The Crazy True Story Of The Bling Ring: The Kids Who Robbed Eight Celebrities Blind
The Ring Leaders Were A Pair Of Troubled Kids
While the Bling Ring featured a rotating cast of characters, including members who helped to sell the goods rather than take part in the robberies, the two constant players were Nick Prugo and Rachel Lee. Best friends from an affluent high school for troubled students, the pair bonded over both fashion and the family troubles that each experienced. Having both attended school in a rich area, Calabasas, the two students found themselves dazzled and enticed by celebrity culture and materialism.
Prugo said he went along with the heists for Lee, who wanted the nicer things in life and wanted them to come easily. Lee, according to Prugo, is the one who picked Paris Hilton as a target, reasoning the reality TV star was unintelligent and would have a lot of cash on hand.
The Kids Used Social Media To Plan Their Heists
Photo: Photoshop Training Channel / YouTube / Fair UseCelebrities today constantly utilize social media for a variety of purposes, from tweeting about their latest fabulous vacations to Instagraming their looks from the red carpet. However, by promoting their image and showing off their enviable lifestyles, celebs also provided information to the thieves.
The Bling Ring closely followed celebrities whom they planned to rob; when these targets posted pictures or updates from out of town, the crew saw their opportunity. This way, the culprits ensured the homeowners would not disturb them as they went through their belongings.
They Broke Into Eight Celebs’ Homes And Stole Millions
Photo: Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia / CC by 2.0When it comes to high class burglaries, the Bling Ring lived up to its name. The gang broke into eight celebrity houses, belonging to film and reality stars alike, during their 10-month larceny spree. They say crime doesn’t pay, but the group of thieves made away with a treasure trove of money and goods.
From clothes to jewelry, cash, and even a pistol, the kids made off with over $3 million in stolen bounty. Most people never even meet a single celebrity in their entire lives, yet this group of young burglars managed to enter the homes of multiple high-profile celebs.
They Really, Really, Liked Robbing Paris Hilton
Photo: Roger Casas-Alatriste / Wikimedia / CC by 2.0The Bling Ring never appeared to discriminate when it came to targeting celebrities, but the star they seemed enjoyed robbing the most was Paris Hilton, whom they victimized five separate times. The reality star made it quite easy, as the burglars used a key the reality star left under her doormat. Even when Hilton realized her spare key was missing, she merely made another copy of it and stashed it in the same hiding place.
One of the kids even put the key on her own keychain so she could come and go as she pleased. But perhaps what made Hilton such a desirable target centered around the fact that she never noticed anything was amiss until the group's final heist.
One Arrest Led To Many
Photo: Chris Yarzab / Wikimedia / CC by 2.0Needless to say, police in Los Angeles wanted to catch the thieves ransacking the homes of their most well-publicized residents. When they arrested Nick Prugo things finally broke in the case. He confessed to breaking into several celebrities homes, fessed up to other crimes the cops didn’t even know about, and snitched on his fellow criminals. In his confession, Prugo outline how the group would take a suitcase from the victim and then stash as much booty into it as possible, and then make off with the loot.
Lee, the other mastermind, had already fled to Las Vegas at the time of Prugo's confession, attempting to distance herself from the Bling Ring as more information came to light. When confronted by authorities, the usually composed Lee eventually broke down in front of them, until they mentioned they also spoke with Lindsay Lohan, one of the group's victims. At that moment, Lee eagerly asked, "What did Lindsay say?"It Catapulted 'Pretty Wild' Star Alexis Neiers Into A Different Type Of Fame
Photo: Hollywood.TV / YouTube / Fair UseAs the Bling Ring unraveled, Alexis Neiers emerged as the most high-profile member of the Bling Ring thanks to her reality TV show Pretty Wild. But at that time, Neiers believed herself slated for bigger and better things in life. In one interview, she expressed interest in being a leader, like Angelina Jolie but stronger. Particularly, she thought the universe had something big planned for her, saying “I want to be a leader. I want to lead a huge charity organization. I want to lead a country, for all I know.” If a reality TV show host who settled out of court for fraud can be president, why not Neiers?
She certainly lived up to the title of her show, constantly clubbing and partying without regard to any rules; these habits began to look a little darker when she later revealed she lived in a hotel and regularly used crack and heroin at the time of filming. Eventually, she got into rehab and married a man she met in treatment and the two had a daughter together.
Their 'Fence' Doesn't Seem To Have Slowed Down
Photo: Sputniktilt / Wikimedia / CC by SA 3.0All good criminals need a decent nickname and Jonathan Ajar, AKA Johnnie Dangerous and the "fence" of the Bling Ring, certainly did. A promoter for Les Deux, Ajar allowed the underage Prugo and his friends admission into the club, and used his seniority over them to his advantage. His role in the gang involved selling off the pilfered goods they foisted from celebrity homes, often ripping the thieves off. Prugo revealed that Ajar gave them about $5,000 for 10 Rolexes in total, which he now realizes to be "a ripoff."
Since police could not prove he actually stole anything, they charged Ajar with receiving stolen property, including Brian Austin Green's pistol, discovered at Ajar's home. He served three years in jail for his crimes, but didn't seem to want to shy away from the spotlight on social media once he got out.
Lee And Prugo Both Went To Jail
All in all, the crew faced little jail time for what constituted pretty serious crimes, especially from a financial perspective. After breaking into several homes and stealing more than $3 million in goods, the kids mostly received suspended sentences or were sent to jail for less than a year. Not so for Prugo or Lee.
As the masterminds of the group, both earned themselves time behind bars; a judge originally sentenced Lee to four years in prison and Prugo to two years in prison. The judge took mercy on Prugo and reduced it to one year due to being an exemplary inmate prior to his trial.
Sofia Coppola Made A Film About The Crime Spree
In 2013, Sofia Coppola debuted a film about the robberies called, appropriately enough, The Bling Ring. The film changed the names of the kids but remained faithful to the storyline, using lines the thieves made in interviews, courtrooms, and even on Pretty Wild. To further add to the realism as well as aesthetic value of the film, Coppola filmed many scenes in Paris Hilton's own home, peppered the movie with celeb cameos and news footage from the time the Bling Ring story broke, and even hired a police officer involved in the case as a consultant to the film.
Alexis Neiers’s family was even paid an alleged $100,000 to let Coppola use her life for entertainment.
Most Of The Gang Now Keeps A Low Profile
Photo: A24 / Fair UseNo doubt the stigma of being attached to a gang known for burglarizing celebrities’ homes is something most people would prefer to shed. Since the story broke, most of the Bling Ring has sought to stay out of the public eye. Roy Lopez moved to Texas and Rachel Lee remains virtually MIA since getting paroled. Nick Prugo, Lee’s co-ringleader, has tried to stay out of the public eye and get on with his life as well.
The one former robber who occasionally pops up in the media is Alexis Neiers, who has appeared on Vice and other outlets discussing her previous life of drug use and reality stardom.
Their Victims Were Unsettled
Photo: Toglenn / Wikimedia / CC by SA 3.0Obviously, having their homes broken into made the celebrity victims unsettled and scared for their safety. Audrina Patridge, who posted security footage of her home being broken into, told one news outlet, "It’s really frightening" and discussed how her constant presence in the public eye desensitized the possibility of losing her privacy. After her home was broken into, Lindsay Lohan was reportedly "upset" but otherwise fine.
Paris Hilton seems to have suffered the most from the crimes committed by the gang. According to statements she made, Hilton feared someone was in her house even if she just saw dirt on the floor of her mansion. As a result, she installed security devices and brought a guard to protect her home. After all this time, Hilton says she never received an apology, and would not accept one if it came.
