‘The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist’: Every Celebrity Victim of the Teenage Burglars
The new Netflix documentary The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist landed on Sept. 21, 2022, and it takes a deep dive into a crime that targeted Hollywood’s elite. A group of celebrity-obsessed teenagers robbed the homes of some of the biggest stars in the early aughts. Here is every celebrity victim the band of burglars hit in their crime spree.
The Bling Ring targeted Paris Hilton first
With the dawn of social media, celebrities became much more accessible than ever before. Shows like MTV’s Cribs and The Osbournes invited the general public into the lives of celebrities. Paris Hilton went from a hotel heiress to reality TV star with her show The Simple Life. Social media essentially shifted the balance of who could become famous. Nick Prugo and Rachel Lee were already stealing from random rich people in Los Angeles, but once they cleaned out LA, they needed a bigger score.
Lee and Prugo collectively decided they wanted to target a celebrity next, so Prugo began scrolling celebrity gossip sites. Hilton’s plans to travel out of town to Miami gave the pair the idea to rob her house. Using Google maps, Lee and Prugo scoped out the terrain of Hilton’s home. Once they arrived, Lee rang the doorbell to ensure no one was home. Hilton left her front door unlocked, and the couple walked right inside. On the first visit, they left with approximately $50,000 worth of Hilton’s property. However, the group targeted Hilton a total of five different times, and Roy Lopez Jr., another member of the Bling Ring, left with nearly $2 million of property.
Nick Prugo and Rachel Lee robbed Audrina Patridge during the 2009 Academy Awards
Prugo and Lee continued to base their targets on celebrity gossip sites and social media information that let them know if or when a celebrity would be home on specific dates. They learned Patridge planned to attend parties the night of the 2009 Academy Awards and hit her house during that time. Patridge left her door unlocked the night of the robbery, and the kids stole around $43,000 worth of items ranging from her laptop to custom-fit jeans. Patridge uploaded video surveillance of Lee and Prugo to her website, but the pair still managed to avoid getting caught.
The group robbed Rachel Bilson between three to six times in 2009
In The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist, Prugo admits that he remained nervous during almost all of the burglaries. However, Lee became increasingly comfortable. When they broke into Bilson’s house the first time, Lee even used the restroom. The group stole so much from Bilson between April and May 2009 they attempted to rid themselves of some of the property by selling it to other people.
Orlando Bloom and Victoria’s Secret Model Miranda Kerr became the next victims of the Bling Ring
Prugo says that Orlando Bloom was the highest profile robbery the group attempted at the time. With the success of blockbusters like Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean, Bloom was considered a megastar. Bringing along Alexis Neiers and Diana Tamayo, the four teens cut a hole through a security fence before entering through a sliding glass door. The group made off with nearly half a million dollars in stolen goods, including Bloom’s vintage Rolex collection, Louis Vuitton luggage, and prized art pieces.
The Bling Ring stole from Brian Austin Green and Megan Fox
Netflix’s The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist doesn’t really touch on Green and Fox as victims, but Prugo spoke to Vanity Fair in 2010 about the incident. He told the publication that Lee liked the clothes Fox often wore. The group also stole Green’s semi-automatic handgun, which was later found in Johnny Ajar’s possession.
Lindsay Lohan was the final victim
Prugo describes Lohan’s home burglary as “one last hurrah.” Lee, Tamoya, and Prugo hit Lohan’s house together, but Prugo felt more uncomfortable than usual. However, he said that he thought that if he stopped committing the crimes with Lee, their friendship would dissolve as well. Regardless, Prugo and Lee gave Tamoya a boost into an open window. She unlocked the door for them to enter through. The three left with around $120,000 worth of Lohan’s property.
An anonymous tipster eventually informed law enforcement that Lee and Prugo committed the burglary at Lohan’s house. From there, the dominos began to fall, thus bringing the teenager’s reign of terror to an end.
Stream The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist exclusively on Netflix.
