Celebrity Beauty Salon Boss Under House Arrest

U.S. Secret Service agents arrested Maria Gabriela Perez on Wednesday (18Aug10) for allegedly stealing her clients' credit card information and making fraudulent purchases on their behalf.

Perez, owner of the exclusive Beverly Hills Chez Gabriela Studio, is alleged to have tallied $280,000 (£186,670) in unauthorised charges to clients including Aniston, Tyler, Anne Hathaway and Melanie Griffith, among others.

On Thursday (19Aug10), Perez appeared in Los Angeles federal court to face two counts of fraud, where Los Angeles federal Judge Oswald Parada released her on $50,000 (£33,330) bail, placed her under house arrest and confiscated her passport.

However, Perez's attorney, Stephen Kahn, has professed his client's innocence.

He tells the New York Post, "It's easy to make accusations... From everything we know, she is innocent."

Prosecutors say Perez has previous convictions for shoplifting and writing bad cheques.

Perez, 51, faces up to 25 years behind bars if she is convicted.