A group of people broke into the homes of Mariah Carey and other celebrities.
Stars and influential people in the Atlanta area can breathe a sigh of relief now that 26 alleged gang members who had been breaking into and robbing celebrity homes and terrorizing anyone they found inside have been charged with 220 crimes.
Prosecutors say that members of a gang in the metro Atlanta area looked at social media posts to find out how rich and famous the people whose homes they broke into were. At a news conference, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said that some of the people who were targeted were singer Mariah Carey, “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Marlo Hampton, Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley, and Atlanta United goalkeeper Brad Guzan. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that these people were also on the list.
One of the 16 people said to have been hurt was the mother of one of rapper Future’s kids.
As of Monday, 18 of the alleged 26 gang members were being held by police. Drug Rich, a “hybrid” gang whose members are said to have ties to the Bloods, Crips, and Gangster Disciples, was founded in 2016. Willis said that they stole a car to start their string of thefts in 2018.
“They went after people who posted pictures of their money on social media,” she said.
A home invasion and attempted kidnapping in October 2021 is described in the indictment and is the source of 65 of the 220 charges, prosecutors said. The Journal-Constitution said that eight alleged gang members broke into the house, grabbed a 16-year-old girl out of the shower, and threatened to hurt her if her mother didn’t give them valuables.
The 220-count, 94-page indictment was filed on August 22. It listed crimes like carjacking, kidnapping, armed robbery, shootings, and home invasions.
WXIA-TV got a copy of the incident report and found that Carey was one of the alleged victims. WXIA said that on June 27, a lot of expensive clothes and shoes were stolen from her Sandy Springs, Georgia, home. Security footage showed people breaking in and leaving with “large bags full of items.” These three people are among those who have been arrested and charged.
Willis said, “What they do is go after people who show off their money on social media.” “So I do have a message for the public: it can be fun to put things on social media and show them off, but these gangs are getting smarter and better at how they target you.
