Jason Emil Yaselli is accused of encouraging his accomplice, Benjamin Ackerman, to enter more than ten homes during open houses in order to steal valuable items.
- August 23, 2019
AceShowbiz - Usher and Adam Lambert were among the stars who fell victim to home robbery conducted by a Beverly Hills realtor. Jason Emil Yaselli was arrested on Wednesday, August 21 on numerous charges that included first-degree residential burglary and identity theft. Meanwhile, his accomplice Benjamin Ackerman was taken into custody last week.
According to multiple reports, Yaselli is accused of encouraging his accomplice to enter the homes he's selling in Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Hollywood Hills and West Hollywood area during open houses in order to steal valuable items from those houses. LAPD reported that Ackerman would pretend to be a real estate agent or a prospective home buyer when conducting the burglary. He then would sell the items and use the cash to pay down the balance on Yaselli's credit card.
It's stated that Ackerman broke into 14 homes, including "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Dorit Kemsley's and ex-NFL linebacker Shaun Philips', during a period ranging from December 2016 to August 2018. In addition to that, he is accused of making monthly payments on Yaselli's credit card of between $5,566 and $20,000.
Yaselli is now being held on $1.7 million bail as he is set to be arraigned on Friday. Meanwhile, Ackerman has pleaded not guilty and was released on $1.2. million bail. Both of them are facing 50 charges, including 32 counts of money laundering, 14 counts of burglary as well as charges of conspiracy and identity theft. They are also accused of taking more than $500,000 through fraud and embezzlement.
Both of them are facing a maximum sentence of 31 years behind bars.
Gary Jay Kaufman, Ackerman's attorney, has issued a statement after the news was made public, slamming prosecutors for sensationalizing the case. "The District Attorney's press release, by specifically naming Usher Raymond and Adam Lambert as alleged victims, only emphasized what we have believed from day one, that this is a publicity driven prosecution," the statement read. "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."
