Eight people who were on trial for the robbery of Kim Kardashian in 2016 were sentenced to years in prison in Paris on Friday. Two people were acquitted.
The leader of the gang, Aomar Ait Kedach, was sentenced to eight years in prison, five of which were suspended. He was not present at the sentencing due to illness and followed the verdict via a video link. Seven others were also convicted for their involvement in the robbery.
Kardashian was in the French capital in 2016 for Paris Fashion Week. When she wanted to go to sleep at night, five armed men forced their way into her hotel room. They tied Kardashian up with tie-wraps and held her at gunpoint. Ultimately, the robbers made off with about 9 million euros worth of jewelry, including the diamond wedding ring that the reality star and entrepreneur had received from her then-husband Ye.
Kardashian was present in the Paris courtroom earlier this month as a witness. There she said that she feared for her life. “At that moment I was sure they were going to shoot me,” said the emotional Kardashian. “So I prayed for my family, my mother, my sister and my best friend.”
The reality star also talked about the consequences the robbery has had for her and her family. Kardashian says she has been traumatized by the event.
The suspects were also called the ‘Grandpa corridor‘ because of their old age. Two of them had previously admitted to being involved in the robbery. For example, 72-year-old Yunice Abbas wrote a book entitled J’ai Séquestré Kim Kardashian (I kidnapped Kim Kardashian, ed.). The 69-year-old Khedache has admitted to participating in the robbery, but denies the accusation that he was the gang leader.
There were initially twelve suspects in the case, but one of them, 72-year-old Marceau Baum-Gertner, died in March. Another suspect is too ill to appear in court.