Suspects Accused of Burglarizing Usher, Adam Lambert Charged With 50 Felonies

Two Los Angeles men have been bit with 50 felony charges after being accused of burglarizing celebrity homes, including Usher and *Adam Lambert.

According to the charging documents, Jason Yaselli and Benjamin Ackerman have each been charged with 32 counts of money laundering, 12 counts of residential burglary, two counts of 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 District Attorney in Los Angeles says that in the string of burglaries, at least 14 homes were targeted. Usher, Lambert, and NFL player Shaun Phillips were amongst the victims.

"The charges include an allegation of taking more than $500,000 through fraud and embezzlement," the DA said.

Ackerman pleaded not guilty to the charges Tuesday and Yaselli is scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment today.

Both men have been arrested.

As we reported, Ackerman was arrested last September in connection with the same series of alleged burglaries but was never charged.

His attorney, Gary Kaufman, said in a statement, "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," Kaufman said in a statement. "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.”

Bail for Yaselli was set at $1.73 million after prosecutors allege he "encouraged Ackerman to steal luxury items from 14 homes, sell them and use the proceeds to make payments on Yaselli's credit card."

If convicted, the men could face 31 years in state prison.