De Niro's maid given prison term

Turyk-Wawrynowicz was employed by a housekeeping agency

A housekeeper who stole from actor Robert De Niro's wife and other celebrity clients has been jailed for up to three years.

Lucyna Turyk-Wawrynowicz, 35, must serve a minimum term of one year after she stole clothes, jewellery and credit cards from homes in New York.

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

A plea deal saw Turyk-Wawrynowicz admit theft, forgery and identity theft.

Passing sentence, Judge Renee White said: "You have shown no remorse for your actions, but only remorse for your predicament."

Targeted clients

Turyk-Wawrynowicz, who was in the US illegally, had asked to be allowed to return to her native Poland.

Speaking through an interpreter, she said her sister had died recently, leaving several young children with "no one to take care of them".

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

"I only stole from people who didn't treat me with respect," she told police.

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