National Basketball Association

Guard gets jail time for Lakers rings theft

Published Jan. 31, 2014 8:47 p.m. ET

foxsports

LOS ANGELES -- A former security guard who stole Los Angeles Lakers championship rings from a training center has been sentenced to 180 days in jail.

Los Angeles County prosecutors say Mejia (Meh-HEE'-yuh) Monterroso pleaded no contest to grand theft Friday. He also will have to pay nearly $14,000 in restitution.

Monterroso was arrested in December.

Prosecutors say the 23-year-old was a guard at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo last year when he took three championship rings and hundreds of gift cards during a night shift.

Police say they found two of the rings at his Inglewood home.