The leader of the infamous Bling Ring, which broke into celebrities’ homes between 2008 and 2009, has spoken out for the first time – claiming she is driven by deep insecurity and hatred of her Asian heritage.
Rachel Lee was 19 years old when she and four others broke into the homes of Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan, Orlando Bloom and others. They noted their whereabouts on social media and timed their break-ins when they were out of town.
Lee was arrested in January 2010 and served 16 months in prison.
She said prison was the best thing that could have happened to her.
And while the others appeared in documentaries or worked with Sofia Coppola for her 2013 film Bling Ring with Emma Watson, Lee tried to live a low-key life and worked as a hairdresser.
She said she changed her mind when she met Erin Lee Carr, who approached her about making a documentary about her story. It airs Sunday on HBO.
Rachel Lee appears at the premiere of the HBO documentary “The Ringleader: The Case Of The Bling Ring” on Wednesday
Rachel Lee and Erin Lee Carr, the documentary filmmaker, at the premiere of the HBO film
Lee is seen following her arrest in January 2010 for robbing the homes of famous Angelenos
A biker jacket that the gang stole from a celebrity house
Some of the wallets the gang looted from a celebrity mansion
“Any other reporter or any other production, I was always shaking,” Lee said.
“When I met Erin, I just felt like I was talking to a friend – like a human being – and not being attacked. “I was able to open up slowly, and it happened naturally through blind faith.”
She told the Los Angeles Times that she was finally able to confront years of insecurity and self-hatred as a Korean-American and her deep desire to be white.
When asked why she robbed famous people’s homes, Lee replied: “It wasn’t necessarily about imitating celebrities, I just didn’t like myself.”
“I was born here and only visited Korea last year, but I knew a lot about my culture through my grandparents and my parents.” I was just such a minority at my schools that I felt too different.
“And then the word ‘chink’ just rolled off the tongues of people at my high schools.”
“It wasn’t until I was in prison that I realized how crazy I was about myself. I didn’t realize how much I hated myself, how much I hated being Asian, and how much I wanted to be white.
“I kept asking God, ‘Why did you do this to me?’ “Why did you put me in this position where I look so strange compared to everyone else?”
Four of the five are caught on camera during one of their thefts. They were eventually captured thanks to high-quality security camera footage from the home of Audrina Patridge, star of reality show The Hills
Lee is seen with Nick Prugo, her fellow thief. Prugo, Lee’s closest ally, was sentenced to two years in prison and served one year
Lee said her time behind bars gave her space to reflect on her life and who she has become.
She said she realized she was terribly vain – that not having mirrors in prison had come as a shock to her, she said.
“I felt really empty inside,” she said.
‘I look at [prison] my birth. I started over because I had no foundation, I had no moral compass.
“That’s where I realized who I wanted to be. I want to be a good person. I want to be a friendly person. I want to be a strong person – I’m working on that. I want to be an honest person.’
Lee, who was born in Calabasas, said she has no contact with the other four – Nick Prugo, Alexis Neiers, Courtney Ames and Diana Tamayo.
Two other people – Johnny Ajar and Roy Lopez – were later recruited by Ames to sell the stolen items.
Prugo, Lee’s closest ally, was sentenced to two years in prison and served one year.
But upon his release in 2015, he was charged with stalking and solicitation of sexual assault.
He received 350 hours of community service and three years probation and now lives in LA with his husband.
Neiers got her own show on E! Network, Pretty Wild, shortly before her arrest in 2010.
During filming, she abused drugs and was frequently high.
She spent a month at the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood, California – while Lohan served her own sentence.
After her release, Neiers went to rehab, married and had two children. Today she is divorced and works as a rehabilitation counselor in Malibu.
Ames received a suspended sentence and completed community service. He then studied psychology, language and child development at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, California, Us Weekly reported.
And Tamayo, who was also sentenced to probation and community service, is now a personal trainer.
Paris Hilton shows off her jewelry – which inspired and directed the gang
The group robbed celebrities of possessions worth up to $3 million
The gang would follow celebrities on social media and know when they were out of town
Lee said that “God and my family” are now keeping her on the right path.
“At a time when I thought my whole family would disown me, they didn’t,” she said.
“I was sober in prison, I was sober after prison.” It’s really helped me to have a sober mind and to be really aware of the kind of friends I bring into my life.
“I used to be such an impulsive person, I still am sometimes, but now that I got out of prison I just wondered more, ‘Why do you think that?’ Why did you do that?’
“And then I love crystals.” That’s aesthetic, but also a reminder of the properties that crystals have.”
Lee said she thought the idea of her being the ringleader was “unfair” because the others were equally guilty.
“Everyone is responsible for their own actions.” “I never forced anyone to do anything,” she said.
But she said she forced herself to make the documentary to embrace her past and show that people can change.
Lee said she made the documentary to show that people can change
“The reason I did this is because I like to hide. “I’ve been like this since I was a kid,” Lee said.
“But I have big feelings, and a big part of me felt like, if I have all these big feelings and I can’t talk about them, then what’s going to happen to me?” What a life, what an outcome? I have the feeling that this is how illness and disease and depression arise.
“I felt like, well, I admit I’ve made real mistakes in my past, but does that mean I don’t deserve a second chance?”
“So I want to use myself as an example.” I want to be a conversation starter. I just wanted more communication and connection in this world for myself.
Carr, the documentary filmmaker, said it was difficult at times to get Lee to open up.
However, she hoped the film gave viewers the opportunity to form their own opinions, relying on Lee’s own words rather than those of others.
“Take the information and decide for yourself,” Carr said.
“I provide the information with music about all of these things, but also so that when people watch it, it tells them not what to think, but how to feel.”