Michael Buckner/Getty Images; Denise Truscello/Getty Images; Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Sometimes the heavy bars on a jail cell aren't just to keep people in.
Nicholas Prugo, one of the key suspects in of a series of celebrity-targeting burglaries, was placed in protective custody after a Nevada court errantly shared an affidavit with the media that detailed how he ratted out his cohorts what the 18-year-old L.A. teen had been telling investigators about the crimes.
Interested parties apparently frown on such things, because both he and his family have since been the target of threats, according to Prugo's attorney, Sean G. Erenstoft.
"This is horrifying," Erenstoft tells E! News, referring to the Clark County Court's slip-up, which he says was a violation of Prugo's civil rights.
"This court's staff violated 200 years of common law...I think they were trying to please the media. I'm not saying whether it was intentional or just neglectful."
The document also revealed just how important Prugo is to the L.A. district attorney's case, Erenstoft says.
"The affidavits make it clear they had nothing to go on before [speaking with Prugo]," Erenstoft says. "He's invaluable to the prosecutor's case."
Prugo has been charged with seven counts of felony residential burglary for allegedly making unwelcome visits to the homes of Lindsay Lohan, Audrina Patridge, Paris Hilton and several other celebs. Four fellow suspects are facing one or two burglary counts apiece, and another man is facing drug and weapon-possession charges in connection with the searches conducted at the suspects' residences.
The cops first tied Prugo to the Lohan and Patridge burglaries before other pieces started falling into place.
The source of the threats against Prugo has yet to be identified, Erenstoft said, but he suspects someone close to one of the other suspects.
Due to privacy concerns, the LAPD would not confirm or deny Prugo's custody status.
In the meantime, according to Erenstoft, Prugo's father is "armed to the teeth" at his Calabasas home and local cops are passing by frequently to make sure all is quiet.
The affidavit released Friday had Prugo pinning the mastermind's role on Rachel Lee, who was arrested on Oct. 22, the day the searches took place, and released later that day on $3,000 bail. She has not been officially charged in connection with the burglaries.
She was the one who decided whose homes to hit, while he would research the locales online, Prugo told investigators, according to the document.
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We're not exactly sure how you get in on the glamorous lives of the rich and famous, but we're pretty sure burglary isn't the answer.