"Kim Kardashian's Paris Hotel Heist Perpetrators, Identified as Elderly Men, Convicted for Their 'Terrifying' Robbery"
Eight individuals, colloquially known as the "grandpa robbers," have been found guilty in connection to the gunpoint robbery of Kim Kardashian at a Paris hotel in 2016. The group, consisting of retirees and seniors, undertook one of the most audacious celebrity heists in modern French history during Paris Fashion Week in the early hours of October 3, 2016.
The six-member jury, led by three judges, reached a verdict on Friday following a four-week trial at Paris's Palais de Justice. The court found the ringleader, Aomar Ait Khedache, 69, and seven others guilty of the robbery at the Hotel de Pourtales. Despite the convictions, none of those convicted will serve additional prison time due to time already served, and all are now free after their sentences.
The robbers, disguised as police wearing ski masks, stormed Kardashian's luxury hotel apartment, bound her, and stole jewelry estimated to be worth $6 million, including a ring from her former husband, Kanye West. The court noted the harm and fear caused by the raid, acknowledging the impact it has had on the TV personality and businesswoman.
After the ruling, Kardashian released a statement, expressing gratitude to French authorities for pursuing justice and expressing the lasting effects the robbery has had on her and her family. The court acquitted two defendants of charges related to providing information about Kardashian's whereabouts, while finding a ninth person guilty of illegal weapons charges.
A key breakthrough in the case was the discovery of Khedache's DNA on the bands used to bind Kardashian. Wiretaps also revealed orders given by Khedache, the recruitment of accomplices, and the arrangements made to sell the stolen diamonds in Belgium. Three other defendants, accused of the most serious charges, received sentences of seven years, of which five were suspended.
Khedache, who arrived in court on a walking stick, was sentenced to eight years, including a suspended term of five years. Despite their ages, and the passage of time since the robbery, the court's lenient sentences have generated debate over the fairness of the trial's outcome.
The court verdict, handed down on Friday, has led to general-news discussions about the lenient sentences given to the "grandpa robbers," despite their roles in the audacious celebrity heist at Paris Fashion Week in 2016. Entertainment headlines and crime-and-justice reports have focused on the acquittal of two defendants, while celebrity figures, including Kim Kardashian, have weighed in on the fairness of the court's decision regarding the warranteed robbery at her luxury hotel apartment.
