Twist In Oscar Theft Case

The brother of the man rewarded for finding dozens of stolen Oscar statuettes has been charged in connection with the theft earlier this year.

John Willie Harris, 54, was charged Monday with receiving stolen property and being an accessory after the fact to grand theft.

Harris was arrested last week and released Saturday on his own recognizance. His arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 8.

Harris' brother, Willie Fulgear, 61, received a $50,000 reward and tickets to the Academy Awards show in March after he found 52 of the 55 missing Oscars while rummaging through a trash bin.

Police refused to say if Fulgear was a suspect in the Oscars theft.

"The investigation is still ongoing, and we are looking into everyone involved," said Officer Trevion Stokes, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department.

Fulgear denied any involvement, saying he passed a lie-detector test before he was given the reward.

"You guys are calling and joking like I'm some sort of dummy. But I'm not a dummy," he told reporters outside his apartment. "I had nothing to do with it. I don't know how the trophies got there."

Two other men have been charged in the theft of the gold-plated statuettes, which were taken from the loading dock of a trucking company.

Truck driver Lawrence Ledent pleaded no contest to grand theft charges and was sentenced to six months in jail. Warehouse worker Anthony Hart awaits trial on one count of grand theft.