Woman charged in celebrity burglaries

LOS ANGELES — A woman suspected of being the mastermind behind a series of break-ins at the homes of Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan has been charged with felony burglary and receiving stolen property.

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Rachel Lee, 19, was charged Wednesday. She joins five others charged with burglaries at several celebrities' homes, including Orlando Bloom, Rachel Billion, Ashley Tisdale, Megan Fox, and Audrina Patridge.

Lee is charged with the burglaries at the Hollywood Hills homes of Hilton, Lohan and Patridge. She was arrested in October in Las Vegas, where she lives. Los Angeles County prosecutors initially declined to press charges against her, instead asking police for more investigation.

Lee and Nicholas Prugo, who faces seven counts of first-degree burglary, have been accused by authorities of spearheading the burglaries. Prugo told police that Lee often suggested celebrities whose homes they should target and he would search the Internet for more information, according to a search warrant obtained in Nevada.

Attempts to reach Lee were unsuccessful and it is unknown whether she has an attorney. An arraignment date for her has not been set.

The other suspects are due in court later this month. Prugo has asked for a separate trial, but a judge denied that request last month, saying it was premature.

The burglaries occurred between December 2008 and October 2009. Lohan and Patridge, who stars on MTV's "The Hills," provided police with surveillance footage.

A press release stated the property Lee is suspected of receiving includes a fur coat and photographs.