Salon owner gets probation, house arrest in celebrity scam

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.

Maria Gabriela Hashemipour, 51, pleaded guilty to the charges in January.

Hashemipour also was ordered to complete 3,000 hours of community service, U.S. attorney's office spokesman Thom Mrozek said. A restitution hearing was set for Oct. 17.

Federal prosecutors said she skimmed the credit card numbers of celebrities including Cher, Halle Berry, Jennifer Aniston and Anne Hathaway.

Investigators said she took the numbers when the stars used her services, and then made more than $300,000 worth of fraudulent charges to their accounts.

Hashemipour operated the Chez Gabriela studio in /*Beverly Hills*/.

The case came to the attention of investigators after jewelry designer Loree Rodkin's attorney said about $68,000 had been charged to her credit card from Hashemipour's studio without her authorization.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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