CelebSpice

A woman accused of being part of a gang who burgled the homes of some of Hollywood's biggest stars is facing new charges after appearing in court wearing a necklace allegedly belonging to Lindsay Lohan.

Prosecutors in Los Angeles have already charged Courtney Leigh Ames, 19, with two counts of receiving stolen property. She is one of six people accused of being part of a gang - dubbed the 'Bling Ring' which burgled stars' homes including Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and Orlando Bloom.

Other victims included Rachel Bilson, Megan Fox, Ashley Tisdale and The Hills celebrity Audrina Patridge. Now an amended complaint accuses Ames of wearing a beaded necklace taken from Lohan's home to a December court hearing where she pleaded not guilty to burgling Paris Hilton's home.
Ames's lawyer, Robert Schwartz, said outside a pre-trial hearing in Los Angeles on Thursday: "She [Ames] was wearing a necklace. The issue is whether she knew it was stolen."
Ames is not charged with the August break-in at Mean Girls star Lohan's house. And she pleaded not guilty to the new charges at a brief hearing. She is due back in court on February 10.

Burglars who targeted Hollywood stars' homes were motivated by celebrity worship, say investigators. "They were rabid consumers of everything celebrity," Los Angeles police officer Brett Goodkin told Reuters.

The homes of Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Rachel Bilson and Audrina Patridge were ransacked between October 2008 and September 2009. Nicholas Prugo, 18, and Rachel Lee, 18, have been arrested.
Also named by police, Courtney Ames, 18, and Alexis Neiers, 18, along with Diana Tamayo, 19, and Roy Lopez Jr, 27.  All have been arrested over the break-ins.

Prugo faces up to six years in prison on a charge of burglary of more than $170,000 in jewellery and clothes. Sean Erenstoft, an attorney for Prugo, said, "Mr Prugo's involvement was very, very limited."

The list of stars hit by the Hollywood Burglars has grown, while police have added another suspect - dubbed "Johnny Dangerous" - to those under investigation. Megan Fox, Brian Austin Green and Ashley Tisdale were also allegedly robbed by the teen gang from Calabasas, the Los Angeles Police Department announced.

A source close to the inquiry said Green and Fox were unaware of the crimes until Green's stolen handgun was retrieved at the home of one of the suspects. Brett Goodkin of the LAPD said millions of dollars in personal property is suspected to have been stolen by the gang of celebrity-worshipping thieves between 2008 and September 2009.

A seventh suspect was added to the list of alleged gang burglars: Jonathan Ajar, 27, nicknamed Johnny Dangerous by police. The gang's known victims include Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Rachel Bilson, Audrina Patridge and Orlando Bloom.
Goodkin said, "I wouldn't say this was just a misguided scavenger hunt. There were at least 10 victims, and these were very serious crimes alleged. The suspects in this case are not 12-year-old children. We have every indication this was a very successful, busy burglary crew."

Police have arrested six people, mostly teens, on suspicion of breaking into the homes of Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom, Lindsay Lohan and other Hollywood figures to satisfy a celebrity obsession and steal from them, authorities said on Tuesday.

"They were rabid consumers of everything celebrity," Los Angeles police officer Brett Goodkin told Reuters.

He added that the suspects were motivated by "profit and celebrity worship."

Nicholas Prugo, 18, was charged last week with burglary at the homes of "Mean Girls" actress Lindsay Lohan and reality star Audrina Patridge of MTV show "The Hills."

Police investigating the break-ins later arrested Rachel Lee, 18; Courtney Ames, 18; Alexis Neiers, 18; Diana Tamayo, 19; and Roy Lopez Jr, 27 on suspicion of burglary.

Prugo is accused of stealing more than $170,000 in jewelry and clothes and faces up to six years in prison if convicted. The others have not yet been formally charged.

Sean Erenstoft, an attorney for Prugo, said his client and Lee attended the same Los Angeles-area high school along with a couple of the other suspects. "Mr. Prugo's involvement was very, very limited," he told Reuters.

Aside from Lohan and Patridge, police said celebrity heiress Paris Hilton, "Pirates of the Caribbean" star Orlando Bloom and "The O.C." star Rachel Bilson were also victims of the burglaries which took place from October 2008 to September 2009.

Hilton's home was burglarized in December 2008 by a man wearing a hooded sweatshirt and gloves, who forced open the front door while she was out. Bloom's home was broken into in July, and he lost cash and jewelry.

After Patridge's home was burglarized in February, she posted to the Web surveillance video of a man and a woman rifling through her house.

Blair Berk, an attorney for some of the celebrity victims, told the Los Angeles Times that paparazzi coverage had contributed to the thefts.

"There are only so many shots of a star's back gate before someone, be it a stalker or burglar, goes through it," she told the newspaper.

(Editing by Jill Serjeant and Eric Walsh)

Looking a bit thinner than usual, Audrina Patridge was spotted making her way around Los Angeles on Saturday evening (October 17).

Dressed casually in a black t-shirt with worn jeans, the "Hills" hottie was followed by pesky paparazzi as she did a little shopping around town before heading home to get ready for her weekend affairs.

As previously reported by Gossip Center, Miss Patridge recently spoke with press about her ex-beau Justin Bobby's relations with co-star Kristin Cavallari, saying, “At the end of the day, it’s a show. It’s entertainment. And you can’t take anything serious on that show.”

Audrina also noted that she’s not sure how her feud with Kristin is going to end. “I don’t know. I really don’t know how it’s going to play out. We still have three weeks of filming - and that’s it.”

Nevertheless, Patridge is ready to move on from “The Hills.” “I’m an adult now and I don’t need all the petty drama and drinking and fighting. I’ve done that, and I’m ready to move on.”

Always up for a public appearance, Audrina Patridge prettied up the red carpet at the Los Premios MTV 2009 Latin America Awards in Universal City on Thursday (October 15).

Greeting fans lining the entrance to the Gibson Amphitheatre, the "Hills" hottie struck a few poses for photographers as she headed inside to check out the night's show.

As previously reported by Gossip Center, Miss Patridge recently opened up about her split with BMX stud Corey Bohan, noting that dating in the public eye is quite difficult.

“It’s not bad. It was for the best… It makes it really hard, having people judge you on your fights and not knowing the whole story of what really went on.”

Taking advantage of a beautiful SoCal evening, Audrina Patridge was spotted out to dinner in West Hollywood last night (October 14).

The “Into the Blue 2” babe looked lovely as she made her exit from Dominick’s Restaurant, sporting a black dress teamed with black stockings and black heels.

In related news, Audrina recently opened up about her split with BMX stud Corey Bohan, noting that dating in the public eye is quite difficult.

"It's not bad. It was for the best… It makes it really hard, having people judge you on your fights and not knowing the whole story of what really went on."

She’s a well-known fan of racing, and yesterday (October 11) Audrina Patridge satisfied her need for speed at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pepsi 500.

The “Into the Blue 2” babe looked lovely as she meandered around the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, posing with the green flag prior to the start of the race.

And of course, Miss Patridge looked way hot, sporting a grey form-fitting top teamed with a pair of black leather trousers and black boots.

On Friday night (October 9) Audrina was busy supporting the Surfrider Foundation at its 25th Anniversary Gala at the California Science Center’s Wallis Annenberg Building. What a busy weekend!

Unable to make things work, Audrina Patridge is back on the market – as she and BMX racer Corey Bohan have called it quits.

"Yes, she is single," Patridge's rep told press of the couple’s relationship status.

The “Hills” hottie and her man have been on and off again since 2008, even appearing on “The Hills” before getting back together this summer.

Miss Patridge showed up solo at Auto Club Speedway’s Pepsi 500 party at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, where she discussed the gossip on “The Hills”.

And tension is still there between Audrina and Kristin Cavallari. "For the show, we'll probably have to sometimes be friends or whatever, but outside of that, who I really hang out with are not those type of people like Kristin," Audrina said.

Audrina also isn’t bringing any friends from “The Hills” onto her new reality show.

"The whole tone of the new show is going to be entirely different," she said. "It's just like me and my family and my life and Hollywood—my normal life."

Making her way around town on what was a pleasant day, Audrina Patridge was spotted dropping by a flower Store in West Hollywood on Wednesday afternoon (October 7).

Wearing a t-shirt that says "Know Your Girls" in support of Breast Cancer Awareness, the MTV reality starlet was in a cheerful mood as she picked up a bouquet while paparazzi eagerly snapped up shots.

Meanwhile, Miss Patridge came up during a recent interview with her "Hills" co-star Kristin Cavallari - with Miss Cavallari telling MTV News that she isn't dwelling on their ongoing feud.

Kristin tells, "I'm over it. I never had an issue with her. I think she's the one that has an issue with me, so I'm cool. I'm over it."