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Jewelry Store Plans To Sell Lohan Necklace For Charity

LOS ANGELES (CBS) —  The owners of the Venice jewelry store from which Lindsay Lohan is accused of stealing a necklace announced Wednesday they plan to auction off the piece and donate the proceeds to charity.

In a statement released through spokesman Christopher Spencer, Geoff and Sofia Kaman said they were concerned that their reputation was being tarnished in various media reports about the store's sale of surveillance video to "Entertainment Tonight/The Insider" showing Lohan in the Kamofie & Co. store the day she allegedly pilfered the $2,500 necklace.

"The extensive media coverage of this case has been surprising, to say the least, and we are disappointed and upset by the various articles which have challenged our integrity," the Kamans said in the statement. "We have already publicly released the videotape which speaks for itself and accurately records the incident, and we believe the next step toward achieving closure is to donate the now-famous jewelry to charity. Thus, we have decided to sell the diamond necklace through auction, and give the proceeds to charity."

The Kamans said they have not chosen a charity. They're asking for suggestions on the website www.necklacevideo.com.

Spencer noted that the necklace was still being held as evidence in the case against Lohan, so the auction could not take place until the case is resolved.

Lohan, 24, has been charged with a single count of felony grand theft for allegedly stealing the necklace on Jan. 22.

The "Mean Girls" actress is due in court tomorrow.

A day after the charge was filed against her, Lohan issued a denial via Twitter, writing, "fyi -- I would never steal, in case people are wondering. I was not raised to lie, cheat or steal."

On Feb. 1, detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department's Pacific Division obtained a warrant to search Lohan's Venice residence for the necklace, but the jewelry -- described as "one of a kind" -- was turned over to police before the search warrant was served, according to police.

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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