How Did The Teen “Bling Ring” Manage To Rob Celebs Of Millions?

Seven LA teens and young adults were accused of robbing multiple celebrity homes in 2008 and 2009.

Top from left to right: Rachel Lee, Diana Tamayo, Jonathan Ajar, and Alexis Neiers. Bottom from left to right: Nick Prugo, Courtney Ames, and Ray Lopez Jr.

Seven LA teens and young adults, known as The Bling Ring, were accused of robbing multiple celebrity homes in 2008 and 2009.

Photo by: Los Angeles Police Department

Los Angeles Police Department

From October 2008 to August 2009, a group of high schoolers miraculously pulled off a series of robberies targeting high-profile celebrities of the time. The group became known as “The Bling Ring”.

The Bling Ring is said to have started with Nick Prugo and Rachel Lee. The duo began their tirade by stealing from cars in affluent neighborhoods and went onto much bigger targets. They eventually recruited Alexis Neiers, Diana Tamayo, Courtney Ames, Johnny Ajar, and Roy Lopez Jr, according to the Los Angeles Times.

These 7 teenagers and young adults successfully stole from Paris Hilton, Audrina Patridge, Orlando Bloom, Miranda Kerr, Rachel Bilson, Brian Austen Green, Megan Fox, and Lindsay Lohan.

According to reporting by the New York Post, Paris Hilton was the first celebrity whose home was hit. In fact, the group went on to steal from Hilton’s home three more times.

Using gossip websites like TMZ and Perez Hilton, the group was able to determine the times that Hilton wouldn’t be home. They used Google Earth to develop a strategy to break in. According to the Post, in one robbery alone the group walked away with about $2 million worth of jewelry.

From Audrina Patridge, a television personality known from MTV’s The Hills, the group took luggage, jewelry, and clothes, worth about a little over $40,000.

After their string of robberies, even becoming popular on social media and fan club blogs, the LAPD successfully built a case against the Bling Ring. According to the Post, Lee was sentenced to 4 years in prison and Prugo to two, although he only served a little over a year before being released. Neiers got six months while Ames, Tamayo, and Lopez, Jr. received probation.

Neiers was put in the same jail cell that Paris Hilton occupied a few years earlier for violation of her parole. Neiers was also cell neighbors with Lindsay Lohan for a brief period. Both of whom were celebrities she’d robbed.

Hilton, now 42, one of the targets of the group, declined to participate in the Netflix docuseries about the crimes, The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist.

“She has no interest in reliving this after all these years,” a source told Page Six.

Hilton did make a cameo in The Bling Ring, the 2013 A24 fictional movie about the string of crimes.

In October 2023, HBO released a documentary about the case, focused on Rachel Lee, titled The Ringleader: The Case of the Bling Ring.

Next Up

A Timeline Of Andy Dick’s Run-Ins With The Law

On May 11, the comedian-actor was arrested for felony sexual battery. Let’s take a look at his history with the law dating back to 1999.

Did Lana Del Rey's Stalker Steal Her Car? What To Know About The Singer's History Of Stalkers

The Grammy-nominated singer has had multiple stalkers since 2018.

Authorities Offer Reward For Suspect Accused Of Shooting Lady Gaga's Dog Walker

The U.S. Marshals Service is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the capture of 19-year-old James Howard Jackson, who was mistakenly released from jail in April 2022.

5 Things to Know About The Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard Defamation Trial

Depp has denied all claims of both physical and sexual abuse by Heard, and has taken her to court for defamation. Heard is counter suing for $100 million.

The Allegations Against Former Attorney Tom Girardi

Girardi, known for his work on the Erin Brockovich case, is being sued by multiple people who claim he owes them money.

5 Things To Know About FKA Twigs’s Assault Case Against Shia LaBeouf

The actor, who got his start on Disney Channel, has a series of arrests from 1996 to 2017.

Gabrielle Union Opens Up About Her Battle With PTSD 30 Years After Sexual Assault

The actress shared, in an Instagram post, what it feels like to be living with trauma for three decades.

Ariana Grande’s Stalker Breaks Into Her Home On Her Birthday

Ariana Grande’s long-time stalker, Aharon Brown, is back behind bars — this time for breaking into her home.

After Nearly 3 Decades In Solitary Confinement, Texas Prisoner Seeks Court's Help

Convicted robber Dennis Wayne Hope was captured shortly after he escaped prison in 1994 and put in isolation—where he remains to this day.

Atlanta Gang Allegedly Targets Mariah Carey, Other Celebrities In String Of Home Invasions

The group reportedly targeted prominent personalities who flaunted their wealth on social media.