PARIS — A gang member involved in the infamous $10 million armed robbery of Kim Kardashian vowed Monday to personally apologize to the reality television star as their long-awaited trial gets underway.
Yunice Abbas, 71, who has admitted to taking part in the 2016 Paris heist, said he intends to offer Kardashian a sincere apology when he faces her in court. “I mean it sincerely,” Abbas told reporters ahead of the proceedings.
He is among ten defendants charged with armed robbery, kidnapping, and other related offenses stemming from the high-profile crime that sent shockwaves through the entertainment world nearly a decade ago.
Kardashian, 44, is expected to testify about the harrowing night when she was held at gunpoint inside her luxury penthouse suite at the Hôtel de Pourtalès. At the time of the attack, she was dressed in a bathrobe and pleaded for her life, telling the armed men, “Don’t kill me, I have babies.”
The case has taken a dramatic turn following the recent death of one of the accused, 72-year-old Marceau Baum-Gertner. Sources confirmed Baum-Gertner “died suddenly” in Paris on March 6, amid reported threats from criminals believed to have purchased Kardashian’s stolen jewelry. There were suggestions he might have cooperated with authorities to lessen his potential sentence by naming others involved in the criminal network.
According to prosecutors, the robbery was meticulously planned. Three members of the gang, dressed as cyclists in bright yellow safety vests, arrived at the hotel courtyard and parked their bicycles. Two additional accomplices approached on foot. All wore black balaclavas and police armbands to disguise themselves as law enforcement officers.
Once inside, the gang confronted the property’s sole concierge, Abderrahmane Ouatiki, threatening him with an antique Mauser 7.65mm pistol. Under duress, the concierge led the robbers to Kardashian’s penthouse suite, where she was resting alone — her bodyguard, Pascal Duvier, having left earlier to accompany her sisters on a night out.
The attackers spent 49 minutes inside the penthouse, during which they bound and gagged Kardashian before making off with an estimated $10 million haul of jewelry, including her prized 20-carat engagement ring. Duvier was later dismissed from Kardashian’s security team following the incident.
Another key defendant, Ait Khedache, 68, known as “Old Omar,” has also admitted his role in the robbery but disputes the prosecution’s claim that he masterminded the operation.
French investigators pieced together the case through a combination of security footage, DNA evidence, and confessions from some of the accused. The crime was notable not only for its brazenness but also because it exposed vulnerabilities in the celebrity security world and dramatically altered Kardashian’s public life and personal sense of safety.
Security has been heightened around the Paris courthouse as the trial begins, with Kardashian’s testimony expected to be a pivotal moment. Sources close to the legal proceedings say the star remains determined to confront her attackers in court, despite the traumatic memories the case may reopen.
If convicted, the defendants face lengthy prison sentences under French law. The trial is expected to last several weeks.
