Burglar Bunch

A member of the infamous Burglar Bunch wants a do-over ... with her name.

Courtney Ames filed docs to change her name to Courtney Shields. As for why ... she says it's to honor her stepdad. Courtney says Mr. Shields "has been in my life since I was 7 and is more of a father to me than my own father."

Now there's clearly a bonus, because Courtney Ames is notorious as a member of the burglary ring that targeted a bunch of celebs, including Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and Orlando Bloom. Her crimes are chronicled all over Google, so the change could get her a job at Walmart for sure.

A judge will decide next month if Courtney becomes Ms. Shields.

"Bling Ring" bandito Nick Prugo thinks Paris Hilton needs to chill about the whole "I robbed you" thing ... telling TMZ he already gave back $1 MILLION worth of stuff and has nothing left to give.

Paris recently did an interview regarding the release of "Bling Ring" -- Sofia Coppola's film based on Nick and his friends robbing a slew of celebs back in '09 -- and when asked about any hard feelings Paris explained, "I don't know what I'd do if I saw them. I'm not a confrontational person. But I would literally be like, 'You guys need serious help. And I want my stuff back.'"

On Friday when our photog ran into Nick -- who was just released from prison in April for the crimes -- he told us there's nothing left in the tank. He claims he gave back $1 million to the victims, including Paris, plus the heiress got most her stuff back.

Diana Tamayo -- a member of the infamous Burglar Bunch -- pled no contest today for her role in burglarizing the home of Lindsay Lohan and was placed on three years probation, but will not have to serve any additional jail time.

Tamayo was sentenced to 10 days in county jail, but got credit for time served. She was also ordered to perform 60 days of roadside trash duty.

A hearing is set for November 8 to determine how much restitution Tamayo has to pay.

Tamayo faired much better than her other cohorts -- "Pretty Wild" star Alexis Neiers was sentenced to 180 days behind bars (she only served less than a month) and the alleged mastermind, Rachel Lee, got four years in jail.

Nick Prugo pled no contest last month for his part in the crime spree and will be sentenced next month. The remaining members, Roy Lopez, Jr. and Courtney Ames, are due in court next month.

Burglar Bunch defendant Roy Lopez Jr. claims the cop who investigated him in the Paris Hilton burglary case sacrificed his credibility for a shot at fame -- by playing himself in the "Bling Ring" movie -- and now, Roy wants his case dismissed.

Roy just filed legal docs in L.A. County Superior Court, asking a judge to dismiss the charges against him because Detective Brett Goodkin appears -- as himself -- in the upcoming movie about the string of celebrity burglaries.

Roy says Goodkin was also paid to serve as a "consultant" on the film.

In the legal docs, Lopez says Goodkin's involvement in the movie "creates an extreme conflict of interest" -- claiming, "To portray himself for the film and recreating his interaction with the defendants is extremely inappropriate and crushes the due process rights of the remaining defendants."

Lopez calls Goodkin's conduct "outrageous" -- and adds, "Any Hollywood embellishing on the part of the Detective as to what the defendants may or may not have done creates extreme credibility issues as to what actually occurred in the case."

Bling Ring leader Nick Prugo is rotting away behind bars right now because his parents discovered his secret drug habit and were so PISSED ... they sent him back to jail, TMZ has leaned.

As TMZ first reported, Nick's parents revoked his $200k bail bond last week, forcing him back into the slammer.

Sources close to Nick tell us the real reason his parents bailed on bail is that they discovered Nick was using copious amounts of drugs and decided the best course of action was to axe his temporary freedom.

According to our sources, ever since Nick found out he was jail bound ... his life has been a giant, downward spiral of drug use and even a Xanax-fueled suicide attempt.

Screw Disneyland. The happiest place on earth is the Inmate Reception Center at the L.A. County Jail ... at least judging by the smile on Burglar Bunch mastermind Nick Prugo's face.

Nicky-boy was all grins after his dad cancelled his bail this weekend, causing the bail bondsman to hook him up and take him where he will belong for the next 2 years -- the slammer.

Nick Prugo is back behind bars today after his bond was revoked by his own parents ... TMZ has learned.

Prugo pled no contest last month for his role in the Burglar Bunch crime spree and was expected to serve 2 years behind bars. He was out on bond until his next court date in May.

According to our sources, Prugo's bond was put up by his parents, who used their house as collateral. We're told Prugo's dad -- after some sort of argument took place between them -- called VIP Bail Bonds this morning and told them he wanted the bond revoked.

Suspected Burglar Bunch thief Nick Prugo has pleaded no contest to jacking expensive stuff from the homes of Lindsay Lohan and Audrina Patridge ... and told prosecutors he's totally willing to throw his fellow suspects under the bus.

21-year-old Prugo cut a plea deal ... in which he's expected to serve 2 years in state prison for the Hollywood Hills crime spree.

In exchange for the plea, prosecutors agreed to drop other charges related to burglaries at the homes of Orlando Bloom, Paris Hilton and Rachel Bilson.

Prugo also agreed to testify against three other people who allegedly participated in the crime spree.

Sofia Coppola is once again casting her lens on Hollywood -- but she's not focusing on movie stars this time, but rather the people who stole from them!

According to our sources, Coppola is developing a film based on the infamous Burglar Bunch. We're told the film, which would be produced by daddy Francis' Zoetrope studio, does not have a start date or even a script yet.

Sources close to the project tell TMZ ... producers approached Burgler Buncher Nick Prugo about being a consultant on the film, but he declined. We're told Tess Taylor, sister of Buncher Alexis Neiers, has now signed on to the project.

Rachel Lee -- the mastermind behind the infamous Burglar Bunch gang -- has been sentenced to 4 years in prison ... for raiding Audrina Patridge's Hollywood Hills home back in 2009.

21-year-old Lee pleaded no contest to one count of first degree residential burglary last month ... after she was accused of entering Patridge's home through an unlocked door on the night of the Academy Awards.

Lee was accused of taking around $43k worth of items from the home -- including Audrina's passport, various pieces of jewelry, a laptop and designer jeans.

4 other members of the gang are still awaiting trial for allegedly taking part in burglarizing the homes of Orlando Bloom, Megan Fox, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan between Sept. 2008 and August 2009.

Rachel Lee -- the mastermind of the Burglar Bunch gang that terrorized numerous Hollywood celebs -- has pled no contest in the burglary of Audrina Patridge's L.A. home.

Lee and the bunch allegedly ransacked Audrina's home in 2009. Although Lee did not cop a plea in the other cases, as TMZ first reported, the Burglar Bunch also allegedly hit the homes of Orlando Bloom, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Megan Fox.

Lee is expected to be sentenced to 4 years in prison when she appears in court on October 21.

Nick tells us, “I had no prior knowledge of this and am not affiliated in any way. I want to sue if possible. I’m in touch with my attorneys right now.”

He adds, "I just read the sides for my supposed part. I had to laugh. It's total fiction. They are filming somewhere this weekend for a club scene in Los Angeles. Maybe I'll drop by and surprise them."

But not everyone's pissed -- fellow BB suspect Tess Taylor tells us, she's best suited to act in the made-for-TV movie ... because she knows the truth ... "Where is the casting? I want to audition for a role."

So far, the "Bling Ring" movie doesn't have an official release date -- but you can expect to catch it later this summer.

A rep for Lifetime tells TMZ, the wheels are in motion for a movie called "Bling Ring" -- which chronicles a group of teens in 2009 who pilfer $3 million in cash and jewelry ... from celebs like Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and Orlando Bloom. The flick is being produced by Silver Screen Pictures.

But don't expect to hear the names Nick Prugo, Rachel Lee, and Alexis Neiers in the flick -- we're told the burglars' real names had to be changed for "legal reasons."

And get this -- "Dirty Dancing" star Jennifer Grey will take a lead role as the mother of the Prugo character.

The movie should be on TV in late summer.

Paris and her BF Cy Waits were on their way in to Boa last night ... when PH told us, "[The Burglar Bunch] pawned everything that was real ... they only gave me back the costume stuff."

It's a BIG STATEMENT -- because just last week, Hilton was sued by an insurance company for not returning $60,000 in jewelry she borrowed from Damiani Jewellers back in 2007 ... jewelry that was jacked from Hilton's home by the Burglar Bunch.

The company thinks Hilton is LYING about not being in possession of the bling -- because they believe cops recovered the Damiani pieces and gave it back to Paris ... who then FAILED to give it back to Damiani.

The company also alleges Hilton agreed to keep the jewelry in a safe when she wasn't wearing it ... but instead of locking it up, Paris simply tucked it away in her closet.

We're told Alexis was arraigned yesterday -- pleading not guilty to felony possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor possession of a smoking device.