Latest news with #jewelleryheist
The Independent
27-06-2025
- The Independent
‘Grandpa robber' at centre of Kim Kardashian robbery dies month after trial
A 'grandpa robber' found guilty of stealing millions of pounds worth of jewellery from Kim Kardashian has died a month after being convicted, according to French media. Didier Dubreucq, 69, was diagnosed with lung cancer while in detention prior to going on trial and had been undergoing chemotherapy. He and seven others were found guilty of the high-profile Paris heist which happened in 2016, with the court hearing Ms Kardashian was bound and had a gun held to her head. The thieves stole about £7.5m of her jewellery including an engagement ring worth £3m that was gifted by her then-husband Kanye West. Also known as "Blue Eyes', Dubreucq was one of two men who held Kardashian at gunpoint in her room. He denied the charges during the second day in court. With tears in his eyes, Dubreucq spoke of his past as a criminal, telling the court according to Le Monde: "I told my son, 'I hope you don't become like your father.' And I'm keeping a close watch." It was on 3 October 2016 when Kardashian was lying in the bed of the luxury apartment in central Paris, that she heard footsteps pounding up the stairs. After calling out, and hearing no response, she knew something 'wasn't quite right', she recalled in an episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians months after the crime. Two men in police uniforms had handcuffed the concierge and forced him to let them into her apartment. 'What I've heard from talking to him afterward is they said, you know, 'Where's the rapper's wife? Let us up to her room!' 'He ended up being our interpreter because I couldn't understand them, they couldn't understand me,' Ms Kardashian recalled. When she was dragged to the hallway at the top of the stairs, Kardashian said she saw that the pair were armed – and began to fear the worst. 'He pulled me toward him at the front of the bed and I thought, 'OK, this is the moment they're going to rape me,'' she said. 'I fully mentally prepped myself – and then he didn't.' The robber put duct tape round her legs and a gun to her head. She said: 'I just knew that was the moment. They're just totally going to shoot me in the head. I just prayed that Kourtney's going to have a normal life after she sees my dead body on the bed.' Kardashian told investigators she was taken to a bathroom and placed in the bathtub. Her attackers fled on bicycles or on foot, and she freed herself by removing the tape.
BBC News
26-06-2025
- BBC News
Kim Kardashian 'grandpa robber' dies one month after conviction
One of the "grandpa robbers" found guilty of stealing jewellery worth millions from reality TV star Kim Kardashian has died one month after being convicted, French media have Dubreucq, 69, was diagnosed with lung cancer while in detention prior to going on trial and had been undergoing May, he and seven accomplices were found guilty of the high-profile Paris heist, during which millions of dollars' worth of jewellery were stolen from Kardashian nearly a decade denied any involvement in the heist. "It's a mistaken identity case... I had nothing to do with this," he told the court during his testimony in April. Due to chemotherapy, Dubreucq - nicknamed "Blue Eyes" - was absent from the sentencing, but received a seven-year sentence from the judge of which five were did not spend time in prison following the sentencing as he had already spent two years in pre-trial detention. Three other people were given sentences of up to eight years, mostly suspended, but also did not return to prison because of time already served. Judge David De Pas said as he delivered the verdict that "the state of health of the main protagonists ethically prohibits incarcerating anyone".During the three-week trial, the court heard how Kardashian was bound and had a gun held to her head during the ordeal. On the day she took the stand, she recalled thinking she "would be shot dead on the bed".The thieves - nicknamed the "grandpa robbers" due to the advanced ages of those involved, stole about $10m (£7.5m) of her jewellery, including the engagement ring her then-husband and rapper Kanye West gifted her, which alone was worth $4m (£3m)."The crime was the most terrifying experience of my life, leaving a lasting impact on me and my family," Kardashian said in a statement after the verdicts.
The Sun
26-06-2025
- The Sun
Kim Kardashian's ‘grandpa robber' jewel thief dubbed ‘Blue Eyes' dies days after being sentenced over $10m kidnap heist
KIM Kardashian's "grandpa robber" who stole her jewellery in a terrifying Paris hotel room heist has died days after being sentenced. Didier Dubreucq, 69, suffered from lung cancer and had to be hospitalized during the trial - in which he was sentenced to seven years in prison. 3 3 3 The thief, dubbed "Blue Eyes", died from his illness on Thursday morning, according to the French authorities. More to follow... For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos.
National Post
20-06-2025
- National Post
Seven men charged over largest jewellery heist in U.S. history
Police in California have made several arrests and laid charges in what they are calling the largest jewellery heist in U.S. history. The 2022 crime is said to have resulted in the theft of more than US$100 million worth of gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds and luxury watches. Article content According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, on the evening of July 10, 2022, two men scouted a Brinks truck leaving an international jewellery show in San Mateo, Calif., with 73 bags containing millions of dollars of jewellery. Overnight, six men and other conspirators followed the truck approximately 480 kilometres from the show to rest stops in Buttonwillow and Lebec, north of Los Angeles. Article content At the second stop, defendants stole 24 bags from the truck containing about US$100 million in jewellery. In the following days, they all deactivated their cellphone numbers that they had been using during the heist. Article content Article content Several of the men are also alleged to have stolen US$240,573 worth of Samsung electronics from an interstate cargo shipment in Ontario, Calif., four months earlier. Those same defendants then allegedly robbed a box truck driver of US$57,377 worth of Apple AirTags, with one of the robbers brandishing a knife to threaten the driver. Article content Next, on May 25, 2022, the defendants allegedly attempted to steal from one truck at a Fontana, Calif., rest stop using a crowbar to break in. Shortly after, they successfully stole approximately US$14,000 worth of Samsung electronics from another interstate shipment in the same city. Article content The accusations in the 14-page indictment have not yet been proven in court. The trial is set to start on Aug. 1. If convicted, five of the men would face statutory maximum sentences of 20 years in federal prison for each robbery charge, and all would face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for the theft conspiracy charge, plus 10 years in federal prison for each theft charge. Article content Article content The FBI, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the Fontana Police Department, and the Ontario Police Department are continuing their investigation. Article content Article content Facing charges are seven men from California: Carlos Victor Mestanza Cercado, 31, of Pasadena, Calif; Jazael Padilla Resto, a.k.a. 'Ricardo Noel Moya,' 'Ricardo Barbosa,' and 'Alberto Javier Loza Chamorro,' 36, of Boyle Heights and currently an inmate in Arizona state prison; Pablo Raul Lugo Larroig, a.k.a. 'Walter Loza,' 41, of Rialto; Victor Hugo Valencia Solorzano, 60, of Los Angeles; Jorge Enrique Alban, 33, of Los Angeles; Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores, 42, of Upland; and Eduardo Macias Ibarra, 36, of Los Angeles. Article content
BBC News
18-06-2025
- BBC News
Seven California men charged in 'largest jewellery heist' in US history
Seven men from California have been charged in the "largest jewellery heist in US history", involving the theft of $100m (£75m) worth of gold, gems, and luxury heist has been a mystery in California for nearly three years after a Brinks company truck transporting the jewellery was robbed at a remote stop as one driver slept inside, and another was having a suspects tracked the truck as it left a jewellery show near San Francisco with 73 bags, officials said. The next morning, they stole 24 bags when the truck was at a rest stop in Lebec, California, according to court indictment does not say how they gained access to the truck. Announcing the charges on Tuesday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged that one of the suspects scouted a jewellery show near San Francisco for several days in 2022 and then robbed the truck with his accomplices in the early hours of 11 July.A copy of the indictment says the defendants watched as a Brinks truck was loaded with jewels and then followed the truck for approximately 300 miles (485 km) from San Mateo to Lebec, the truck was parked at a stop in Lebec, the suspects allegedly stole 24 bags containing about $100m in jewellery, the court document said the robbers did not use any weapons during the heist. The robbery was discovered when the driver returned to the vehicle and saw that the exterior padlock was missing. Authorities believe it was sawed off. The truck was on its way to another jewellery show in Pasadena, California. Some of the jewels were recovered during the execution of search warrants on 16 June, according to a DOJ Kroll, an attorney who represents some of the jewellers whose merchandise was stolen, told the BBC he did not know how much had been recovered."Most of my clients are senior citizens," he said. "Some of them are 85 years old. This is really serious. If there is something there for any of these clients, we'd be very grateful."It is not clear if the suspects have lawyers to speak on their behalf.
