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Jeff Shell during the UFC 324 event at T-Mobile Arena on January 24, 2026.
Zuffa LLC
There is no shortage of bold-faced names in the RJ Cipriani-Jeff Shell legal drama. Joel Silver. Dana White. Ari Emanuel. There is, however, one name we didn’t recognize in the latest legal document — a litigation “hold” letter — that was sent Tuesday to WME requesting Emanuel preserve certain communications. Page Six Hollywood exclusively obtained the letter, which references Angelo DiMascio, a Rhode Island business owner with a checkered past and ties to Emanuel dating back to the 1990s, before the agent transformed himself into one of Hollywood’s most powerful figures.
Tuesday’s letter was written by Cipriani’s attorney Steven Aaronoff and sent to Courtney Braun, chief legal counsel for WME Group/Endeavor Group Holdings. It calls for communications “between Ari Emanuel or any WME representative” and DiMascio, from January 1, 2015, through the present be preserved. It also makes a similar request for anything between Emanuel and Emanuel’s longtime client Peter Berg covering the same period.
Shell is embroiled in legal drama with pro gambler RJ Cipriani.
Some digging by us shows that DiMascio, who goes by the nickname “Tango,” has a lengthy criminal history spanning both Rhode Island and Los Angeles as well as a number of credits in Hollywood productions, some directed or produced by Emanuel’s including Berg.
It gets weirder. According to public records, Emanuel, 64, and DiMascio, who is 72 years old, lived at the same address on South Shenandoah Street in the mid-1990s, right around the time that Emanuel was exiting ICM to launch Endeavor. During that period, DiMascio appeared in Berg’s 1998 black comedy “Very Bad Things” as a clerk. (Berg is one of the few clients that Emanuel, who spends most of his time running TKO now, continues to represent.) Some additional digging reveals that DiMascio visited the set of Berg’s “Patriots Day,” which was shot in Boston in 2016, according to sources.
Emanuel and Aaronoff declined comment.
Tuesday’s letter marks the latest twist in the legal scandal involving Shell. On Monday, Cipriani sued the president of Paramount Skydance for $150 million for breach of contract and fraud stemming from an alleged promise Shell made to produce a reality TV show created by the professional gambler. But the real juice in the complaint, filed in LA Superior Court, centers on allegations that Shell disclosed sensitive and proprietary information to Cipriani about massive deals including Paramount’s $7.7 billion licensing and rights deal with the UFC.
“We are buying ALL of the UFC rights for the next 7 years for Paramount,” Shell wrote to Cipriani 26 days before the deal was announced, according to the complaint. “Netflix thought they had it. $7 billion +. Everything…numbered events currently PPV and all of their fight nights Exclusive. We will put it on P+ and CBS. Embargo until after Netflix earnings.” Cipriani responded: “Did your relationship with [UFC CEO and president] Dana [White] help do this.” Shell shot back, “No he actually shockingly doesn’t know yet. Ari. And Netflix thought thinks have a handshake. Very hush hush until we sign.” (The lawsuit makes clear that the “Ari” in question is Emanuel. The complaint also purportedly contains messages sent between Emanuel and Cipriani.)
Tuesday’s letter also asks for communications “between or among WME, Ari Emanuel, or any WME representative and … Paramount Skydance Corporation, RedBird Capital Partners, or any of their respective representatives,” which concern “the Ultimate Fighting Championship (“UFC”), UFC media rights negotiations, or Paramount’s acquisition of UFC media rights.” UFC is part of Emanuel’s TKO Group Holdings, a publicly traded company.
Emanuel’s name emerges in text exchanges from January and February 2020 in which Cipriani tries to schedule a coffee with Emanuel, which are included as Exhibits in the complaint In those exchanges, Emanuel seems to brush off Cipriani by citing his itinerary that involves travel to the Super Bowl as well as Abu Dhabi, London and Las Vegas. Cipriani sends a final message to Emanuel: “I was very, very busy too! But I made the time and effort to help you without even knowing you only because of your friendship with Ron Meyer. … I understand now that I helped the wrong [guy].” To read the full lawsuit, click here
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