The True Story of 'The Bling Ring'

Released on Sept. 21, 2022, Netflix's The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist chronicles the real-life happenings of a California-based crime group consisting of seven teenagers and adults who broke into and stole from high-profiled, celebrity homes in 2008 and 2009.

Known as the "Bling Ring," the infamous friend group targeted residencies in Hollywood and Calabasas, totaling dozens of break-ins within one year and racking up more than $3 million in stolen cash and personal items from A-listers such as Paris Hilton and Orlando Bloom.

But Netflix isn't the first retelling of the notorious heist. Previously, there was E!'s short-lived reality show Pretty Wild in 2010 and a Vanity Fair feature titled "The Suspect Wore Louboutins" published that same year. In 2013, Sofia Coppola released an adaptation of the events in the film The Bling Ring.

The difference between those accounts and Netflix's? The streamer strives to shed new light on the past events as original Bling Ring members Alexis Haines (née Neiers) and Nick Prugo each share their perspectives.

"The story of the Bling Ring is so much more nuanced and complex than how it's portrayed in the book or in the movie, and that's why I'm so excited for the docuseries," Haines told Entertainment Tonight in September 2022. "Because it really talks about the complexities that were happening that were missed."

Between the members involved, the celebrities they stole from and how they were caught, here's everything to know about the real-life Bling Ring.

Who were the members of the Bling Ring?

The Bling Ring consisted of Alexis Haines, Rachel Lee, Nick Prugo, Courtney Ames and Diana Tamayo. Johnny Ajar and Roy Lopez were later recruited by Ames to be the designated people responsible for selling the items once stolen.

Within the group, Haines was infamously referred to by her surname Neiers. She revealed to Entertainment Tonight that she was "a full-blown heroin addict" at the time of conviction, saying it was "a very, very dark time in my life."

"There was a definite thrill to it," then-19-year-old Prugo told Good Morning America in 2010 following his arrest in September 2009. "I don't think any of us realized how severe it was until we actually got caught. It didn't seem as bad as it was."

Lee, the alleged "ringleader" of the group, was arrested soon after in Las Vegas, Nev. At 19 years old, she pleaded not guilty in an L.A. court to multiple charges, including receiving stolen property — namely, a fur coat that reportedly belonged to one of the celebrities.

Ames and Haines (both 18 at the time), Tamayo (19 at the time) and Lopez Jr. (27 at the time) were arrested in the Los Angeles area that October, police said per ABC News.

Who did the Bling Ring steal from?

The Bling Ring raided the Hollywood homes of Hilton, Bloom, Lindsay Lohan, Brian Austin Green and his then-girlfriend Megan Fox, among many others. They stole more than $3 million in expensive jewelry and designer products.

"It was like they went shopping in my closet," The Hills' Audrina Patridge said on the Netflix docuseries. "After my house was broken into, I was the most terrified I've ever been in my entire life."

According to Prugo, the ring hit Hilton's house first because they thought she was "dumb," per the March 2010 Vanity Fair feature, noting that the front door key was found under the mat. Over a decade later, Prugo recalls on the Netflix series: "We were constantly going to Paris' house... It was like our personal ATM."

Furthermore, it's reported that on July 13, 2009, Prugo, Neiers, Lee and Tamayo cut through a security fence and entered Bloom's house. Once inside, they ransacked the residence, allegedly collecting about $500,000 in Rolex watches, Louis Vuitton luggage and artwork, according to the feature.

How was the Bling Ring caught?

After nearly a year of getting away with the robberies, a security camera in Patridge's home captured the group on tape looking around on the property, which Prugo later saw on the local news.

Despite getting caught on camera, the Bling Ring continued to raid celebrity homes. It wasn't until they were caught in the act again, this time on a security camera at Lohan's home, that police got a better picture of who the potential looters were.

Out of all the members of the Bling Ring, Prugo was arrested first and confessed to the robberies. He pled no contest to the burglaries at Lohan and Patridge's home and served one year of his two-year sentence in jail.

As for Haines, she pled no contest to a felony charge and served 32 days in county jail for the robbing of Bloom's home. Meanwhile, Lee served 16 months in state prison out of her four-year sentence, and Ames was sentenced to three years of prohibition and two months of community service.

Tamayo pleaded no contest and feared the possibility of being deported for her crime, according to The Los Angeles Times. She was sentenced to probation and served time in county jail, plus 60 days of community service. Similarly, Lopez Jr. pleaded no contest to one count of receiving stolen property from Hilton's home, per the Los Angeles Times.

Where are the Bling Ring members now?

Since 2017, Prugo has been married to his husband, Per Norgo, and the two started an online business together. In addition, he revealed in 2022 that he was applying for a rehabilitation certification and a pardon from the governor.

Alleged ringleader Lee has kept a low profile in the wake of the criminal activity and its repercussions. She is still working and living in California, per Esquire.

"I truly feel prison was a blessing in disguise — the best thing that ever happened to me," Lee told Us Weekly in 2018. "It made me realize you can only trust yourself at the end of the day."

Haines was sentenced to a year in residential rehab for her drug addiction immediately upon her release from jail. "There was no way that I was gonna stand trial," Haines told ET in 2022, admitting that the plea deal and subsequent jail time "was the best thing that ever happened to me."

Now sober and a mom of two, Haines hopes that people suffering from addiction and mental illness will learn from her story in the docuseries.

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After serving her time for her part in the crime, Ames attempted to legally change her last name to dissociate herself from the Bing Ring. It remains unclear whether the judge approved.

As for Tamayo, she's remained out of the public eye in the years that followed. In 2018, a source told Us Weekly: "Diana is a super positive person who has a lot of faith. She's now a personal trainer and happily married." Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times reported that she took up a career in the nutrition and fitness industry.

Lopez Jr. moved to Texas after pleading no contest in an attempt to start a new life. He is working an oil field job, per his interview with the Los Angeles Times.