De Niro's maid facing jail term

Turyk-Wawrynowicz worked for a housekeeping agency

A housekeeper is facing up to three years in jail after admitting she stole from actor Robert De Niro's wife and other celebrity clients.

Lucyna Turyk-Wawrynowicz, 35, admitted she stole clothes, jewellery and credit cards from homes in New York.

Her haul included a pair of $95,500 (£53,000) earrings belonging to De Niro's wife, Grace Hightower.

Turyk-Wawrynowicz, who admitted theft, forgery and identity theft in the plea deal, will be sentenced on 21 February.

Respect

Under the terms of the plea deal, Turyk-Wawrynowicz will be jailed for between one and three years. She had faced up to 15 years in prison if convicted on all charges.

Polish-born Turyk-Wawrynowicz also admitted using an employer's credit card to buy items at a luxury clothing store and took the social security number of a 13-year-old girl to use while getting a job.

Actress Candice Bergen and New York socialite Renee Rockefeller were the other victims.

Court documents revealed she targeted Ms Hightower because she thought she was a bad employer.

"If she treated me better, with more respect, I probably wouldn't have done this," she told police after her arrest.

"I didn't steal from Isabella Rossellini because she treated me well.

"I only stole from people who didn't treat me with respect."

Turyk-Wawrynowicz was in the US illegally and will be turned over to immigration officials for possible deportation once she is finished serving her sentence, Assistant District Attorney Ann Schwartz said.