Hillside Burglar Caught: 150 Break-Ins With Over $10 Million Worth of Cash and Property

Troy Corsby Thomas, 45, is alleged to have been the brains behind more than 150 daring break-ins in 3 years. The thieves hauled away more than $10 million worth of valuables and cash. According to police, the Hillside Burglars usually wore black clothes, ski masks and gloves when breaking into homes in Bel-Air, Beverly Hills and Holmby Hills, the so-called Platinum Triangle, Pacific Palisades Brentwood, Hollywood Hills and the hills above Encino and Sherman Oaks.

The lists of Thomas's victims are the rich and famous: homes of Hollywood celebrities, professional athletes, studio bosses, corporate titans and multimillionaires such as country music stars Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, former Paramount Pictures CEO Sherry Lansing, Max Factor heir Davis Factor, Paris Hilton and Duran Duran guitarist John Taylor.

They usually struck at night and on weekends, while homeowners were out of town. They used lawn furniture and ladders to creep into the second floor, which often lacked alarms. They quickly went in, looked for jewelry, safes and cash. The burglars stole designer shoes, diamond encrusted Rolex watches and even expensive wines and illicit cigars. The group has been known to hunt through 600 pairs of designer shoes at a time to take only Manolo Blahniks while they are also able to distinguish between fake and real pearl necklaces. Victims have even found cheaper Prada bags left behind while Judith Leiber and Chanel handbags were swiped.

The finanaciall strapped LAPD created a Hillside Burglars task force. People donated cameras and other equipment and police stepped up patrols. Neighborhood watch groups were also formed. One in Bel Air donated $8,000 for infrared cameras that can spot burglars in the dark. the group made very few mistakes avoiding detection by sophisticated security systems and CCTV cameras. The break in the case finally came from DNA left behind at crime scenes. Thomas pleaded not guilty to two charges of residential burglary in Beverly Hills in January 2006 and March 2008. He is being held on $2 million bail and must reveal the origin of any funds used to pay the bail. If convicted he faces 25 years to life in prison.