Celebrities lead lives of luxury that we envy. But there are times when their lives turn into train-wrecks and that is when we pay the most attention. Take celebrity crimes for instance; whenever celebrities commit crimes we pay the news our full attention even though the crime is usually not something very serious.

Reviewing the crimes committed by celebrities in the recent years, we decided to share with you the top 10 of such crimes every non-celebrity must know of (if you don’t know about them already, that is.)

In 2005, Lil’ Kim, a Grammy-winning rapper, was at the height of her career when she suddenly found herself facing conspiracy and perjury charges for lying to a grand jury about her friends’ involvement in a murder at a New York recording studio. She was convicted and sentenced to a year and one day in prison. Upon her release in July 2006, she was greeted by crowds of adoring fans and supporters.

According to actress Winona Ryder, she had simply forgotten to pay for thousands of dollars worth of merchandise stuffed in her purse when she was apprehended leaving a Saks Fifth Avenue store in Beverly Hills. Police disagreed. Ryder was convicted of grand theft and given three years probation. Her career suffered a worse fate — she has yet to land a leading role in a major movie since her conviction.

George Michael burst on the music scene in the early 1980s as part of the hit duo Wham! A successful solo career followed — Michael has been one of the most played artists on British radio in the past two decades. But with fame came infamy. In 1998, Michael was arrested for “engaging in a lewd act” in a public restroom in Beverly Hills. He explained in an interview that the “lewd act” was simply a game of “you show me yours, I’ll show you mine.” He simply didn’t realize he was playing with an undercover cop.

Hugh Grant was facing a public relations nightmare after being picked up in 1995 for soliciting a prostitute, Divine Brown, on Sunset Boulevard. For many stars, it might have been a career-ending incident. Instead, Grant appeared on NBC’s The Tonight Show With Jay Leno during the week of his arrest to talk about what happened. His career survived, and so did his relationship with actress Elizabeth Hurley — at least in the short term.

Rap star and record producer R. Kelly (nee Robert Sylvester Kelly) has had several hits since his debut in the early 1990s, including “Bump N Grind” and “I Believe I Can Fly.” However, his career and his freedom were jeopardized in 2002, when he was indicted on criminal charges in connection with a tape showing him engaged in sex with a 14-year-old girl. Kelly managed to beat the charges and was acquitted on all counts in 2008.

Martha Stewart built an empire on a foundation of cooking, sewing, decorating and all-around good taste. But in 2004, she traded her designer duds in for an orange jumpsuit when she went to jail for insider trading. After serving five months, she launched a public relations campaign that reclaimed her status as one of the most powerful and tasteful women in America.

When it comes to the IRS, crime definitely does not pay. This is a lesson learned the hard way by Wesley Snipes, an actor best known for his portrayal of “Blade” in a film trilogy of the same name. In 2008, he was convicted of failure to file income tax returns and sentenced to three years in prison.

Known as the “Godfather of Soul,” James Brown was one of the most influential singer/songwriters of all time. He was also one of the most controversial. In 1988, Brown was arrested following a high-speed chase along the Georgia/South Carolina border and charged with weapons and drug-related offenses. He was convicted and sentenced to six years in prison, but served only three.

There may be no child star greater than Tatum O’Neal, who at 10 years old won an Academy Award for Paper Moon. She followed that performance with a series of acclaimed roles, but never managed to tame her personal demons. She battled heroin addition for many years, and was arrested for possession of crack cocaine in June 2008. As part of her plea agreement, she was ordered into a drug rehabilitation facility.

Paris Hilton’s crime of driving under the influence may not have been as serious as some other celebrity offenses — plenty of stars have been charged with DUI. But the incident was magnified by the media attention it generated. The nation watched with eager anticipation as Hilton was taken to jail, followed her daily activities while she was behind bars and then cheered her release three weeks later. No other celebrity has captured our attention for such a relatively small offense. For this reason, she takes our top spot. Kudos, Paris!