All The Celebrities Who Were Victims Of The Bling Ring
Between 2008 and 2009, a group of teenagers managed to rob the homes of various high-profile celebrities. They were known in the media as "The Bling Ring," and their story reached mainstream consciousness thanks to a film directed by Sofia Coppola about their crimes. It starred Emma Watson, Taissa Farmiga, Katie Chang, Israel Broussard, and Claire Julien.
The real-life Bling Ring comprised of Rachel Lee, who's known to be the mastermind, reality star Alexis Haines, who starred in "Pretty Wild," Nick Prugo, Courtney Ames, and Diana Tamayo. Per Prugo, the gang didn't realize the gravity of what they were doing at the time. All they knew was they were having fun. "There was a definite thrill to it," he told "Good Morning America" in 2010 after he was arrested. "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."
Over the course of their crime spree, the Bling Ring stole more than $3 million in clothes, jewelry, and cash, per CNN. Lee and co. apparently relied on the internet to figure out where celebrities lived and when they would be out and about. In about a year, they were able to break into the homes of Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Orlando Bloom, and Megan Fox.
The Bling Ring reportedly had more than 50 celebrity targets
It wasn't clear whether The Bling Ring planned for a large-scale burglary, but per The Telegraph, the group had a database that was composed of over 50 targets, a handful of which were A-listers in the early aughts, including Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Orlando Bloom, and Rachel Bilson.
According to a Vanity Fair article, "The Suspects Wore Louboutins," which chronicled their crimes, their first target was Paris Hilton because the group thought she was "dumb." Per Nick Prugo, "Like, who would leave a door unlocked?" In October 2008, he, along with Rachel Lee, broke into Hilton's home and took designer clothing, booze, "crumpled cash," and other items they thought Hilton wouldn't miss. They robbed her place multiple times, but the heiress reportedly didn't notice until a few months later.
Stealing from the rich and famous wasn like a game for the infamous robbery gang. They "ransacked" Bloom's home when he was away, stealing about $500,000 in Rolex watches, designer bags, clothing, and some artwork. "The Hills" star Audrina Patridge was also a victim. "They took bags and bags of stuff," she said. The Bling Ring also stole from Bilson multiple times and raided Brian Austin Green and Megan Fox's home because Lee loved the latter's clothes. Their last victim was apparently Lindsay Lohan, who Prugo noted was Lee's "biggest conquest" because Lohan was her "ultimate fashion icon." They managed to break into Lohan's house in Hollywood Hills and collected roughly $130,000 in jewelry and clothing.
The aftermath of the Bling Ring
The robberies were sort of a wake-up call for Paris Hilton. She told the Los Angeles Times that she didn't understand why a group of teens would ever want to target someone like her. "It's pretty bizarre," she said. "They were so obsessed that they just wanted to steal our lives. It's a scary world we're growing up in now." But the incident also made her hyper-aware of how risky leaving her home unattended could be. "I've put an advanced security system with laser systems. Security guards are always there, and there are cameras everywhere," she revealed.
On the "Everything Iconic with Danny Pellegrino" podcast, Rachel Bilson said that it was "kind of crazy at the time." She thought it was bizarre that the group got too comfortable with stealing that one member did not have any problem using her bathroom. "I was like, that's more invasive than stealing my purses," she shared, adding that she understood that they were young and wished they learned their lesson. "I mean, that's all you can hope for, at this point."
And it looks like they did. Nick Prugo eventually recognized the severity of the group's actions. "Now that I look back I realize how serious it was," he told ABC. "Looking back, it scares me to death... It was a shared responsibility. It wasn't just one person. I'm trying to take responsibility for my part and just let the world know and the victims know I'm sorry."