\n\t\t\tRelated: <\/span>The Bling Ring: Where Are Alexis Neiers, Rachel Lee and the Rest Now?<\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\t\t\tThe Bling Ring \u2014 consisting of Rachel Lee, Nick Prugo, Alexis Neiers, Courtney Ames and Diana Tamayo \u2014 became infamous for stealing roughly $3 million in cash and belongings from Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom, Audrina Patridge and many more from 2008 to 2009. The teens and 20-somethings became household names themselves following their [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cAs a teen, I was chasing love in all the wrong places, and by the time I realized, it was too late and I was in prison,\u201d she exclusively told Us Weekly<\/em> at the time. \u201cI truly feel prison was a blessing in disguise \u2014 the best thing that ever happened to me. It made me realize you can only trust yourself at the end of the day.\u201d<\/p>\nMeanwhile, Prugo and Neiers separately participated in Netflix\u2019s The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist<\/em>. The September 2022 special offered their version of events, but Lee was notably not involved in the project<\/a>.<\/p>\nScroll down for all the biggest bombshells from HBO\u2019s The Ringleader: The Case of the Bling Ring<\/em>:<\/p>\nRachel Lee Got Arrested Based on the Paris Hilton Robbery<\/h3>\n\n<\/div>
\n Rachel Lee.<\/span> Courtesy of HBO<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAccording to Lee, items seemingly connected to Hilton led to her arrest. \u201cThe whole time they were just tossing the house,\u201d she recalled about the police raiding her father\u2019s home in Las Vegas. \u201cThen finally, they found a ripped up photo of Paris Hilton naked in my bathroom trash can.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel Lee Breaks Down How She Was Connected to Other Bling Ring Members<\/h3>\n\n![\"Watch](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/inline-Watch-The-Bling-Rings-Rachel-Lee-Break-Her-Silence-on-Infamous-Case.jpg?w=700&quality=86&strip=all\")
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\n Nick Prugo and Alexis Neiers from \u2018Netflix\u2019s The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist\u2019.<\/span> Courtesy of Netflix (2)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\nLee admitted that she \u201creally wanted to be friends\u201d with Ames<\/a> before she joined the Bling Ring, saying, \u201cShe was known in school to be a badass. She was always the girl in high school I was kind of intimidated by. I was like, \u2018I could never be cool enough to be your friend.’\u201d<\/p>\nMeanwhile, Tamayo was a friend who Lee regretted bringing into the operation. \u201cShe was somebody who actually works so much,\u201d Lee recalled. \u201cAnd she\u2019s in high school and taking care of her brothers and family. I just kind of led her down that road.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the documentary, Lee broke down how Prugo got introduced to Neiers<\/a>, saying, \u201cHe actually met Alexis through me. Because my friend\u2019s boyfriend\u2019s best friend\u2019s girlfriend was Alexis. She was always around, [and] Nick ended up clicking with Alexis and they started hanging out on their own. I was not included in things and I was really jealous that Nick was gaining a new best friend.\u201d<\/p>\nShe continued: \u201cWhen the group got bigger, all of a sudden it went from it being just me and him to more of a liability. It felt very dangerous and I at that point really felt like, \u2018This is bad.’\u201d<\/p>\n
Lee also weighed in on the smaller sentence that Neiers received for her involvement<\/a>. \u201cI can\u2019t speak for Alexis, because she knows what she\u2019s done,\u201d Lee told the cameras, referring to Neiers serving one month of a six-month sentence after a conviction for one count of first degree residential burglary.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n![\"Gabby](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Gabby-Neiers-Andrea-Arlington-Alexis-Neiers-and-Tess-Taylor-2010.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C2000px%2C1131px&resize=400%2C225&quality=86&strip=all\")
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\n\t\t\tRelated: <\/span>\u2018Pretty Wild\u2019 Cast: Where Are They Now? Alexis Neiers, Tess Taylor, More<\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\t\t\tMaking a name for themselves. An attempt to create a reality TV series took an unexpected turn when Pretty Wild became a deep dive into Alexis Neiers\u2018 involvement with the infamous Bling Ring. In 2010, Neiers was arrested for her involvement in a string of burglaries that targeted the homes of multiple celebrities including Lindsay [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Rachel Lee Reveals What She Did With Stolen Items<\/h3>\n\n![\"Rachel](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Rachel-Lees-Biggest-Bling-Ring-Bombshells-From-The-Ringleader-Documentary-2.jpg?w=700&quality=86&strip=all\")
<\/div>
\n Rachel Lee.<\/span> Courtesy of HBO<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201cI never sold anything. I gave a lot of stuff away,\u201d Lee admitted before being asked about Venice Beach, where she and the other Bling Ring sold some of their stolen wares. \u201cOK, then I did sell. That was that time. Yes. I think I came up with the idea, actually. I was like, \u2018What if we just went to Venice and opened up a carpet and just [offered everything] for $20?\u2019 People were flocking and we would just say, \u2018It\u2019s fake. It\u2019s real. Take it if you want it.\u2019 We sold everything in less than 15 minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inside Rachel Lee and Nick Prugo\u2019s Codependent Relationship<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"Rachel](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Rachel-Lees-Biggest-Bling-Ring-Bombshells-From-The-Ringleader-Documentary-3.jpg?w=700&quality=86&strip=all\")
<\/div>
\n Rachel Lee and Nick Prugo.<\/span> Courtesy of HBO<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAccording to Lee, her friendship with Prugo was always a cause<\/a> for concern.<\/p>\n\u201cIf we weren\u2019t together, then we were on the phone. And if we weren\u2019t on the phone, then we were texting. It was always [a] very codependent relationship,\u201d she recalled. \u201cIt was super pure, at first. It was pure and it was sweet. We felt like we were very special people in this world. And I finally get to experience where I fit in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lee recalled feeling an \u201cunspoken darkness\u201d that she and Prugo shared in the early days before they started to rob people. She also recalled feeling upset by Prugo\u2019s interest in making other friends that he could bring into the heist.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt like, \u2018I guess I am that disposable where you can just drop me and choose these other girls because you felt like they were cooler than me,’\u201d Lee added. \u201cBut when we were stealing, me and Nick were still on each other\u2019s team. We are Bonnie and Clyde \u2014 we are still in this together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n![\"All](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/All-the-Drama-Celebrity-BFFs-Who-Ended-Their-Friendships-002.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C2000px%2C1131px&resize=400%2C225&quality=40&strip=all\")
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\n\t\t\tRelated: <\/span>All the Drama! Celebrity BFFs Who Ended Their Friendships<\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\t\t\tSome stars cannot be best friends forever. Find out why these former celebrity BFFs are no longer pals, including Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton’s disintegration of friendship due to jealousy issues, Jill Zarin and Bethenny Frankel’s nasty falling out on reality TV, and more!\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Lee didn\u2019t expect Prugo to betray her once he started to confess to the police about the Bling Ring. However, Prugo seemingly sold Lee out when he called to ask her for her dad\u2019s street address mere minutes before the authorities barged in to arrest her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I look back to when Nick and I were actually friends, our relationship was just crumbling from the first day that we met. To me, he\u2019s dangerous,\u201d Lee continued. \u201cThis is very extreme what I am going to say but it is my truth, and to be honest, I feel like I was one of his victims. I feel like I was a perfect person that he could just dig his claws into. \u2026 I will never allow him in my life again no matter what.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
How Rachel Lee\u2019s Dad Was Accused of Allegedly Being Involved in the Cover-up<\/h3>\n\n![\"Rachel](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Rachel-Lees-Biggest-Bling-Ring-Bombshells-From-The-Ringleader-Documentary-4-e1696018309461.jpg?w=700&quality=86&strip=all\")
<\/div>
\n Rachel Lee.<\/span> Courtesy of HBO<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nRumors spread about Lee allegedly receiving assistance from her father when it came to covering up the crimes. Lee\u2019s father, who appeared in the documentary<\/a>, maintained that he wasn\u2019t involved.<\/p>\n\u201cI knew she was going to get caught sooner or later. So, I wanted her to cut that relationship with those friends by relocating her from Los Angeles to Las Vegas,\u201d he told the cameras. \u201cI tried to stop her but I didn\u2019t know how to persuade or how to change her mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the HBO doc, Lee explained why there was speculation that her dad helped her bury items related to the case.<\/p>\n
\u201cI asked my dad, \u2018If you were trying to get rid of stolen property \u2026\u2019 I just wanted to know \u2014 I like knowing people\u2019s psyches. I asked him, \u2018What would you do if you had a bunch of stolen stuff? What would you do with it?\u2019 And he said, \u2018I would bury it in the middle of the desert,’\u201d she noted. \u201cAnd Nick twisted that into, \u2018Rachel\u2019s dad said to bury it in the desert.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\n
Meanwhile, Prugo and Neiers separately participated in Netflix\u2019s The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist<\/em>. The September 2022 special offered their version of events, but Lee was notably not involved in the project<\/a>.<\/p>\n Scroll down for all the biggest bombshells from HBO\u2019s The Ringleader: The Case of the Bling Ring<\/em>:<\/p>\n According to Lee, items seemingly connected to Hilton led to her arrest. \u201cThe whole time they were just tossing the house,\u201d she recalled about the police raiding her father\u2019s home in Las Vegas. \u201cThen finally, they found a ripped up photo of Paris Hilton naked in my bathroom trash can.\u201d<\/p>\n Lee admitted that she \u201creally wanted to be friends\u201d with Ames<\/a> before she joined the Bling Ring, saying, \u201cShe was known in school to be a badass. She was always the girl in high school I was kind of intimidated by. I was like, \u2018I could never be cool enough to be your friend.’\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Tamayo was a friend who Lee regretted bringing into the operation. \u201cShe was somebody who actually works so much,\u201d Lee recalled. \u201cAnd she\u2019s in high school and taking care of her brothers and family. I just kind of led her down that road.\u201d<\/p>\n In the documentary, Lee broke down how Prugo got introduced to Neiers<\/a>, saying, \u201cHe actually met Alexis through me. Because my friend\u2019s boyfriend\u2019s best friend\u2019s girlfriend was Alexis. She was always around, [and] Nick ended up clicking with Alexis and they started hanging out on their own. I was not included in things and I was really jealous that Nick was gaining a new best friend.\u201d<\/p>\n She continued: \u201cWhen the group got bigger, all of a sudden it went from it being just me and him to more of a liability. It felt very dangerous and I at that point really felt like, \u2018This is bad.’\u201d<\/p>\n Lee also weighed in on the smaller sentence that Neiers received for her involvement<\/a>. \u201cI can\u2019t speak for Alexis, because she knows what she\u2019s done,\u201d Lee told the cameras, referring to Neiers serving one month of a six-month sentence after a conviction for one count of first degree residential burglary.<\/p>\n \t\t<\/a><\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMaking a name for themselves. An attempt to create a reality TV series took an unexpected turn when Pretty Wild became a deep dive into Alexis Neiers\u2018 involvement with the infamous Bling Ring. In 2010, Neiers was arrested for her involvement in a string of burglaries that targeted the homes of multiple celebrities including Lindsay [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI never sold anything. I gave a lot of stuff away,\u201d Lee admitted before being asked about Venice Beach, where she and the other Bling Ring sold some of their stolen wares. \u201cOK, then I did sell. That was that time. Yes. I think I came up with the idea, actually. I was like, \u2018What if we just went to Venice and opened up a carpet and just [offered everything] for $20?\u2019 People were flocking and we would just say, \u2018It\u2019s fake. It\u2019s real. Take it if you want it.\u2019 We sold everything in less than 15 minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Lee, her friendship with Prugo was always a cause<\/a> for concern.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we weren\u2019t together, then we were on the phone. And if we weren\u2019t on the phone, then we were texting. It was always [a] very codependent relationship,\u201d she recalled. \u201cIt was super pure, at first. It was pure and it was sweet. We felt like we were very special people in this world. And I finally get to experience where I fit in.\u201d<\/p>\n Lee recalled feeling an \u201cunspoken darkness\u201d that she and Prugo shared in the early days before they started to rob people. She also recalled feeling upset by Prugo\u2019s interest in making other friends that he could bring into the heist.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt like, \u2018I guess I am that disposable where you can just drop me and choose these other girls because you felt like they were cooler than me,’\u201d Lee added. \u201cBut when we were stealing, me and Nick were still on each other\u2019s team. We are Bonnie and Clyde \u2014 we are still in this together.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t<\/a><\/p>\n \n\t\t\tSome stars cannot be best friends forever. Find out why these former celebrity BFFs are no longer pals, including Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton’s disintegration of friendship due to jealousy issues, Jill Zarin and Bethenny Frankel’s nasty falling out on reality TV, and more!\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Lee didn\u2019t expect Prugo to betray her once he started to confess to the police about the Bling Ring. However, Prugo seemingly sold Lee out when he called to ask her for her dad\u2019s street address mere minutes before the authorities barged in to arrest her.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I look back to when Nick and I were actually friends, our relationship was just crumbling from the first day that we met. To me, he\u2019s dangerous,\u201d Lee continued. \u201cThis is very extreme what I am going to say but it is my truth, and to be honest, I feel like I was one of his victims. I feel like I was a perfect person that he could just dig his claws into. \u2026 I will never allow him in my life again no matter what.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Rumors spread about Lee allegedly receiving assistance from her father when it came to covering up the crimes. Lee\u2019s father, who appeared in the documentary<\/a>, maintained that he wasn\u2019t involved.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew she was going to get caught sooner or later. So, I wanted her to cut that relationship with those friends by relocating her from Los Angeles to Las Vegas,\u201d he told the cameras. \u201cI tried to stop her but I didn\u2019t know how to persuade or how to change her mind.\u201d<\/p>\n In the HBO doc, Lee explained why there was speculation that her dad helped her bury items related to the case.<\/p>\n \u201cI asked my dad, \u2018If you were trying to get rid of stolen property \u2026\u2019 I just wanted to know \u2014 I like knowing people\u2019s psyches. I asked him, \u2018What would you do if you had a bunch of stolen stuff? What would you do with it?\u2019 And he said, \u2018I would bury it in the middle of the desert,’\u201d she noted. \u201cAnd Nick twisted that into, \u2018Rachel\u2019s dad said to bury it in the desert.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\nRachel Lee Got Arrested Based on the Paris Hilton Robbery<\/h3>\n
\n Rachel Lee.<\/span> Courtesy of HBO<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nRachel Lee Breaks Down How She Was Connected to Other Bling Ring Members<\/h3>\n
<\/div>
\n Nick Prugo and Alexis Neiers from \u2018Netflix\u2019s The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist\u2019.<\/span> Courtesy of Netflix (2)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\tRelated: <\/span>\u2018Pretty Wild\u2019 Cast: Where Are They Now? Alexis Neiers, Tess Taylor, More<\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\nRachel Lee Reveals What She Did With Stolen Items<\/h3>\n
<\/div>
\n Rachel Lee.<\/span> Courtesy of HBO<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nInside Rachel Lee and Nick Prugo\u2019s Codependent Relationship<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>
\n Rachel Lee and Nick Prugo.<\/span> Courtesy of HBO<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\tRelated: <\/span>All the Drama! Celebrity BFFs Who Ended Their Friendships<\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\nHow Rachel Lee\u2019s Dad Was Accused of Allegedly Being Involved in the Cover-up<\/h3>\n
<\/div>
\n Rachel Lee.<\/span> Courtesy of HBO<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n