FAITH HILL - STAR GUITAR THIEVES SENTENCED

STAR GUITAR THIEVES SENTENCED

Two men accused of stealing celebrity guitars and selling them on internet auction site eBay have been found guilty in court. JEFFREY H LANAHAN and MICHAEL J KELLY were sentenced on Friday (01SEP06) for the theft of instruments once used by country star FAITH HILL and rockers NICKELBACK. Lanahan worked for guitar firm Paul Reed Smith for eight years, building strong relationships with stars such as U2 and JIMMY BUFFETT as a delivery man for the firm. The missing instruments were traced back to Lanahan and accomplice Kelly in May (05) after an investigator found them advertised on eBay. A Maryland court sentenced Lanahan to three months of house arrest and five years of probation, while Kelly was given three years probation. Both will have to pay restitution for the stolen guitars amounting to nearly $30,000 (GBP16,666).