Orlando Bloom helped the prosecution case against a prolific hollywood thief by agreeing to testify in court if required. Forcing the accused the plead guilty to the charges.
Alexis Neiers a reality TV-Star turned hollywood burgler was jailed yesterday for six months. Neiers, 18, admitted being part of a six-strong gang that broke into the homes of Hollywood A-Listers including British actor Orlando Bloom. Stealing £455,000 worth of artwork and expensive watches were taken from Bloom’s luxury home..
The five other alleged members who made up the ‘Bling Gang’ are awaiting possible trial over an 11-month campaign of break-ins at the homes of A-List Hollywood celebrities including Bloom, Paris Hilton and Movie Stars Megan Fox and Lindsay Lohan. Other victims included Ashley Tisdale, who starred in the High School Musical films, Rachel Bilson from US teen drama The OC and Audrina Patridge of MTV reality show The Hills.
All the burgled houses were in the luxury LA suburb of Hollywood Hills which overlooks Los Angeles. American Police seized dozens of diamond rings, designer shoes, Louis Vuitton and Chanel purses, and pieces of jewellery from the homes of suspects.
According to detectives the gang was motivated by celebrity worship and a desire to live like their idols. They are alleged to have rifled through celebrity magazines and paparazzi photographs to identify suitable celebrity targets before using Hollywood star maps and the internet to locate the luxury mansions of their famous victims.
Several of the ‘bling gang’ female members attended the same high school in Calabasas, Los Angeles. Detectives seized a laptop, which is said to carry incriminating photographs the suspects took of themselves wearing items they had allegedly stolen, including Miss Lohan's blue Rolex watch. One of them is said to have turned up to a court date wearing Miss Lohan's necklace. The gang, also known as the "Hollywood Hills Burglar Bunch" is believed to have compiled a database of more than 50 targets.
When she was arrested Neiers had already filmed the pilot episode for a US reality television show called Pretty Wild, on the E! network. It follows the attempts of Neiers, and her two sisters, to become models in Hollywood. Cameras have been following her since her arrest in November.
She appeared in court in Los Angeles dressed in a black blazer, designer jeans and white shoes, and wiped away tears as she was sentenced. Neiers will begin serving her sentence on June 24 and was also given three years probation. She also agreed to stay away from Bloom, the star of Pirates of the Caribbean and The Lord of The Rings, who had agreed to appear as chief witness if the case went to trial.
Neiers, the leader of the ‘Bling Ring’ gang had claimed she was drunk when she went to Bloom's house and didn't take anything during the 3am burglary. But police found Miss Bilson's Marc Jacobs handbag and Miss Lohan's black and white Chanel necklace in the bedroom of her younger sister.
Orlando Bloom’s willingness to testify to help the prosecution led to Neiers pleading guilty.
