A member of the "bling ring" accused of breaking into celebrity homes and stealing $3 million in jewels, art and watches pleaded no contest to the burglary of reality star Audrina Patridge's house.
Rachel Lee, pleaded no contest to first-degree residential burglary is expected to be sentenced to four years in a California state prison as part of the plea bargain. Los Angeles County Prosecutors agreed to drop charges of conspiracy to commit burglary and receiving stolen property. Stolen items belonging to Lindsay Lohan and Orlando Bloom were recovered from her home in Las Vegas.
The burglary ring is accused of stealing more than $3 million in jewelry and clothes from the homes of Bloom, Lohan, Paris Hilton, Rachel Bilson, Brian Austin-Green and Megan Fox, Ashley Tisdale and Patridge between September 2008 and August 2009. Hilton, Lohan and Bloom all testified before a Los Angeles County Grand Jury in the case against five members of the "bling ring," who police say repeatedly broke into the stars' Hollywood Hills homes.
The remaining four defendants, have pleaded not guilty to charges. Alexis Neiers, who pursued fame on a cable TV reality show, has already pleaded no contest to a felony burglary at Bloom's home and is serving 180 days in Los Angeles County jail. Convicted drug dealer Jonathan Ajar, who helped sell the stolen items, pleaded no contest in March to numerous felony charges.
The burglary ring was mostly composed of young women who attended a high school in Agoura Hills and had a taste for the luxury items worn by young celebrities. The burglary group initially targeted wealthy homeowners in western Los Angeles County, and then turned their attention to big names, using websites such as Twitter and to find the location of stars' homes and figure out their public appearances.
The burglary suspects were arrested after they became careless. Los Angeles police detectives said that some of them were captured on surveillance video footage breaking into the homes of Lohan and Patridge and then were overheard bragging at a party that they had committed the burglaries.
If you are facing burglary charges or any type of theft crime in Los Angeles County, you will need to speak to an experienced attorney right away. Your freedom is at stake. A burglary conviction can result in severe consequences that will affect your life for many years.
At Cron, Israels & Stark, our Los Angeles burglary lawyers have decades of experience and know how prosecutors will pursue a conviction. We have a history of aggressively fighting for your legal rights and will fully investigate the burglary allegations and evidence to build a strong legal defense.
Our theft crime attorneys are ready to provide you with the personalized service you will need during this difficult time in your life. All of our consultations are free of charge, so you have no reason to call our office to discuss your burglary criminal charges. We are available 24/7, so call our office today to speak with one of our highly qualified defense lawyers.