Like many teenage girls, these friends were fascinated by the high fashion and flashy bling of such young Hollywood celebrities as Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and Audrina Patridge.
But unlike other fans, they allegedly didn't stop at Hollywood fantasy.
According to Los Angeles police detectives, the group studied television shows, celebrity magazines and websites picking out clothing and jewelry they wanted. Then they figured out where the celebrities lived and, after casing the homes, broke in and took what they wanted, detectives allege.
"This is a no-brains caper. There's not a lot of self-awareness," LAPD Det. Brett Goodkin said. "They saw it, they wanted it, they took it and continued taking it."
LAPD sources said detectives have linked the teenagers to break-ins at the homes of Hilton, Lohan, Patridge, "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor Orlando Bloom and "The O.C." star Rachel Bilson.
Four teens -- Rachel Lee, 19; Diana Tamayo, 19; Courtney Ames, 18; and Alexis Neiers, 18 -- were arrested last week on suspicion of burglary in several of the cases. The Los Angeles County district attorney's office has not filed charges against them.
"This is a case of someone in the wrong place at the wrong time," said Jeffrey K. Rubenstein, Neiers' attorney. "When the truth comes out, Alexis will be cleared of all these allegations." Attorneys for Tamayo, Lee and Ames could not be reached for comment.
Most of the group were classmates at Indian Hills High School, a continuation campus in Agoura Hills, set atop a leafy incline in an upscale neighborhood next to a traditional high school. BMWs and Audis were parked in the student lot Monday, and some of the nearby roads mark off horse trails for equestrians.
At the school, rumors about students burglarizing celebrity homes had surfaced weeks before the arrests, students said.
"I've heard them girls are rich now," said Alex Badolato, an 11th-grader.
One administrator, who did not want to be named, described one of the suspects, Tamayo, as a "spectacular student" who had won scholarships.
Beyond the suggestion of suburban teenagers beguiled into crime by a hunger for celebrity riches, representatives of some of the victims aimed accusations at a familiar target: the ever-present paparazzi who document the most mundane aspects of the lives of the young and famous.
