Kim Kardashian's Paris robbery case ends with guilty verdict for eight defendants
"I am deeply grateful to the French authorities for pursuing justice in this case. The crime was the most terrifying experience of my life, leaving a lasting impact on me and my family," Kardashian shared in a statement with Fox News Digital.
"While I'll never forget what happened, I believe in the power of growth and accountability and pray for healing for all. I remain committed to advocating for justice, and promoting a fair legal system."
On Friday, a court in the French capital acquitted two of the 10 defendants. The sentences read out by the court president ranged from prison terms to fines.
Aomar Aït Khedache, 69, the ringleader, was sentenced to eight years of imprisonment. Five of those years were suspended. Three others who were accused on the most serious charges got seven years. Five of those years were suspended.
With time already served in pretrial detention, none of those found guilty will go to prison. The trial was heard by a three-judge panel and six jurors.
Chief Judge David De Pas ruled that the ages of the defendants — the oldest is 79 and some others are in their 60s and 70s — weighed in the court's decision not to impose harsher sentences that would have sent them to jail. He said the nine years between the robbery and the trial were also taken into account in the sentencing.
"Kim appreciates the Court's decision and once again thanks the French authorities for treating her with great respect throughout the process," Kardashian's legal team shared in a statement with Fox News Digital.
"It has been a long journey from that terrible night back in 2016 to her standing courageously in a historic Paris courtroom to confront these criminals. She looks forward to putting this tragic episode behind her, as she continues working to improve the criminal justice system on behalf of victims, the innocent, and the incarcerated seeking to redeem themselves."
Nine men and one woman were involved in the crime during Paris Fashion Week. The robbers, dressed as police, forced their way into the glamorous Hôtel de Pourtalès, bound Kardashian with zip ties, placed her in the bathtub and escaped with her jewelry.
Her $4 million engagement ring, from her then-husband Kanye West, was among the items stolen.
The ten criminals involved delivered their final statements in court before the verdict was reached.
Among them was the ringleader Khedache, who arrived in court walking with a stick and his face hidden from cameras. Prosecutors had asked for a 10-year sentence.
His DNA, found on the bands used to bind Kardashian, 44, was a key breakthrough that helped crack open the case. Wiretaps captured him giving orders, recruiting accomplices and arranging to sell the diamonds in Belgium.
A diamond-encrusted cross, dropped during the escape, was the only piece of jewelry ever recovered.
Khedache argued he was only a foot soldier in the high-profiled case. He blamed a mysterious "X" or "Ben" — someone prosecutors say never existed.
His lawyer pleaded for clemency, as he pointed to Kardashian's encounter with his client in court.
"She looked at him when she came, she listened to the letter he had written to her, and then she forgave him," lawyer Franck Berton told The Associated Press.
Although Kardashian wasn't present in court on Friday, the SKIMS founder had locked eyes with Khedache during her testimony on Tuesday, as the letter was read aloud.
"I do appreciate the letter, I forgive you," she said. "But it doesn't change the feelings and the trauma and the fact that my life was forever changed."
On Friday, Khedache asked for "a thousand pardons," communicated via a written note in court. Other defendants also used their final words to express remorse.
As "The Kardashians" star sat on the witness stand earlier this week, she said the robbery marked what she thought would be the last day of her life.
"I was certain that was the moment that he was going to rape me," she said during her testimony. "I absolutely did think I was going to die."
Kardashian, who thanked the French authorities for "allowing me to share my truth," told the court she recalled screaming to the robbers at the time of the intrusion, "I have babies."
"[Kim] has tremendous appreciation and admiration for the French judicial system and has been treated with great respect by the French authorities," Kardashian's attorney, Michael Rhodes, said in a statement to Fox News Digital ahead of the trial. "She wishes for the trial to proceed in an orderly fashion in accordance with French law and with respect for all parties to the case."
The mom of four, who was accompanied by her mom Kris Jenner on Tuesday, testified against a group known as the "grandpa robbers" due to their age. More than 17 people were arrested as suspects in connection to the case after investigators found trace amounts of DNA on plastic bands tied around Kardashian's wrists. The case was finally ordered to go to trial in 2021 with 12 people charged.
Kardashian didn't return to Paris for nearly two years after the attack.
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