The two friends who became Beverly Hills' most notorious burglars, stealing $5.5M worth of loot from A-list celebs
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA: A real estate agent, Jason Yaselli, and his accomplice, Benjamin Ackerman, who have been charged for the alleged burglaries of 14 celebrity homes dating back to December 2016, which continued till July 2018, are set to face trial at an LA court in September after pleading not guilty.
According to DailyMail, both Ackerman and Yaselli are accused of robbing more than 2,500 stolen items, including expensive artwork, designer clothing, bags, luxury jewelry, and watches, worth $5.5 million. On August 23, 2019, they were charged with 14 counts of burglary, 32 counts of money laundering, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. As per the announcement by the Los Angeles County district attorney's office, the two men stole luxury items from homes including musicians Usher Raymond and Adam Lambert, as well as 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' stars Paul and Dorit Kemsley.
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The district attorney’s 2019 announcement read, as quoted by HosuingWire, "Realtor Jason Emil Yaselli (dob 12/10/86) and Benjamin Eitan Ackerman (dob 4/24/86), both of Beverly Hills, are each charged in case of BA480314 with 32 counts of money laundering, 12 counts of first-degree residential burglary, two counts of first-degree residential burglary with a person present, two counts of identity theft, one count of conspiracy to commit burglary and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. The charges include an allegation of taking more than $500,000 through fraud and embezzlement."
Ackerman, whose house was raided by 12 LAPD officers in September 2018 where they found a 15-camera indoor-outdoor surveillance system, was arrested on August 16, and Yaselli was arrested on August 21 in the year 2019. At that time, as per CNN, Ackerman’s attorney, Gary Kaufman, said prosecutors still do not have a good case against him. He said, "The district attorney's press release, by specifically naming Usher Raymond and Adam Lambert as alleged victims, only emphasizes what we have believed from day one, that this is a publicity driven prosecution. The people's case is no better today than it was a year ago. Unlike a fine wine, this case does not get better with age. Mr Ackerman is not just presumed to be innocent, he is in fact innocent."
Usher targeted in March 2018
According to DailyMail, Usher and his then-wife Grace Migel became the target on March 20, 2018. This happened when the former couple put up their $4.2 million property with ‘striking artwork’ and ‘eye-catching décor' near the luxury Chateau Marmont on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip.
Ackerman allegedly steal an NBA championship ring from the Cleveland Cavalier’s Finals victory in 2016 that was gifted to Usher by LeBron James. Ackerman also stole a $220K watch, a necklace worth $200K, expensive wine, $20K in cash, and a Louis Vuitton bag. As per the report, Ackerman was not aware that he was robbing Usher's home. He texted Yashelli, "Omg it was Usher!!!!! I wonder if there’s a song that has both Usher and Adam Lambert."