Kim Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint in a Parisian luxury suite back in 2016.

It’s been nearly a decade since reality star and businesswoman Kim Kardashian (44) was tied and gagged in a luxury suite as a group of thieves made away with millions worth of her jewelry. About $10m worth of jewels were taken from her, including a $4m diamond engagement from then-husband Kanye West.

Starting April 28, ten suspects that prosecutors linked to the incident have been going to trial. The accused are a group dubbed as the “grandpa robbers”, as several of them were of or near retirement age when the heist took place—back then, it was deemed to be the biggest robbery involving an individual in France for more than 20 years.

Kardashian’s lawyer previously confirmed the trial is expected to run for almost a month. The beauty mogul herself is set to give in-person testimony on May 13. No photography will be permitted in court, according to information provided to the press by the Court of Appeal.

What Happened?

On the night of October 2, 2016, while in Paris for a Givenchy Fashion Week event, Kim Kardashian was staying at a private luxury residence known as the Hôtel de Pourtalès. At around 2:30 a.m., five masked men dressed as police officers gained access to her apartment. They had tied up the building’s concierge at gunpoint and forced him to lead them to Kardashian’s unit.

Inside the apartment, the robbers tied up the reality star and held her at gunpoint. She was bound, gagged, and locked in the bathroom, while the thieves stole more than $10 million worth of jewelry.

A spokesperson said Kardashian was left “badly shaken but physically unharmed” after the incident, according to NBC News. The SKIMS founder later recounted that she feared she was going to be sexually assaulted or killed, especially when one of the robbers duct-taped her mouth and legs. She pleaded with them, saying she had children and begged them to let her live.

Aftermath

The robbery had a profound psychological effect on her. She took a lengthy break from the public eye, refrained from flaunting expensive items on social media, and significantly increased her security detail. 

“For a good year, I almost lost myself,” she said on “The Alec Baldwin Show” in 2018. “I was never depressed, but I wasn’t motivated to get up and work like I used to. It shook me.” She also became more private and reflective, later stating that the experience changed how she viewed fame, wealth, and material possessions:

The Investigation and Arrests

The French police launched a major investigation, using forensic evidence, surveillance footage, and cell phone data. In January 2017, authorities arrested 17 people in connection with the crime, including the mastermind, Aomar Ait Khedache, and several accomplices who were later dubbed the “grandpa robbers” due to their advanced ages—many in their 60s and 70s.

In 2022, Yunis Abbas, one of the robbers, gave interviews from prison describing the operation and claiming they targeted Kim because of her highly visible display of wealth online.

“I thought, ‘She’s got a lot of money. This lady doesn’t care at all,’” he said in a Vice News interview. 

He then added that he did not feel any guilt about the incident. However, this week he confessed to a court: “I do regret what I did, it opened my eyes,” he said. “I regret it, not because I got caught, but because … there was a trauma.”

A Turning Point

Kim Kardashian’s Paris robbery became more than a celebrity scandal—it was a cultural moment. It highlighted the risks of overexposure in the digital age, even for someone with as many resources as Kardashian.

This serves as a reminder that fame, no matter how glamorous, can come with unforeseen dangers. After all, money doesn’t protect anyone from trauma.