The long-awaited verdict is in.
A Paris court has officially found most of the gang involved in the chilling 2016 robbery of Kim Kardashian guilty, bringing a dramatic close to one of the most infamous celebrity crime sagas in recent memory.
Ten people, nine men and one woman, faced serious charges including armed robbery, kidnapping, and gang association after Kardashian was tied up and robbed at gunpoint in her Paris hotel room. The incident, which took place during Paris Fashion Week, sent shockwaves through the entertainment world and left the reality star and business mogul deeply traumatized.
The gang, with an average age of 70, stood trial for four weeks. In the end, the court found the ringleader, 69-year-old Aomar Ait Khedache (known as “Old Omar”), and seven others guilty. Two defendants, Florus Héroui, 52, and Gary Madar, 34, were acquitted. Prosecutors weren’t able to convince the jury that those two had played any direct role in leaking Kardashian’s whereabouts while she was in Paris.
Before the final ruling, Khedache, now partially deaf and nearly mute due to poor health, addressed the court with remorse. “I can’t find the words to say how sorry I am. I offer a thousand apologies,” he said. Yunice Abbas, another key suspect who previously admitted some involvement and even wrote a book called I Kidnapped Kim Kardashian, echoed that sentiment. “Once again, I have nothing but regrets to offer you; I’m sorry for what I did.”
While prosecutors had requested up to 10-year sentences, most of the gang members ended up with suspended sentences. The legal outcome might feel soft to some, but it represents official accountability for a crime that left a lasting emotional scar.
Kim Kardashian herself returned to Paris to testify in court last week. In powerful and emotional testimony, she recounted thinking she was going to die as the armed gang tied her up and stole millions in jewelry. “I am obviously emotional about it , this experience changed my life, my family’s life,” she said in court.
Even after reliving the trauma, Kardashian offered an extraordinary moment of compassion: “I forgive you. But it doesn’t change the emotion, the feelings, and the trauma and the way my life has changed.”
Kim Kardashian also emphasized how the robbery changed her life trajectory. “Back home in the States I work in the justice system and I want so badly to be a lawyer and I fight for people to seek justice,” she told the courtroom. That drive has already seen her advocate for prison reform and help commute sentences for non-violent offenders.
The defendants now have 10 days to file an appeal. Whether they do or not, the ruling marks a major turning point. Not just legally, but emotionally, for Kardashian, her family, and the global public that’s followed this case from the start.
What began as a terrifying moment of vulnerability in the life of one of the world’s most famous women has now transformed into a story of resilience, remorse, and ultimately, justice
