Benjamin Ackerman Allegedly Stole Millions From Celebrities By Posing As A Real Estate Broker
Benjamin Ackerman, Rolex watches similar to those Ackerman allegedly stole Image by LAPD/iStock
Benjamin Eitan Ackerman has been arrested by Los Angeles police after allegedly stealing millions of dollars in fine wine, art, and baseball cards from celebrities.
In what appears to be a one-man “Oceans 11”-style heist, Ackerman seems to have entered homes of at least 13 victims including entertainers like R&B star Usher and singer Jason Derulo, making off with thousands of high-priced items. Investigators believe Ackerman, 32, cased potential targets by attending open houses, posing sometimes as a prospective buyer and sometimes as a real estate agent, always fashionably attired. “He acted the part,” Detective Jared Timmons of the LAPD, who booked Ackerman, said at a press conference on Wednesday. “He was very slick.”
Timmons believes that Ackerman’s understanding of computer technology allowed him to breach high-level security systems at the houses he burglarized. He allegedly blacked-out security footage or removed security tapes all together. The (amusingly named) LAPD website Hollywoodburglary smugmug displays some of the thousands of items found in Ackerman’s storage unit, in an attempt to reunite them with their rightful owners. Among the designer jackets, Cartier watches, and hundreds of bottles of wine are more curious items — decorative crystals, a painting of Darth Vader, and what appears to be a used wash cloth. Ackerman had allegedly been selling fine art and other items in New York.
Ackerman was arrested on September 20, 2018, and has been released on $1 million bail.
Respectfully, we would like to know how anyone could get away with smuggling some of these items. A box of Chopard diamonds is one thing. A double bass is another level of chutzpah entirely.
Jenny Singer is the deputy lifestyle editor for the Forward. You can reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @jeanvaljenny
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news. All donations are still being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000 until April 24.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
