BEVERLY HILLS—The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office revealed on Tuesday, April 10, that a 23-year-old transient was charged for trespassing on the property owned by singer Taylor Swift in Beverly Hills. Justin Christoph Lilly is facing one misdemeanor count of trespassing and refusing to leave the private property.
The home, which Swift purchased in 2015, is not currently occupied. The estate was once owned by Samuel L. Goldwyn. Goldwyn was a Hollywood film producer who went on to lay the foundation for Paramount Pictures and MGM studios. He passed away in 1974 leaving his estate to his son, Samuel Goldwyn Jr. In 2015, Goldwyn Jr. passed away and Swift purchased the property.
Lilly tried to climb the wall to the property, after being warned multiple times by security officers on the scene to leave the property prosecutors noted. If convicted as charged, Lilly could face a maximum sentence of 6 months in jail. The case is still under investigation by the Beverly Hills Police Department.
The two-acre estate is located near the Beverly Hills Hotel and features a pool, a sunken tennis court, five-car garage, six bedrooms, a library, a theatre, a guest suite, and gardens designed by architect Douglas Honnold. Swift petitioned the Beverly Hills City Council to designate the mansion as a historic landmark of Beverly Hills.
In a unanimous vote, Swift was given the approval. With the property being a historic landmark will involve Swift can receive tax relief that the city provides to those owning, restoring, or maintaining a historic landmark.
Swift was also in the news this week as a man in Ansonia, Connecticut, Bruce Rowley, 26, was arrested for robbing a bank in honor of Taylor Swift in an attempt to impress the singer, TMZ reported.
The singer also owns properties in Westerly, Rhode Island, New York City and Nashville, Tennessee. Her latest album “Reputation” hit store shelves in November 2017, where it sold over 1 million copies during its first week in stores.
Swift has won a total of 10 Grammy Awards including Album of the Year twice for “Fearless” and “1989.” Her Reputation Stadium Tour is set to kick-off on May 8 in Phoenix, Arizona and will end on November 9 in Auckland, New Zealand.
Written By Casey Jacobs