Where is Alexis Neiers now?

While a group of teens stealing millions of dollars worth of cash and belongings from the Hollywood homes of Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Orlando Bloom might sound like the elaborate plot of a movie, that's exactly what happened when The Bling Ring hit Los Angeles in the late 2000s.

For those too young to remember, a group of teens – who went on to become known as The Bling Ring – made headlines in 2008 and 2009 when they broke into a string of homes belonging to A-Lister celebs. Although they were able to keep their identities under wraps for some time, The Bling Ring were identified in 2010 after being arrested, and later went on to become the focus of two films, one of which starred Emma Watson, and a book by New York Times bestselling author Nancy Jo Sales.

And that's not all, as The Bling Ring have once again found themselves at the centre of conversations thanks to a just-released documentary on Netflix. Ahead of bingeing the three-part series – titled, The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist – we took a deep dive into the real life story of The Bling Ring and ask: where are they now?

What was The Bling Ring?

The Bling Ring was a group of teens and young adults who robbed the homes of several celebrities between 2008 and 2009. The robberies – which hit the homes of LA's elite, including Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Orlando Bloom, Rachel Bilson and Audrina Patridge, to name a few – incited fear and panic into the world of celebrities, making headlines both in LA and across the world.

The Bling Ring stole an estimated $3 million (£2,429,634) in cash and belongings, and hit some of the celebrities homes more than once – notably, Paris Hilton's. But, the group's run of luck came to an end when Lindsay Lohan shared footage from her break-in with TMZ, leading to numerous tips about the burglars' identities, and eventually arrests.

Who was in The Bling Ring?

The Bling Ring was made up of Alexis Neiers, Nick Prugo, Rachel Lee, Courtney Ames and Diana Tamayo.

bling ring hollywood heist where is alexis neiers now

Lawrence K. Ho//Getty Images

Alexis Neiers at court in 2010.

Lee was reportedly the ring leader of the whole affair, first recruiting Prugo whom she met at high school. After bonding over a love for the finer things in life, the pair started out by robbing unlocked cars cars to steal any credit cards or money lying inside. They went on to commit the first burglary of a celebrity home in 2008, looking up details of Hilton's home on the internet and using it to monitor when she would be out. Lee and Prugo went on to burglarise Hilton so many times that Lee reportedly added the heiress' spare key to her own keychain.

The duo later recruited more members into The Bling Ring, including Alexis Neiers – who became the most infamous member, as she was in the midst of filming a reality show with E! titled, Pretty Wild.

Other members of The Bling Ring included Courtney Ames and Diana Tamayo.

Where are The Bling Ring now?

Alexis Neiers

Neiers' arrest for her role in The Bling Ring was caught on camera while she was filming Pretty Wild. She was sentenced to six months in jail and three years of probation, and was also ordered to pay $600,000 in restitution to Bloom.

Since then, Neiers has become a parent and has shared details of her sobriety journey online. This year, the former reality TV star – who describes herself as a "birth worker" and "space holder" – celebrated more than a decade of sobriety. She currently works at Alo Recovery Center in Malibu, and hosts a podcast called Recovering from Reality.

Alongside Prugo, Neiers is the only member of The Bling Ring to share her story in Netflix's The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist documentary. Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Neiers admitted that taking part in the documentary marked the first time she had taken "responsibility" for her part in the robberies.

Nick Prugo

Prugo – who in Netflix's documentary describes Hilton's home as his "personal ATM" – was the first of The Bling Ring to be arrested, and while he initially denied any involvement, his anxiety eventually led him to confess. His confession prompted other members of The Bling Ring to be served with search warrants and arrested.

For his part in The Bling Ring, Prugo was sentenced to two years in prison – one of which he served. After his release, Prugo opted not to retreat from fame like the other members, and appeared on Good Morning America in February 2010 to share his side of the story. "I don't think any of us realised how severe it was until we actually got caught." he said at the time. "It didn't seem as bad as it was."

"Now that I look back I realise how serious it was," he went on. "Looking back, it scares me to death."

Since then, Prugo has moved into the skincare industry, and now lives out of the spotlight with his husband in LA.

bling ring hollywood heist where are they now

YouTube

Rachel Lee

The reported 'mastermind' behind the robberies, Lee was sentenced to four years in prison but was released in March 2013 after 16 months.

Lee has kept relatively out of the spotlight since her release, declining the opportunity to consult on the movie adaption. She also opted not to appear in Netflix's The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist.

Instead, Lee attended cosmetology school for hairstyling and graduated in 2018. She's also currently working on a screenplay for a TV drama.

Speaking about her role in The Bling Ring, Lee told Us Weekly in 2018: "As a teen, I was chasing love in all the wrong places and by the time I realised it was too late and I was in prison. I truly feel prison was a blessing in disguise — the best thing that ever happened to me. It made me realise you can only trust yourself at the end of the day."

She went on, "If I could do it all over again I would’ve made the right choices instead of the wrong ones. I would’ve changed a lot."

Courtney Ames

After being sentenced to probation and community service for her part in The Bling Ring, Ames reportedly studied psychology, speech and child development at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, California. In 2016, she tried to legally change her surname, although it's unclear if this was successful.

Diana Tamayo

Like Ames, Tamayo was sentenced to probation and community service after she pleaded no-contest – meaning a defendant accepts the conviction but avoids a factual admission of guilt – due to fears of being deported for her crimes (per the Los Angeles Times). She has since remained out of the spotlight, but a source told Us Weekly in 2018 that she is a "super positive person who has a lot of faith." According to the insider, Tamayo is now a personal trainer and is happily married.

The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist is available to stream on Netflix now.