Added Charges in Celebrity Burglary Case

LOS ANGELES – Two young women suspected in the so-called “Bling Ring” celebrity burglary case were charged today with additional counts of receiving stolen property, the District Attorney’s office announced.

Courtney Leigh Ames, 19, who allegedly wore a stolen necklace to court for her arraignment last month, was charged with two counts of receiving stolen property. One count involved the necklace belonging to Lindsay Lohan that she allegedly wore to court Dec. 2. The other involved a leather jacket belonging to Paris Hilton, said Deputy District Attorney Sarika Kapoor who is prosecuting the case.

Diana Tamayo, 19, also was charged today with receiving stolen property belonging to Rachel Bilson. The complaint was amended for a third time to add the three new charges following a review of evidence from a search warrant.

Ames, Tamayo and co-defendants Nicholas Prugo and Roy Lopez Jr. are all due in court today to set a date for their preliminary hearing. Alexis Neirs, 18, is scheduled to return to court Jan. 26 for a pretrial conference in Department 131.

A sixth defendant, Rachel Lee, 19, is scheduled to be arraigned next month for her role in allegedly breaking into celebrity homes between December 2008 and Nov. 20, 2009.

In addition to Hilton, Bilson and Lohan, celebrities targeted included Audrina Patridge, Ashley Tisdale, Brian Austin Green, Megan Fox and Orlando Bloom.

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