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In the criminal justice system, traffic based offenses are considered especially costly -- even for Ice-T, who plays a cop on TV, 'cause his arrest at the George Washington Bridge just cost him a bundle.

TMZ has learned Ice had a court hearing Thursday for the bust that went down in October. As we first reported, Ice was hauled to jail after he drove through the bridge toll booth without paying the required $12.50.

Well, it ended up costing him a weeee bit more than that -- $707.50 in fines! He'd been issued 5 tickets the day of the arrest, but 2 of 'em got tossed and he ended up paying for disorderly conduct, toll evasion and failure to observe a traffic control device.

Shortly after he was released from jail, Ice told us the whole thing was an innocent mistake.

He was driving to work -- to the set of 'Law & Order: SVU' -- in his brand new McLaren sports car. It had just been delivered, and Ice forgot it didn't have an E-ZPass® New York transponder, which automatically pays the toll.

Chris Hansen's larceny arrest is no shocker to the people who funded his "To Catch a Predator" reboot -- they say Hansen came up short with them long before Johnny Law caught him.

The former host launched a Kickstarter campaign in 2015 to start a new show about himself catching predators. His goal was $75k and he offered tiered prizes to anyone who donated.

Some of those prizes included the custom mugs and shirts Hansen got from the vendor in Connecticut -- and allegedly tried to pay for with 2 bounced checks ... leading to his arrest this week.

As it turns, out ... he apparently failed to deliver on the goods to a handful of his donors too, many of whom are furious. Chris' Kickstarter page is flooded with comments -- dating back years -- complaining about getting partial prizes, delayed prizes, or just bupkis.

$89k had been raised.

A rep for Kickstarter told us their policy is clear -- anyone who's got issues with a fundraising campaign has to take it up with the creator, and it's ALL on the creator to make things right.

Translation: Got beef? Talk to Hansen.

Boxing superstar Sergey Kovalev has been charged with felony assault for allegedly punching a woman in the face back in June -- but he claims he's not guilty ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Here's what we know ... the Russian fighter was arrested in Big Bear, CA on June 9 after a woman told police the former light heavyweight champion socked her in the face, causing serious injuries.

Sources connected to the case tell us ... the woman is claiming Kovalev had hit on her at a party earlier in the evening but rejected his advances. She claims Sergey and a friend followed her back to her cabin and that's where the alleged attack occurred.

We're told the woman claims she suffered major injuries including a severely broken nose, a concussion and a displaced disk in her neck.

FYI, Kovalev earned his nickname "Krusher" for his devastating punching power. 28 of his 32 wins have come by way of knockout.

Cops tell TMZ Sports ... they began searching for Kovalev immediately and arrested him a short time later.

He was charged with assault by means of force likely to cause great bodily injury -- which carries a maximum sentence of 4 years in prison.

Kovalev appeared in court and entered a not guilty plea.

What's interesting ... Kovalev fought Eleider Álvarez in August -- just 2 months after the arrest -- and lost in a shocking upset.

Kovalev is due back in court in March. He also has a rematch with Alvarez lined up for Feb. 2.

Soulja Boy continues to throw big shade at Tyga ... hyping up Travis Scott for stealing away Tyga's ex, Kylie Jenner!!!

We got Soulja Boy in NYC Thursday, and he started bashing tons of rappers ... with rapid-fire insults directed at Tyga, Famous Dex and Kanye West. Hell, even Kanye's buddy, Donald Trump, couldn't escape Soulja's wrath!

Soulja says Travis isn't making a mistake by performing at the Super Bowl halftime show despite backlash from big names like Common ... and it seems Travis can do no wrong in Soulja's eyes, because he applauds TS for taking "Tyga's bitch!"

As you know ... Soulja and Tyga have been beefing all week over who had the bigger comeback in 2018, and the "Crank That" rapper is more than willing to pick a few more fights.

Watch ... Soulja pisses all over Yeezys, disses Dex and trashes Tyga, all while promoting himself and taking credit for making music go digital.

Cardi B is about to join a rarefied group of superstars, including Michael Jackson, Beyonce and Britney Spears ... donning Pepsi's red, white and blue for the company's Super Bowl ad campaign ... TMZ has learned.

Production sources tell us Cardi B is officially locked as this year's Pepsi celeb spokesperson. We're told the ad has already been shot and will air during SB 53.

The Pepsi spot is considered the premiere commercial during the big game, which is watched by hundreds of millions and has a long afterlife.

Cindy Crawford did the honors last year, and her predecessors include Pink, One Direction, Madonna, Mariah Carey and The Spice Girls.

Cardi is also set to put on a show with Bruno Mars in the days leading up to The Super Bowl ... the buzz is that it will be the biggest party of the weekend.

As we reported ... Cardi was in talks to join Maroon 5 during the halftime show, but negotiations fell apart.

Thing is ... even though she won't be performing on the Super Bowl stage, the Pepsi commercial is a monumental TV moment.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is still desperately seeking the one man who can end the government shutdown today ... and says Cardi B's verbal smackdown of President Trump is on point.

We got the freshman congresswoman Thursday on the Hill, and she continued calling out Sen. Mitch McConnell. She says he's nowhere to be found, and places blame on him -- more than Trump -- for the fact government employees still aren't getting paid ... 27 days into the shutdown.

AOC's first speech from the House floor on Wednesday topped 1 million views -- a record for C-Span's Twitter feed -- so, it's clear people are paying attention when she speaks. Still, she admits she can't smoke out McConnell.

She also weighed in on her fellow New Yorker's rant about the gov't shutdown.

If ya missed it, Cardi B blasted Trump, saying "our country is in a hellhole right now, all for a f***ing wall."

Not shockingly, Cortez gives Cardi her stamp of approval, and says they might have to do what Sen. McConnell won't do.

Ray J rang in his 38th birthday with the best gift possible -- a couple of new 4-wheel treats for himself and his wife, Princess Love ... for which he spared no expense.

Sources close to the R&B singer tell TMZ ... Ray went car shopping Wednesday at one of the best pit stops for the filthy rich -- Barrett-Jackson Auction Co. in Scottsdale, AZ, where he was given the VIP treatment by none other than CEO Craig Jackson.

Jackson guided Ray on a tour of the facility along with his movie producer pal, RD Whittington, where they saw just about every type of classic car you can imagine.

By the end of it, Ray was ready to buy and we're told he went with something a little more modern than a Model T -- like a 2018 Mercedes-Benz Maybach and 2019 Lincoln Navigator! Total cost ... a cool $410,000. Easy money, if you're RJ.

Our sources say the Maybach was the pricier whip of the two, running him $320k, while the Lincoln cost $90k. Of course, he couldn't help but pose with his new prized possessions.

Like they say ... treat yourself.

Megyn Kelly is keeping herself busy during her work furlough ... because she just reported for jury duty in New York, the first time in years she's had time to perform her civic duty.

The former NBC and Fox News host showed up Thursday morning at Manhattan Supreme Court, and she was ready for a long day ... Megyn was packing a couple newspapers, two crossword books, and an iPad with "Crazy Rich Asians" on deck.

We're guessing she's been hitting the gym in her downtime, too ... sounds like one heavy purse!

As you know ... Megyn hasn't been on the air since October, when she was ousted from NBC for her blackface remarks.

Megyn was in a joking mood even before she showed up to the courthouse. Of course, you can really take advantage of funemployment when you're raking in around $35 million.

Watch ... Megyn says she hasn't served on a jury in forever, and she drops another hint about when she might return to TV.

The man convicted of killing Morgan Freeman's step-granddaughter is going away for 20 years ... TMZ has learned.

E'Dena Hines' killer, Lamar Davenport, was sentenced Thursday in NYC ... according to Manhattan D.A. Cyrus R. Vance, Jr.

Davenport was convicted of manslaughter last May. As we reported, he killed Hines -- who was his girlfriend at the time -- in August 2015 outside of their NYC apartment. Witnesses said he repeatedly stabbed her as he screamed about religion.

Davenport was acquitted of second-degree murder after his lawyer argued he was messed up on PCP when he attacked E'Dena. However, a judge subsequently found him guilty of first-degree manslaughter.

After he's released from prison, Davenport will be placed under post-release supervision for 5 years.

6:17 AM PT -- Cops say there was a 9-month-old in the vehicle Prince Philip hit, but it was unharmed.

12:25 PM PT -- Police tell TMZ ... Prince Philip and the driver of the other vehicle were both given breathalyzer tests. Police say that's standard ops, but imagine being the officer asking Queen Elizabeth's husband to blow.

Both of them passed with flying colors, btw.

We're told the other driver suffered minor cuts, and her passenger has an arm injury. They were treated and released ... from Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Queen Elizabeth's husband, Prince Philip, just dodged a huge bullet, because he survived a car crash in England ... and the 97-year-old Duke of Edinburgh was behind the wheel!

Buckingham Palace tells TMZ ... the Duke of Edinburgh was seen by a doctor as a precaution and the doc confirmed Philip was not injured.

The two-vehicle collision happened Thursday afternoon near the Sandringham Estate, the private home of Queen Elizabeth. Police reportedly responded to the scene just after 3 PM and assisted two people with minor injuries, but miraculously Philip was unharmed.

As you can see, the crash left an SUV on its side ... and that's the one Philip was driving!

Philip, granddad to Prince William and Prince Harry, married Elizabeth in 1947, five years before she became Queen. Philip was dubbed Prince of the U.K. back in 1957.

At 97, Philip is the oldest ever male British Royal. After surviving Thursday's car crash, seems Philip still has his good luck.

Chris Hansen's appears to be having a rough time, at least financially -- he's getting booted from his home in Manhattan ... TMZ has learned.

According to legal docs ... the former host of "To Catch a Predator" last paid rent in August 2018, but was $400 short, and stopped sending checks altogether after that. So, the owner of the pad went to court in October and filed paperwork to have Chris evicted.

In the eviction docs, the landlord says Chris owes $400 for August, plus $3,600 for September.

Hansen was ordered out of the apartment last week by a judge and given 10 days to vacate. The official eviction day is Friday, and city marshals are set to perform removal services then.

As we reported, Hansen was arrested Monday in Stamford, Connecticut for larceny -- he allegedly bounced a couple checks to cover a $13k tab for a bunch of merch he bought.

Former "Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta" star Benzino has copped a plea deal in his felony drug case out of Georgia, and avoided jail time as a result ... TMZ has learned.

A rep for the Cobb County District Attorney's Office tells TMZ ... Raymond Scott (Benzino's real name) pled guilty to all 3 charges he was facing Thursday morning. We're told he was sentenced to 2 years probation and fined $500 ... plus surcharges.

We broke the story ... the music producer was arrested in January 2017 after cops raided his ATL apartment and found drugs inside. He was charged with felony possession of THC oil gummies (22 grams), felony possession of 6 MDMA pills, and misdemeanor possession of less than an ounce of weed.

We talked to Benzino about the case last month, and he told us the search warrant cops used to get into his pad was illegal ... even though a judge signed off on it. He was adamant that racist police officers were behind the trumped-up charges, and at the time ... told us he was gonna fight it in court.

Betty White's been on this earth for 97 years, but she'll never stop hustlin' ... especially when it comes to playing cards.

The Hollywood legend's celebrating her 97th birthday today, and sources close to her tell TMZ she's using the special occasion as a reason to hook up with some friends Thursday night and play poker.

We're told Betty's poker pals go way back -- she's been anteing up with them for decades.

As for her health -- we're told Betty's feeling great and happy as ever. She was spotted out on a rainy day in Beverly Hills Wednesday, and as always ... she had nothing but smiles for her fans as she ran errands, accompanied by her driver.

As we told you ... the 'Golden Girls' star worked on her bday a couple years ago, but took it easy at a nice dinner with friends for her 96th.

Cheers to another year, Betty! Happy birthday!!!

Dave Chappelle says R. Kelly and his "goons" bum-rushed him over his famous skit mocking the singer's urination video -- but Dave's sense of humor definitely saved the day.

The comic hopped onstage at the WeHo Improv Monday night with his friend and "Chappelle's Show" costar, Donnell Rawlings. Dave revealed Kelly and his crew approached him in Chicago -- during a Common concert -- and made it clear they were, umm ... pissed about his "Piss on You" skit.

Dave says things never got physical, but he says Kelly grilled him about the skit and asked how he could possibly have done such a thing.

The irony of that question was not lost on Dave, who had the most awesome and hilarious response. Check out the video ... classic story.

Chappelle also addressed some of the criticism he's faced in the wake of Lifetime's "Surviving R. Kelly" docuseries -- saying he wants comedians to call out things that are wrong with the world, period.