A member of the so-called "Bling Ring" that allegedly robbed the homes of celebrities for kicks pleaded no contest today to charges she burglarized the home of "Pirates of the Caribbean" star Orlando Bloom.
Alexis Neiers, an aspiring model who had her own reality TV show "Pretty Wild," entered the plea just before her trial was scheduled to begin.
Neiers, 18, was facing a prison sentence up to six years if convicted, but in taking the deal she was given a two year suspended sentence. In addition, she was given six months in jail and three years probation. If she violates her probation, she will have to serve out the suspended prison term.
She also had to promise to stay away from Bloom's home and pay restitution to the "Lord of the Rings" star. Bloom was expected to testify at Neiers' trial.
Police said Neiers was part of a gang led by a teenage girl who was obsessed with celebrities. They allegedly broke into the homes of the famous, including Bloom, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Rachel Bilson and Audrina Patridge, stealing millions of dollars worth of jewelry, clothing and art in 2008 and 2009.
Neiers, however, was not charged with any of the other burglaries.
One admitted gang member, Nick Prugo, told "Good Morning America" the break-ins were carried out for fun.
"There was a definite thrill to it," Prugo said. He added that he joined in the robberies because he was "just trying to keep my friends."
The group started small, stealing from parked cars, Prugo said, but they became bolder.
They allegedly used the Internet to research when the celebrities would be out of town and then track down their addresses. According to Prugo, they would simply check the doors and windows of the home until they found one that was unlocked. Their hits were sometimes called "shopping."
Paris Hilton was deemed their first target because she was "dumb," Prugo said according to a report by Vanity Fair. The key to her front door, according to Prugo, was under the door mat.
The group got away with the robberies until a break in the case came when security cameras at one of the alleged robbery targets, the home of reality television star Audrina Patridge, caught them on tape searching the home. But they didn't stop, even after Prugo said he saw the tape on the local news.
It was a second security camera tape, this time from Lohan's home, that gave police a flurry of tips as to the burglars' identities.
After Prugo's arrest, the alleged ringleader of the group, Rachel Lee, 18, was arrested in Las Vegas, while Neiers and Courtney Ames, both 18, Diana Tamayo, 19, and Roy Lopez Jr., 27, were arrested in the Los Angeles area in October, police said.
Investigators carrying out search warrants in the case recovered numerous items of property "stolen during a series of burglaries committed at the residences of well-known celebrities," according to an LAPD statement.