The Bling Ring is Busted
Extra charges filed against teen in 'bling ring' celebrity burglary case
A young woman accused in the “bling ring” celebrity burglary case was charged today with extra counts of receiving stolen property after she allegedly wore a necklace belonging to actress Lindsay Lohan in court.
Courtney Leigh Ames, 19, allegedly wore the necklace to her Dec. 2 arraignment, during which it was identified as the property of Lohan. She also was charged today with allegedly possessing a leather jacket belonging to Paris Hilton, said Deputy District Attorney Sarika Kapoor.
Prosecutors also filed an additional charge against defendant Diana Tamayo, 19, for allegedly receiving stolen property belonging to actress Rachel Bilson, whose home was broken into three times by the ring.
Ames, Tamayo and co-defendants Nicholas Prugo and Roy Lopez Jr. appeared in court today and were ordered to return Feb. 10 to set a date for their preliminary hearing.
Alexis Neirs, 18, is scheduled to return to court Jan. 26 for a pretrial conference. A sixth defendant, Rachel Lee, 19, the alleged ringleader, is scheduled to be arraigned next month for her role in allegedly breaking into celebrity homes from December 2008 to November 2009.
In addition to Hilton, Bilson and Lohan, celebrities targeted included Audrina Patridge, Ashley Tisdale, Brian Austin Green, Megan Fox and Orlando Bloom.