Shia LaBeouf

Celebrity Criminal Cases | Celebrity News | Proof With Jill Stanley

Celebrity Criminal Cases That Have Us Talking in 2017

Celebrity news is fun to follow, but nothing ensnares our attention quite like a star who is mixed up with the justice system. While many celebs find themselves involved with the court system due to divorce or contract disputes, it’s the star that has run-ins with the criminal law system that really gets us talking.

From physical assault to sexual assault and DUIs, count on PROOF to cover the most shocking celebrity criminal cases. Below though you will find a handful of celeb criminal cases that are keeping our attention in 2017.

Shia LaBeouf

Surprise, surprise! Shia’s in trouble — again!

The always controversial former Disney star was charged with misdemeanor assault and a harassment violation after getting in a fight.  LaBeouf got into a scuffle with the 25-year-old man in front of the Museum of the Moving Image in the Big Apple where Shia was holding his anti-Trump, He Will Not Divide Us protest.  Authorities allege that LaBeouf pulled on the man’s scarf and in doing so scratched the man’s face. While this may be his first arrest of 2017 – we have a feeling he’ll be making more headlines in celebrity news, especially because the 30-year-old has said he’s planning to continue the protest art exhibit for the next four years. That’s right, FOUR YEARS!  The exhibit was originally slated to run continuously outside the Museum of the Moving Image, but due to the controversy, it got shut down on February 10, 2017. No fear though because just about a week later, LaBeouf and his collaborators, Nastja Säde Rönkkö and Luke Turner, announced that the exhibit was relocating to the El Rey Theater in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Sadly though, once again the protest has been shut down. Apparently gunshots were heard in and around it. At the time of this writing, Labeouf tweeted the following: We have taken the stream down after shots were reported in the area. The safety of everybody participating in our project is paramount. It’s a shame that this keep happening, that’s there’s violence in the face of a seeker of free speech, especially with all that’s going in with this Administration. Perhaps this “participatory performance artwork” will reopen and any acts of violence will cease.  As for LaBeouf, let’s hope he will play nice and stay out of celebrity news headlines.

T.J. Miller

T.J. Miller is one of Hollywood’s newest funny guys, but certainly no one was laughing when Uber driver, Wilson Deon Thomas III, said that the “Silicon Valley” actor slapped him after getting in a dispute about Donald Trump. Talk about some celebrity news drama!

Los Angeles Police Department Officer, Jenner Houser, said that authorities responded to a report of battery at the 6900 block of Camrose Drive in the Hollywood Hills at 1AM. Miller was charged with that battery. He was issued a citation and was quickly released from custody with a promise to appear in court on the matter at a later date.  Despite his quick release, Miller may have to deal with more than just a slap on the wrist for his slap across the face. The driver now claims he suffered violent whiplash from the incident after slamming on the brakes while driving and is now suing T.J. for medical expenses and other damages.

Miller’s attorney has called the lawsuit a “pure money grab” and said Thomas is prone to filing “lawsuits to extort people.” I’m not sure what that is based on as PROOF has searched LA County court records and found only this case with Wilson Deon Thomas as a plaintiff. We look forward to seeing the evidence T.J.’s lawyer has to support his statement.

Though not overly serious, this is one celebrity news tale we are interested in for both civil and criminal ramifications

Bill Cosby

Anyone spending time on PROOF knows we just can’t stop talking about the fallen funnyman. And, we’re not the only one. Seems like no story since O.J. has grabbed the celebrity news world’s attention than that of the tale of Bill Cosby and sexual assault. Over the past few years, Cosby has been accused of sexual assault, rape, sexual battery and more by over 60 women, spanning from 1965-2008. Despite the abundance of allegations, Cosby has been able to escape the full weight of law because the accusers came forward years after the alleged incidents occurred and well after the statute of limitations had run.

Many thought that Cosby would never see a courtroom despite the mounting complaints against him — that is until Andrea Constand stepped forward one more time.

In January 2004, a former Temple University employee named Andrea Constand alleged that Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her in his home outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

In January 2005, the Montgomery County Detectives opened a criminal investigation. On February 22, 2005, Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce Castor released a statement on his office’s website that he found, “Insufficient, credible and admissible evidence exists upon which any charge against Mr. Cosby could be sustained beyond a reasonable doubt.” The case was then dropped.

In March 2005, Constand filed a civil suit against the former “Cosby Show” star. Instead of dealing with the likely celebrity news scandal that would surely follow, Cosby settled with Constand out of court for an undisclosed amount in November 2006.

Over a decade after the settlement, a motion was filed to void the confidentiality agreement that stemmed from settlement of the 2005 civil suit. In court, Constand’s attorney argued that Cosby himself had already displayed a ”total abandonment of the confidentiality portions of the agreement” with his denials of all allegations against him. On July 8, 2015, Judge Eduardo C. Robreno ruled to unseal some of the private documents in that civil case. In his ruling, the judge wrote that Cosby’s role as a “public moralist” was in contrast to his possible crimes. The unsealed documents were made public and showed that in 2005 Cosby had said that he intended to give Quaaludes to young women so that he could have sex with them (he insisted, however, that the sex was consensual).

The celebrity news world was then rocked when, after years of speculation and dozens upon dozens of accusations, Cosby was finally charged with three counts of aggravated indecent assault on December 30, 2015.

Cosby’s attorneys have been fighting these charges tooth and nail ever since. On January 11, 2016, they filed a motion to dismiss the sexual assault charges stating that the local district attorney’s office had promised in 2005 that Cosby would not be prosecuted. On February 3, 2016, Judge Steven O’Neill ruled, “there was no basis” to dismiss the case based on Cosby’s assertions. Cosby’s legal team has made several attempts to have the criminal case thrown out but none have been successful. On September 6, 2016, Judge Steven O’Neill set a trial date for June 6, 2017.  If convicted on all three counts, Cosby faces a maximum of of thirty years in prison and a fine up to $25,000. It should also be noted that Cosby is fighting dozens of civil suits for defamation when, through his lawyers, he called his accusers liars. One of those cases, a matter filed in Massachusetts, was dismissed in February 2017, and though others have also been dismissed, several remain active.

Want more celebrity news about Cosby and other celebs? Explore the pages on PROOF. We’ve got lots of celebrity news articles about your favorites!

Shia LaBeouf’s Racist Rant Goes Viral as the Actor is Arrested Again

It’s getting harder and harder for us at PROOF to be Shia LaBeouf fans — we’ve stood behind him for a very long time now but his latest racist rant against two police officers is making it very, very difficult.

LaBeouf was arrested on Saturday, July 8, 2017 in Savannah, Georgia, where he’s currently filming “The Peanut Butter Falcon,” with Dakota Johnson and Bruce Dern.  He was booked on charges of disorderly conduct, obstruction and public drunkenness after he reportedly approached someone to ask for a cigarette in the early morning hours, and became aggressive when he was told no, at which point he began shouting profanities at both passers by and police. The police statement reveals “When the officer attempted to place LaBeouf under arrest, LaBeouf ran to a nearby hotel. LaBeouf was arrested in the hotel lobby, where his disorderly behavior continued.”

What makes this situation so indefensible is what happened after the arrest. In a video captured on a body camera during his ride in a squad car and at the station, LaBeouf is heard telling his female arresting officer, “If I had my gun I’ll blow your s—t up. You’re a b—h, though.” He continues his racist, sexist tirade making threats against the officer, insulting her family and threatening to sue her, saying “I got more millionaire lawyers than you know what to do with, you stupid b—h.” The 31-year-old actor was released around 11 a.m. that same day from the Chatham County Detention Center after posting a $7,000 bond.

This is the sixth arrest for the actor, and latest in a long line of alcohol-related incidents. LaBeouf was ordered to receive alcohol abuse treatment after a 2014 disorderly conduct charge in a Broadway theater. He received treatment in 2016. “He is voluntarily receiving treatment for alcohol addiction. He understands that these recent actions are a symptom of a larger health problem and he has taken the first of many necessary steps towards recovery,” his rep said in a statement. LaBeouf himself has discussed his demons in the past, saying “Why am I an alcoholic? I haven’t a damn clue! What is life about? I don’t know. What I do know is, I screw up.”

La Beouf returned to work on Monday, just two days after the arrest. He also took to twitter to apologize, writing “I am deeply ashamed of my behavior and make no excuses for it” as well as addressing his very serious problem with addiction. Shia, please get help (again-no shame in that!), we really want to remain fans.

Shia LeBeouf Charges Dropped | Celebrity News | Celebrity Gossip

Charges Dropped Against Shia LaBeouf in Assault and Harassment Case

Shia LaBeouf, a PROOF favorite, got some legal good news. Charges have been dismissed against the activist actor stemming from his January arrest in New York City that resulted from an alleged fight with a protester at his anti-Trump live stream protest/performance piece, “He Will Not Divide Us.”

As we previously reported, in January, LaBeouf was charged with misdemeanor assault and a harassment violation after that alleged fight.  Apparently, the actor got into a verbal fight in front of the Museum of the Moving Image, the site where the performance piece was streaming and the victim accused LaBeouf of scratching his face when he pulled his scarf. The alleged victim did not seek medical attention. LaBeouf was released a few hours after the arrest. He was given a DAT–a desk appearance ticket–which mandated that he was to return to Queens County Criminal Court for arraignment.

The Queens District Attorney’s Office have now reviewed the facts and information and have decided not to prosecute.  A spokesperson with the Queens District Attorney’s Office has confirmed that and said the charges against LaBeouf have been dropped for insufficient evidence. (Here’s a little fun PROOF point: I was an Assistant District Attorney in Queens. It’s my favorite New York borough– for law, not really for fun, that’s Manhattan!).

Shia LaBeouf, Luke Turner, and Nastja Ronkko, the artists behind “He Will Not Divide Us” began the performance piece on inauguration day, January 20, 2017.  Interested parties were invited to say, “He will not divide us” into a camera outside the Museum of Moving Image. The “protesters” were encouraged to repeat the phrase as often and as many times as they wanted into the camera. The artists intended the project to last four years. With the divisiveness that surrounds President Trump, the message the artists had hoped to get across was a powerful one, a unifying one. But, the art installation was shut down by the museum on February 10, 2017 because it had become “unexpectedly volatile.”

The artists then moved the project to a theater in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Things were not much better there as it was soon shut down due to gun shots. On February 23, 2017,LaBeouf himself tweeted “We have taken the stream down after shots were reported in the area. The safety of everybody participating in our project is paramount.”

Since then the project moved to a gallery, Foundation for Art and Creative Technology (FACT) in Liverpool, England (not far from where Turner is from). The artists made a statement on FACTS’s website stating that that the project moved because “events have shown that America is simply not safe enough for this artwork to exist.” Unfortunately though, on March 23, 2017, the artists and FACT announced that police advised them to remove the installation due to dangerous, illegal trespassing.

Despite the intent of the artist to maintain “He Will Not Divide Us” as a peaceful, nonviolent art performance, the fact that it has been rocked at each location as well as the subject of much talk on hate and violence filled sites on the internet is not only sad but very scary.

We at PROOF applaud the artists for their creativity, bravery, and interest in unity–we await the next move for “He Will Not Divide Us.”

 

If you like the celebrity news article you just read, please check out the rest of PROOF—we are chock full of interesting celebrity news articles.

 

Celebrity Mug Shot

From Shailene Woodley to Justin Bieber: The Best of Celebrity Mug Shots

From bar bust ups to drunk driving to “unintentional” trespassing and more, celebrities are no strangers to arrests. And of course with an arrest comes the dreaded celebrity mug shot, which is sure to be plastered across the Internet even before the celeb has called his lawyer!

Celebrity mug shots might just be our favorite form of selfie– well, it’s not really as selfie but we sure do like looking at them (Must be because without make up, the right lighting, a professional photographer and some retouching most celebs look a lot more like we do than we thought!).

Check out some of the celebrity mug shots of Hollywood hottest stars, and even a few of those  forgotten about players who just happen to have a celebrity mug shot worth talking about!

Shailene Woodley

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Reese Witherspoon isn’t the only “Big Little Lies” cast member to have her celebrity mug shot taken. “Divergent” star Shailene Woodley also had a run in with the law. And though we might be biased because we absolutely love Shailene Woodley, we have to say  that out of all the celebrity mug shots, Woodley’s is pretty much the most adorable!

So, how’d she get to be part of the celebrity mug shot walk of fame? On October 10, 2016, Woodley and 27 other people were arrested during a protest at Standing Rock, while attempting to block the Dakota Access pipeline. Live footage of the actress’ arrest was streamed to roughly 40,000 viewers via her Facebook page. Later, she was strip searched in jail. I know, it seems weird to strip search someone following this type of offense and though kinda gross one can likely conclude that it might be related to her celebrity status (imagine those bragging rights?!) but despite Woodley also being “just shocked” by the strip search, apparently is is common practice in that jurisdiction for low level crimes.  Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chair Dave Archambault II and others have also been strip-searched after being arrested for nonviolent civil disobedience against the pipeline.

After the arrest and resulting strip search, the environmental activist said: “Every time we allow another pipeline … we are endorsing the fossil fuel industry and only prolonging the time it is going to take to switch to renewable energy.”

We at PROOF aren’t fans of breaking the law but Woodley’s cause was a noble and good one.  We commend her for her bravery and standing up for what she believes in–no matter the consequences.  Keep fighting the good fight, Shailene!

Reese Witherspoon

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The “Big Little Lies” actress and her husband, Jim Toth, were arrested in Atlanta in 2013. Toth was pulled over for suspicion of driving while intoxicated in Atlanta. Apparently Reese didn’t like that so much. So much so that she got into an argument with the police officer, which led to her arrest.

This celebrity mug shot is pretty unusual because it’s a pretty unusual mug shot for anyone — Witherspoon is looking down! The whole point of mug shots are for identification purposes. We have to wonder if the Atlanta PD gave the superstar a pass on looking at the camera because of her A-list status.

Either way, shortly after her jail release, the actress issued a statement saying there was “no excuse” for her behavior.

“I was disrespectful to the officer who was just doing his job. The words I used that night definitely do not reflect who I am. I have nothing but respect for the police and I am very sorry for my behavior.”

Nick Carter

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Backstreet Boy Nick Carter may not have wanted it that way (sorry, sometimes we just can’t help ourselves with these puns!!) when he was arrested in Florida on January 13, 2016. The boybander was booked by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office on a misdemeanor battery charge following an incident outside Hog’s Breath Saloon in Key West.

The singer was released after pleading not guilty and posting $1,500 bail. He was ordered to stay away from the bar.

Unfortunately for Carter, an employee at the Hog’s Breath, Skylar Carden, 21, filed a civil lawsuit against Carter a few weeks later, in which he accused the singer and former “Dancing with the Stars” runner-up of battery.

In a statement accompanying the lawsuit, Carter’s lawyer, Mark DiCowden’s said, “Nick Carter has shown the world that he is nothing more than a backstreet thug.” And you thought our pun was bad? Nick Carter,a thug? And what’s a backstreet thug?? All we picture is a good looking boy band member singing romantic songs. That’s not so scary! But the lawsuit did contain some scary allegations including that the singer “violently attacked” Carden by “striking and choking” him.

Carter settled the matter out of court–the terms of the settlement are not public–and the case was dismissed with prejudice (remember this means Carden can’t bring the suit again for any reason).

 

Pawn Stars Austin “Chumlee” Russell

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Austin “Chumlee” Russell, star of the History Channel’s “Pawn Stars” was arrested in Las Vegas on March 10, 2016 and charged with drug possession and “prohibited person in possession of a firearm,” according to the Las Vegas Metro Police Department.

Here’s the really crazy part of this story: officers were serving a warrant at the reality star’s house for a sexual assault case when they found Russell with at least one gun, as well as with methamphetamine and marijuana.

In May 2016, Russell pleaded guilty in Las Vegas court to attempted possession of a controlled substance. As a result of the deal, Russell did not have to go to jail for the misdemeanor charge, instead he was sentenced to three years’ probation. The felony count of ownership or possession of a firearm by a prohibited person was stayed. If Russell completes the terms of his probation, the gun charge will be dismissed. And, that sexual assault charge that started the whole thing? Police have confirmed that Russell has not been charged at the time for that.

Bill Cosby

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We know we talk about Bill Cosby a lot on PROOF but we can’t help it, there are just so many aspects of his wrongdoing that make for excellent legal lessons!  And so, Bill Cosby’s infamous celebrity mug shot, which was years in the making after dozens upon dozens of accusations. As PROOF readers know, there is only one criminal case going forward against the disgraced funny man. He has been free on $1 million bail, but faces up to 10 years in jail for each of the sexual assault counts he is facing.

The Montgomery County District Attorney’s office in Pennsylvania, where he is set to stand trial, released this mugshot shortly after his arraignment. Those do not look like the same kindly eyes of Dr. Huxtable. Unbelievable downfall.

Shia Labeouf

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Shia Labeouf has been arrested more than once but of course his most famous celebrity mug shot was after getting drunk at Broadway musical “Cabaret” in New York City. In this shot, Labeouf has a big smile on his face and looks like he’s been crying. It’s unnerving to say the least!

According to police, the “Transformers” star was smoking inside the Studio 54 theater and acting “loud and disruptive” during the first act of the musical. Law enforcement officials were notified. The “Transformers” actor was arrested during intermission, handcuffed, and escorted out of the theater.

He was then charged with two counts of disorderly conduct and one count of criminal trespassing before being released.

Shia has since been arrested again in connection with his HeWillNotDivide.US protest but was also quickly released. For more information on that, click here.

Dustin Diamond

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We all loved super nerd Screech on Saved by the Bell, too bad that geeky kid turned out to be such a not-so-great adult. Dustin Diamond gave off some seriously dangerous vibes when he made his way into the celebrity mug shots wall of fame after he was arrested in Wisconsin for allegedly stabbing a man with a switchblade on Christmas Day 2014.

The former teen actor was charged with possession of a switchblade, reckless endangerment and carrying a concealed weapon.

He was later convicted of carrying a concealed weapon and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors. He served nearly three months in jail.

Lindsay Lohan

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We love this one of Lindsay Lohan’s celebrity mug shots because she’s just so over it. She’s like — been there, done that!

This is the redhead’s mugshot from March 19, 2013 when she turned herself into the Santa Monica police. She eventually pleaded no contest to reckless driving and providing false information to the police who were investigating an accident that happened the previous summer.

The troubled star was sentenced to 90 days in a lockdown rehab facility.  Want more information about Lohan and the criminal justice system, click here and here.

Justin Bieber

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Oh, Justin! We love you but you make it so hard on us sometimes.  What do we at PROOF have to say about our favorite bad boy’s celebrity mug shot? Well, does is not look like Bieber is having the best day of his life? Does to us! In reality though he has just been arrested for a DUI and drag-racing in Miami in 2014. Must have been a really fun race!

On the serious side though, at a press conference, a spokesperson for Miami Beach Police said that the arresting officer “smelled odor of alcoholic beverage” on the singer. Bieber was also charged with driving with an expired license and resisting arrest without violence.

We at PROOF are crossing our fingers and hoping that there are no celebrity mug shots of Bieber–even if they do look as good as this one!

At PROOF we love celebrity news as much as you do.  So if you want more, celebrity news about A-Listers (and others!), we welcome you to explore the rest of the site.

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