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8 Convicted in Kim Kardashian Jewelry Heist Trial
Aging and with myriad health issues, none will serve time for their roles in robbing the billionaire celebrity at gunpoint in 2016.
Kim Kardashian arrived at the Palais de Justice in Paris on May 13 to testify in the robbery trial wearing a handful of diamond jewels, including a necklace from Samer Halimeh New York priced at $3 million. (Photo courtesy of Samer Halimeh New York)
Paris—On May 23, a Paris court handed down guilty verdicts to eight individuals for their roles in the 2016 armed robbery of American reality TV star and entrepreneur Kim Kardashian.
Nine men and one woman were accused in the crime, which took place in the celebrity’s Paris hotel room and involved the theft of nearly $10 million worth of jewelry.
The ringleader, 69-year-old Aomar Aït Khedache, received eight years of prison time, the most severe sentence, as reported by French news site Le Monde, with AP.
However, five years of his sentence were suspended, meaning the sentence is not enforced as long as the convicted individual stays out of trouble.
Three others convicted in the crime received seven years with five years suspended, while three others received prison sentences ranging from five to three years, mostly or completely suspended, the news site said.
Among those was 71-year-old Yunice Abbas, who wrote a 2021 book about the heist.
Abbas was sentenced to seven years in prison, with most of that suspended, NPR reported. Abbas had previously served 20 years for burglary.
The eighth person was found guilty on a weapons charge and fined.
Two were acquitted.
None will serve any time in prison, according to Le Monde, due to their suspended sentences and the time they’ve already served in pretrial detention.
According to Le Monde, chief judge David De Pas also cited the defendants’ ages—six are in their 60s and 70s—and health issues as playing a role in the court’s decision to impose sentences that, NPR said, were “significantly lighter than the prosecution’s demands.”
Twelve suspects initially were charged with robbing Kardashian. At the time of the trial, one had died, and another was too ill to be put on trial.
The trial was heard by a three-judge panel and six jurors.
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Nine men and one woman were accused in the crime, which took place in the celebrity’s Paris hotel room and involved the theft of nearly $10 million worth of jewelry.
The ringleader, 69-year-old Aomar Aït Khedache, received eight years of prison time, the most severe sentence, as reported by French news site Le Monde, with AP.
However, five years of his sentence were suspended, meaning the sentence is not enforced as long as the convicted individual stays out of trouble.
Three others convicted in the crime received seven years with five years suspended, while three others received prison sentences ranging from five to three years, mostly or completely suspended, the news site said.
Among those was 71-year-old Yunice Abbas, who wrote a 2021 book about the heist.
Abbas was sentenced to seven years in prison, with most of that suspended, NPR reported. Abbas had previously served 20 years for burglary.
The eighth person was found guilty on a weapons charge and fined.
Two were acquitted.
None will serve any time in prison, according to Le Monde, due to their suspended sentences and the time they’ve already served in pretrial detention.
According to Le Monde, chief judge David De Pas also cited the defendants’ ages—six are in their 60s and 70s—and health issues as playing a role in the court’s decision to impose sentences that, NPR said, were “significantly lighter than the prosecution’s demands.”
Twelve suspects initially were charged with robbing Kardashian. At the time of the trial, one had died, and another was too ill to be put on trial.
The trial was heard by a three-judge panel and six jurors.
Following the trial, Kardashian’s attorneys, Michael Rhodes, Léonor Hennerick and Jonathan Mattou, shared a statement with People magazine saying Kardashian “appreciates the court’s decision and once again thanks the French authorities for treating her with great respect throughout the process.”
The robbery happened in October 2016 when Kardashian was in Paris for Fashion Week.
A handful of individuals disguised as police officers came into her hotel, l’Hotel de Pourtalès, and forced the concierge to lead them to her suite.
They tied her up and put her in a bathroom before making off with a $4 million Lorraine Schwartz ring, as well as about $5 million worth of additional jewelry, two cell phones and a wallet.
Khedache’s DNA was found on the bands used to bind Kardashian, according to the AP.
In January 2017, the police, using DNA recovered from the crime scene and footage from security cameras, arrested 17 suspects in connection with the crime.
With the accused in their 40s, 50s and 60s, and the oldest member being about 72, the French media began referring to the group as les papys braqueurs or “the grandpa robbers.”
They faced charges including armed robbery, kidnapping and gang association, according to the AP.
A platinum and diamond cross necklace, believed to have been dropped in the street by the thieves during their escape, was the only piece of jewelry ever recovered.
The trial began on April 28, nine years after the crime took place.
Sources report it was delayed to 2025 due to French bureaucratic processes along with the prioritization of larger cases such as France’s criminal trial over the November 2015 terror attacks.
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During the trial, Kardashian’s choice of jewels attracted attention.
Longtime New York Times fashion critic Vanessa Friedman wrote that Kardashian’s decision to wear diamonds to court could be interpreted as a symbol of power donned by a defiant survivor, or just another opportunity for publicity.
On May 23, the day she took the witness stand, the billionaire businesswoman wore a black ensemble adorned with several pieces of diamond jewelry including an anklet, bold earrings, and a $3 million bespoke diamond necklace by Samer Halimeh New York.
This bespoke necklace by Samer Halimeh New York features 80 diamonds totaling 52.17 carats, anchored by a 10.13-carat pear-shaped center stone hand-set in 18-karat white gold.
“We are absolutely honored to see Kim Kardashian wearing Samer Halimeh New York,” the brand’s founder and CEO Samer Halimeh said.
“She represents strength, fearlessness, and grace—all qualities we admire and design for. This was a powerful moment, and we’re proud to have been a part of it.”
Whatever the reason was, Kardashian’s decision to wear bold diamond jewelry to a well-publicized trial does carry with it a small sense of irony.
Prior to the robbery, Kardashian had posted, from her Paris suite, photos of herself and her jewelry to her more than 300 million followers on social media, including one image where she flaunts a 20-carat diamond ring, gifted by her then-husband Kanye West.
Following the robbery, the billionaire became vocal about the lessons she learned and her plans to be more conservative when it comes to publicly flaunting her lavish lifestyle and whereabouts in real time.
“I was definitely materialistic before … but I’m so happy that my kids get this me,” Kardashian reflected on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” in 2017.
The celebrity, who forgave the thieves and posted recently on her Instagram, “I believe in second chances,” is working toward becoming a lawyer and has advocated for criminal justice reform.
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