The California Supreme Court has effectively ended the bid by Benjamin Eitan Ackerman, the Los Angeles man at the center of a splashy celebrity home burglary spree, to overturn his convictions. On Wednesday, the justices refused to review his appeal, leaving in place the lower court findings and the lengthy prison term imposed after a 2023 jury verdict and sentencing.
High court refuses to weigh in
The state high court declined to take up Ackerman’s petition and let the existing appellate ruling stand, according to MyNewsLA. The outlet reported that Ackerman had previously pleaded no contest to a series of burglaries that prosecutors linked to break-ins at the homes of singers Usher and Adam Lambert.
How investigators say he worked
Investigators said Ackerman used open houses and a polished real-estate persona as his ticket into high-end properties. He would sign in as a would-be buyer or pose as an agent, then return later to scoop up valuables, according to police accounts. Los Angeles officers reported finding more than 2,000 recovered items - including jewelry, artwork, fine wine and designer handbags - tied to his home and a storage locker. Early reports pointed to multiple Hollywood-adjacent victims, which helped turn the case into tabloid fodder as well as a neighborhood concern. CBS Los Angeles detailed both the inventory and the open-house tactic.
Trial, conviction and prosecutor’s account
At a downtown Los Angeles trial in 2023, a jury convicted Ackerman on several counts of first-degree residential burglary, and the court ordered him taken into custody immediately after the verdict. Prosecutors told jurors that Ackerman was not a typical burglar, calling him “heartless,” saying he took “joy from stealing” and sent text messages “bragging about his conquests,” according to contemporaneous coverage. That description came from opening statements preserved in a report by City News Service. City News Service / KNX covered the courtroom developments.
Appeals failed; sentence remains
In December 2025, a three-justice panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeal rejected the defense argument that the trial judge wrongly allowed jurors to hear about other burglaries. The panel concluded there was “overwhelming evidence” against Ackerman and that he received a “fair trial.” That appellate ruling, combined with the Supreme Court’s refusal to step in, leaves intact the 31-year, eight-month prison sentence imposed in November 2023, according to MyNewsLA.
What the denial means legally
Under California procedure, when the Supreme Court denies a petition for review, the order is final on filing, which generally shuts down the path for further direct review in state courts. The California Rules of Court provide that such denials are final, so any additional relief would typically have to come through post-conviction petitions or federal habeas corpus rather than another state appeal. California Courts lays out the governing rules.
Where this leaves victims and neighbors
For homeowners and neighbors in Los Angeles who watched the case unfold, the Supreme Court’s move effectively closes the chapter on direct appeals and leaves in place a sentence that prosecutors said reflected the scale of the alleged theft. The case has again put a spotlight on security at open houses and real-estate showings, after investigators traced such a large collection of high-value property to a single defendant. Early local coverage named several celebrity victims and described the extensive trove of goods that officers said they recovered. CBS Los Angeles documented those initial recoveries and identifications.
