EXCLUSIVE: LA burglar Benjamin Ackerman is CONVICTED of stealing at least $5M of jewels, art and accessories from stars including Usher, Adam Lambert and Dorit Kemsley
A notorious thief who targeted the homes of LA’s elite and celebrities was convicted Wednesday of stealing millions of dollars worth of jewelry, designer bags, shoes and art from mansions.
He was found guilty by a Los Angeles Superior Court jury of multiple burglaries that occurred between December 2016 and July 2018.
His sentencing is scheduled for next month and he faces decades behind bars for his crimes. Judge Mark Arnold revoked Ackerman’s bail and he was escorted to the Los Angeles Men’s Central Jail after the sentencing.
Ackerman was responsible for stealing approximately $5.5 million worth of valuables from wealthy Los Angelenos, including Usher, Adam Lambert and Real Housewife Dorit Kemsley.
He previously advocated not fighting against stealing from those houses.
Benjamin Ackerman, 37, was convicted of burglary by a Los Angeles jury on Wednesday
He was tried for stealing approximately $5.5 million worth of jewelry, art and accessories from the homes of rich and famous LA residents
After his arrest in January 2019, police recovered 2,000 items stashed in his home and a storage unit.
A home in Beverly Hills that was targeted had 150 luxury items stolen, totaling approximately $2.5 million.
Ackerman previously pleaded no contest to stealing from the homes of Usher, Queen frontman Adam Lambert and Real Housewives star Dorit Kemsley.
He also pleaded not guilty to three other charges, including a 2017 burglary at the home of former NFL player Shaun Phillips.
He was accused of working with real estate agent Jason Yaselli to carry out the crimes, although the status of Yaselli’s criminal case is unclear.
Ackerman previously pleaded no contest to 11 counts of residential burglary, 28 counts of money laundering and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. His lawyers said at the time that he has “accepted responsibility for what he did.”
These charges carry a maximum sentence of 45 years behind bars.
He will be sentenced next month for his conviction in relation to the burglaries which took place between 2016 and 2018.
Judge Mark Arnold revoked Ackerman’s bail and he was sent to the Los Angeles Men’s Central Jail
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills stars Dorit and Paul Kemsley were robbed while away from the $12.75 million mansion (pictured). The couple realized that several expensive items had been taken, with police estimating that approximately $2.5 million worth of valuables had been stolen.
Dorit (pictured) and Paul Kemsley were one of the couples worst hit by the burglars. They had items worth at least $2.5 million stolen from their Beverly Hills mansion while they were away
Ackerman targeted Adam Lambert’s three-bedroom, 3,049-square-foot luxury home, located above the Sunset Strip, after it was put on the market for $3.35 million. He saw the property listed online and went back more than once to pocket luxury goods
Usher and his then-wife Grace Migel became the target of the debt in 2018 after listing their $4.2 million property near the luxurious Chateau Marmont on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip. The advert highlighted the ‘striking artwork’ and ‘eye-catching décor’ and also included several photos of the inside of the property with many items on display.
Prosecutors say Yaselli encouraged Ackerman to steal items from fourteen homes, sell them and use the profits to pay off Yaselli’s credit card.
Each month, Ackerman deposited between $5,500 and $20,000 into Yaselli’s account, prosecutors said.
LAPD Detective Jared Timmons said Ackerman posed as a real estate agent to look at the homes.
“When he showed up, he was dressed to the nines,” Timmons said. “He played the part. He was very smooth.”
Ackerman targeted musician Lambert’s three-bedroom, 3,049-square-foot luxury home, located above the Sunset Strip, after it was put on the market for $3.35 million.
He saw the property listed online and went back more than once to pocket luxury goods.
Often the victims of the clandestine and calculated burglaries did not realize that a break-in had taken place – with some finding their expensive valuables missing months later.
Paradigm Talent Agency boss Michael Gores, former Vanity Fair editor Punch Hutton and Logitech’s entertainment and talent boss Linna Stalberg were also let down by the devious thieves.
At the time, investigators suspected Ackerman was not working alone.
Real estate agent Jason Yaselli (right) and ‘slick’ Benjamin Ackerman are both accused of masterminding the multi-million dollar bling ring, with the duo targeting celebrity homes and stealing luxury items before forwarding them
Hundreds of designer bags were discovered by officers after the raid on the Ackmans building near where one of the victims lived. He had organized the luxury handbags from their designers, including Balenciaga, Chanel and Louis Vuitton
In addition to jewelry and watches, Ackerman also took items such as crystals or sports memorabilia to flog for a high price. Intricate gold jewelry was discovered in his home, but not everything stolen was recovered by police
Glittering earrings were among the thousands of pieces of jewelry recovered in the robberies, which police said were carried out in a “slick and surgical” manner.
During their investigation, police found surveillance videos that had been tampered with and cameras ripped from their facilities.
“Cameras just went black until a few hours after the burglary happened,” Timmons said.
Twelve LAPD officers raided his home in September 2018 and discovered an indoor-outdoor surveillance system with 15 cameras.
A helicopter and a tactical team were also called in to arrest one of the masterminds behind the operation.
Designer clothes were organized by brand: Balenciaga, Chanel, Fendi, Givenchy, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, while handbags worth $100,000 were also found.
Goyard wallets, Cartier, Patek Phillipe and Rolex watches were also recovered, as well as diamond-encrusted Gucci hair clips and hundreds of bottles of expensive wine.
Both Yaselli and Ackerman reportedly scoured online real estate listings to achieve their goals.
It is unclear how the pair met, but messages between them indicate that they were in regular contact about how to acquire more wealth.