LOS ANGELES (AP) — A woman who pleaded no contest to receiving a jacket stolen from Paris Hilton received three years of supervised probation on Friday in a sentence described by a judge as lenient due to missteps by a police officer.
Courtney Leigh Ames is one of a group of young adults accused of burglarizing celebrities' homes and stealing more than $3 million in jewelry, high-end fashion and other luxury goods. All the cases have been resolved with plea deals, with several members of the group dubbed the "Bling Ring" receiving no jail or prison time
Hilton, Orlando Bloom, Lindsay Lohan and several other celebrities' homes were burglarized between December 2008 and October 2009.
"You caught a break and you know it," Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler told Ames, telling her the judgment of Los Angeles police officer Brett Goodkin had harmed the case.
Goodkin collaborated with filmmaker Sofia Coppola on a movie about the burglaries, including filming a scene in which he handcuffed Emma Watson, but didn't properly notify prosecutors about his paid role. Fidler has previously called the officer's actions "stupid."
"This is your chance to straighten out your life," Fidler told Ames.
"I already have," she replied.
Prosecutors dropped burglary and other felony charges against Ames in exchange for her plea, which also requires her to do 60 days of community service.
Ames pleaded no contest to receiving Hilton's jacket in December. The socialite is not seeking restitution in the case, nor are any of the other celebrities whose homes were targeted.
The person accused of being the Bling Ring mastermind, Nicholas Prugo, is scheduled to be sentenced on March. 1. He has been jailed since April 2012 on another case.
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Anthony McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP
