Kriti Mehrotra
It was back in 2009 that a group of Los Angeles teenagers came into the limelight for having burglarized the homes of several well-known celebrities, only to appear largely unashamed about it. They were reportedly just fame-hungry fans of their victims simply hoping to maintain a luxurious lifestyle themselves, but they soon ended up with a collective heist worth more than $3 million. So now that a few of them have finally shared their sides of the story through Netflix’s ‘The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist’ as well as HBO’s ‘The Ringleader: The Case of the Bling,’ let’s find out precisely what they’re all up to these days, shall we?
Rachel Lee is a Hairstylist Now
Although the alleged mastermind behind the entire operation, Rachel pleaded no contest to a single count of burglary in connection to the hit at Audrina Patridge’s residence in early 2009. Nevertheless, she received the harshest sentence amongst the crew of four years in a state correctional facility, yet she was set free for good after serving a total of one year and four months. “I truly feel prison was a blessing in disguise — the best thing that ever happened to me,” she candidly told US Weekly in 2018. “It made me realize you can only trust yourself at the end of the day.”
Rachel then revealed she’s eager to put the past behind her before adding, “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.” Coming to her current standing, from what we can tell, the cosmetology school graduate (2018) is now proudly serving as a full-time creative hairstylist around the Los Angeles, California, area. She has also left her Xanax addiction behind.
Nick Prugo Runs an Online Store Today
With Nicholas “Nick” Prugo being the co-ring leader, he was sentenced to two years in state prison upon pleading no contest to robbing Audriana Patridge’s as well as Lindsay Lohan’s homes. However, he was allowed his freedom after serving just one year in county jail — he soon told ABC News he didn’t understand “what was real and what wasn’t” during the crimes “because I was so consumed with reality television.”
It’s imperative to note that Nick got into legal trouble again in 2015, but this time he was charged with stalking and solicitation to commit sexual assault. He later pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor count of the former, for which he was handed 350 hours of community, three years of probation, plus an order to stay away from his victim and her family.
As for his whereabouts, Nick now goes by Nick Norgo and primarily seems to be based in Los Angeles, California, at the moment, alongside his loving husband of over five years, Per Norgo. The couple actually runs a home goods online store called Norgo Essentials, whose products you can also find on Amazon. They’re undeniable travel enthusiasts as well.
Alexis Neiers is a Podcast Host Now
Alexis definitely became the face of Bling Ring because she had a reality show when the incident first came to light (‘Pretty Wild’), yet she was reportedly involved in just one looting. She thus pleaded no contest to burgling Orlando Bloom shortly after and was given 180 days in jail, three years of probation, plus an order to pay him $600,000 in restitution.
Alexis was granted release within a mere 32 days, but she was arrested again less than five months later (in December 2010) for violating parole. She had black tar heroin as well as a fake Florida driver’s license under her possession, leading a judge to sentence her to a rehab facility for an entire year upon noting the addiction history. Therefore, we’re glad to report she has been sober ever since.
We should mention the California resident is now a proud mother of two girls — Harper and Dakota — who she shares with her ex-partner Evan Haines (they filed for divorce in August 2020). Coming to her professional standing, Alexis is a mental health advocate, a birth worker, the ‘Recovering from Reality’ podcast host, and an entrepreneur from running the Life Reset Course alongside her mother.
Diana Tamayo Works as a Nutritionist Now
It was in 2012 that Diana Tamayo pleaded no contest to robbing Lindsay Lohan’s home, following which she received three years of probation and 60 days of community service at the Department of Transportation. She was even ordered to pay restitution to her victim. It’s imperative to note she was an undocumented Mexican immigrant, so her genuine fear of potential deportation affected her a lot.
“I have chosen not to talk to any media because I want [this incident] to be in my past,” Diana had frankly told The Daily Beast back in 2013, and it appears as if she’s sticking to this sentiment even today. However, we do know she is blissfully married, has found faith, and proudly serves as a nutritionist and personal trainer these days.
Courtney Ames is Leading a Life Out of Spotlight
Since Courtney Ames had pleaded no contest to receiving stolen property for having a jacket of Paris Hilton in her possession, she was sentenced to three years of probation and 60 days of community service. Yet we need to mention she actually wore a necklace that once belonged to Linday Loan to court one day — it was confiscated.
As for her current whereabouts, although Courtney has largely retreated from the limelight, her lawyers had made it known she’d enrolled at Pierce College when the case closed for good. Her focus was psychology, speech, and child development, suggesting she could be doing some kind of either social or therapist work at the moment.
Roy Lopez Jr. is Likely Living a Private Life Now
Reports claim Roy Lopez Jr. was the one to clean out jewelry worth $2 million from Paris Hilton’s home (for which he couldn’t find a buyer), but he only pleaded no contest to receiving stolen property. He was thus sentenced to three years of probation, following which he reportedly built a new life well away from the public eye in Texas.
Jonathan Ajar Works in the TV Industry Today
Jonathan Ajar, also known as Jonnie Dangerous, was Courtney’s boyfriend around the late 2000s yet he wasn’t really involved in any of the burglaries. His primary role was actually to resell the lootings for cash that could be distributed amongst the crew — he was already a convicted criminal on drug and gun charges by this point.
Jonathan eventually pleaded no contest to a slew of charges, including receiving stolen property and unrelated counts of illegally possessing a firearm as well as selling cocaine. He was sentenced to three years and later released for good in March 2011, just to now purportedly lead a clean life. According to his social media platforms, he presently works as a live event crew member for Overwatch League.
Read More: Where is Alexis Neiers Now?
