475 mile trip.
The rumored couple was spotted grabbing a bite Monday night in NYC at Carbone, and then catching the new horror flick "It" afterward.
Speaking of flying, Blake clearly jetted off to New York to be with Kendall ... who's walking runways for Fashion Week. They'd been seen hanging in L.A. (with pals) prior to this.
If they keep this up ... they'll float too.