Naomi Campbell is selling t-shirts. Should criminals be allowed to profit from their crimes?

Maybe crime does pay.

Supermodel Naomi Campbell was charged with assault for throwing her cell phone at a housekeeper after accusing her of stealing clothes when she couldn’t find a pair of jeans she wanted to wear to an appearance on Oprah Winfrey’s television show, prosecutors said.

Here’s what happened: a camera crew from Oprah’s production company was at Campbell’s apartment yesterday morning, preparing to tape a segment for the show (the big O herself was not present). Campbell was getting ready for the interview and couldn’t find a $200 pair of jeans she wanted to wear. Allegedly the jeans were downstairs, but Naomi was dressing upstairs and thus turned to her upstairs housekeeper (she has two assigned to each floor) for answers. Poor Ana Scolavino was the unfortunate soul who didn’t know where the jeans were (because she only works upstairs, remember), and Naomi went ballistic, calling the 42-year-old a “[insert profanity here]” as she hurled a Swarvoski-crystal encrusted Blackberry at Scolavino’s head.

Previous accusations:

Campbell has been accused of violence before. In August 2004, in the same apartment, Campbell and her maid had a fight, and the maid Millicent Burton claimed the supermodel slapped her across the face. Campbell accused Burton of instigating the fight.

In 2003 a former administrative assistant who said Campbell had thrown a phone at her during a tantrum two years earlier sued her.

Campbell was discovered at age 15 and launched a career that landed her in magazines worldwide.

The mercurial Campbell has a reputation for angry outbursts and abusive behaviour. She pleaded guilty in Toronto to an assault charge for beating another assistant while making a film in Canada in 1998. She also battled a cocaine addiction before getting straight several years ago.

She grew up ghetto, black, beautiful, is a successful model, and loves a good brawl. Can you guess her name?… Naomi Campbell (age 35). Naomi’s maid took some of her stuff, so she let her have it. Of course Naomi is denying it, but she’s already been nailed for this twice before.

Now look at her. Doesn’t this sort of remind you of Whitney Houston?