A group of men, known as the “grandpa robbers,” is currently facing trial for holding reality TV star Kim Kardashian at gunpoint and stealing millions in jewelry during Paris Fashion Week nearly ten years ago.
Many of the defendants were close to or at retirement age during the 2016 robbery, which was labeled as the most significant theft involving an individual in France for over two decades.
Kardashian is set to visit Paris in May to testify in the trial, expected to last for nearly a month, according to her attorney.
The suspects, donned in ski masks and outfits marked with police insignia, restrained Kardashian using zip ties and duct tape before fleeing with a $4 million engagement ring gifted by her former husband, rapper Kanye West (now known as Ye), along with other valuable items, as per investigators.
In a 2020 interview with David Letterman, Kardashian recalled her panic during the incident, saying the thieves kept asking for “the ring.” She tearfully shared her terror of being assaulted that night.
“I kept glancing at the concierge,” she mentioned, referring to the hotel staff member who had been coerced at gunpoint to guide the criminals to her apartment.
“I was pleading, ‘Are we going to die? Please tell them I have children, babies… I need to get home,'” she recalled.
DNA evidence collected from the plastic ties used to secure Kardashian helped law enforcement make arrests the following January.
The key accused individuals are in their sixties or seventies and face the possibility of life imprisonment.
A total of 10 persons are being tried in court. Five are charged with armed robbery and kidnapping, while the remainder faces charges for aiding in the robbery or possessing weapons illegally.
One defendant, Yunice Abbas, 71, has confessed to his involvement in the heist, even writing a book regarding his experiences. He shared on French TV that the aim was to be the last one involved.
He stated he had been led to believe the target was a large diamond, not Kardashian herself.
Chloe Arnoux, the lawyer for 68-year-old Aomar Ait Khedache—alias “Omar the Old,” who is accused of leading the group (a claim he disputes)—noted that her client could spend the rest of his life incarcerated because of his age.
In an interview with BFM TV, she mentioned that he had sent a letter to Kardashian to express his remorse, but it was intercepted by authorities.
As the robbers fled on foot or bikes, they lost some items, including a diamond-studded cross, which a bystander found and handed over to the police. However, the majority of the stolen jewelry, including the $4 million engagement ring, remains unaccounted for.
Prosecutors have reported that one of the defendants has passed away and another is currently unfit for trial.
