Much of the stolen property belonged to socialite Paris Hilton, whose house was broken into several times, though over fifty homes were reportedly targeted.
A year later, she was fined and put on probation for petty theft after she and Diana Tamayo stole $85 of merchandise from a Sephora cosmetics store.
According to Nick, their first crime together involved stealing a wallet out of a parked car and going on a shopping spree with the credit cards found inside.
[12] Lee befriended Prugo after he arrived at Indian Hills and introduced him to most of the other people who would eventually join the crime spree.
After being accepted into her circle of friends and participating in their nightlife activities, Prugo became hooked on drugs and began stealing from his parents to support his addiction.
Prugo and Lee began checking the doors of expensive cars parked in their neighborhood to see if they were unlocked on an almost nightly basis.
Diana Tamayo was the student body president at Indian Hills, where she had been voted "best smile" and been awarded a $1,500 "Future Teacher" scholarship after graduation.
Johnny Ajar, a former convict, is not believed to have participated in the burglaries, but was recruited by Ames, his girlfriend, to sell some of the stolen items for cash.
Ajar first met Ames and her friends at a nightclub called The Green Door and allowed them access, even though they used fake identification documents.
Ames had recruited him as a reseller, and he also participated in burglarizing at least one victim, Paris Hilton, from whom he is alleged to have stolen $2 million in jewelry, which he carried out with him in a Louis Vuitton bag.
"[7] They found the houses of their targets using Google Maps and determined when the victims would be away by researching their schedules, such as appearances at celebrity events, through websites including Facebook and Twitter.
[19] The Los Angeles Police Department report later stated that what began as a "twisted adventure" fueled by celebrity worship "quickly mushroomed into an organized criminal enterprise."
"[20] On their maiden trip to Hilton's home, Prugo and Lee went alone, having used Google Earth to find a place to access her community via a hill climb.
[10] Prugo and Lee, later accompanied by other members of their group, ended up burgling Hilton's residence at least five different times, mostly of designer clothing and money.
They accessed her home in Hollywood Hills by entering an unlocked door and took jewelry, her passport, her laptop computer, and custom-fit jeans.
[10][23] The Bilson burglaries yielded so much in the way of clothes and accessories that members tried to relieve themselves of some of it by selling it at the Venice Beach boardwalk, where they were able to make a few thousand dollars.
Once inside, they stole a large amount of high fashion-label clothing, Bloom's vintage Rolex watch collection, Louis Vuitton luggage, and artworks; in all totaling nearly half a million dollars.
Tamayo and Lee went back inside because the latter was planning to move to her father's home in Las Vegas and wanted Bloom's art to decorate with.
[6][10] Brian Austin Green's home was targeted, because, according to Prugo, Lee liked the clothes of his wife at the time, actress Megan Fox.
Prugo was arrested and initially denied having had anything to do with the burglaries, but said that anxiety due to his involvement was preventing him from being able to eat, sleep, and breathe normally, and made him lose his hair.
He also told the police the ring was still researching other potential targets, among them Miley Cyrus, Zac Efron, Ashley Tisdale, Hilary Duff, and Vanessa Hudgens.
Two weeks after Prugo's confessions, search warrants for the other ring participants were issued by the Los Angeles Police Department.
Among items reportedly seized by police from Ajar were three guns, drugs, and a laptop computer with aerial photos of 51 homes in Hollywood Hills.
[14] During her stay at the Century Regional Detention Facility, she occupied the same cell block as Bling Ring victim Lindsay Lohan, but says they never spoke to each other.
Judge Larry Fidler dismissed a charge of conspiracy to commit burglary as well as two counts filed against her for receiving stolen property.
[36] On October 19, 2012, after pleading no contest to having burgled Lindsay Lohan's house, Diana Tamayo was sentenced to three years of probation, as well as 60 days of community service.
[48] The film, which starred Emma Watson (Alexis Neiers), Taissa Farmiga (Tess Taylor) and Leslie Mann (Laurie), as well as newcomers Israel Broussard (Prugo), Katie Chang (Lee), Claire Julien (Courtney Ames), and Georgia Rock (Gabby Neiers), also changes the names of the members.
Tamayo or a character based on her was written out of the film, but her act of crawling through a pet flap remained, having been done by a relative of a ring member.
On April 25, 2022, a three-part documentary series called Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist premiered on Channel 4, featuring interviews with Prugo and Alexis Neiers, as well as reconstructions of the group's crime sprees in the late 2000s.
[54][55] The Law & Order: Los Angeles premiere episode bases a Hollywood crime circle on the Bling Ring.