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Britney's Burglars Catch a Break

Four young men accused of burglarizing Britney Spears and her former sweetie, ‘N Sync crooner Justin Timberlake, are off the hook. A Florida judge sentenced Salvador Martinez, 19, Richard Olivarez, 20, Marcus Cook, 19, and Matthew Daily, 18, each to three years’ probation Thursday after they pleaded no contest to raiding the ex-couple’s rented vacation home in the Panhandle town of Destin, Florida, the Northwest Florida Daily News reports.

The four had been facing up to 20 months in jail but managed to avoid the harsh penalty.

And they can literally thank their lucky stars.

Circuit Court Judge G. Robert Barron signed off on the reduced sentence after lawyers representing Spears and Timberlake offered the crook quartet a deal. To avoid jail time, the young men would have to plead no contest and sign a “nondisclosure agreement as it pertains to B. Spears and J. Timberlake.”

In other words, the foursome won’t be giving away pop secrets anytime soon or selling their story to the Enquirer. They’re not allowed to talk about what they saw inside the house or the items they swiped.

Not that what they might reveal is very juicy, anyway. According to Okaloosa County Sheriff’s office spokesman Rick Ford, the stolen goods included a cell phone, a scarf, a “Gilligan-style” blue-and-white hat, a $30 pair of shoes, a few articles of clothing, a martini glass, a bottle of Jack Daniels and a bottle of Bacardi. (While Britney and Justin were both underage, they were vacationing with their families, which might explain the booze.)

The most expensive items swiped were a couple of camcorders-worth $1,000 and $3,000, respectively-a videocassette deck and some videotapes of “personal footage.”

Ford says much of what was stolen didn’t belong to Spears and Timberlake and wasn’t very revealing anyway (to the dismay of those hoping the self-proclaimed virgin and her boyfriend were the second coming of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee).

“I’ve spoken many times to the deputy who watched the tape the whole way through, and he insists that there’s nothing outrageous or scandalous on the videotape whatsoever. It’s just like anyone else’s vacation video,” said Ford.

All told, the thieves made off with about $5,000 worth of stuff. One of the accused reportedly told police they just wanted to nab a “souvenir” of Britney’s, although they didn’t specify what kind of keepsake they were looking for.

As for Britney, the 20-year-old popster has apparently broken up with her former Mickey Mouse Club mate. Last month, she declared she’s not “in an intense relationship with anyone” right now. Instead, Spears has got her mind on other things-like food.

The singer is planning to open her own Manhattan eatery, Nyla (formerly Pinky’s, after Tiberlake’s pet name for her), in May with the aid of New York dining-scene impresario Bobby Ochs before setting out on yet another tour, which kicks off in Las Vegas on May 24 and wraps in Dallas on July 22.

Timberlake, meanwhile, is out on the road with his ‘N Sync pals. Their current trek is due to wind down April 28 in their hometown of Orlando.

 
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