Topline
Billionaire reality television star and entrepreneur Kim Kardashian told a Paris court Tuesday she thought she was “going to be raped” and killed in a 2016 incident in which she says she was robbed of more than $9 million in jewelry as 10 suspects face trial for allegedly orchestrating the heist.
Kardashian arrives at a Paris court on Tuesday. (Photo by Edward Berthelot/GC Images)
Key Facts
Kardashian’s Tuesday appearance in a Paris court is her first time facing the alleged robbers since she says she was held at gunpoint, bound with zipties and gagged as men dressed as police officers robbed her of expensive jewelry during Paris Fashion Week in 2016.
Kardashian told the judge she was not assaulted or hit, but said she was “grabbed and dragged into the other room” as a gun was pointed at her while the alleged robbers held her in the bathroom as they stole jewels.
Kardashian testified she pleaded to the robbers, “I have babies and I need to get home to my babies,” and the robbers told her she would be fine if she stayed quiet, the Associated Press reported.
She testified she changed many of her habits following the robbery: She said she now has between four and six security guards present at her California home during the night, and the robbery “changed everything” she loved about Paris, where she previously felt safe walking the streets, NBC reported.
Earlier Tuesday, Kardashian’s friend and former stylist Simone Harouche, who was staying on the hotel floor below her during the robbery, testified Kardashian lost her sense of freedom and no longer posts anything on social media in real time, the New York Times reported.
Harouche testified she was initially asleep during the robbery but was awoken by Kardashian “screaming with terror in her voice,” stating Kardashian had hopped downstairs with her ankles tied after the robbers left, AP reported.
Who Is On Trial For The Paris Robbery?
Nine men and one woman, who have been dubbed the “grandpa robbers” by French media as several of them are in their 60s and 70s, are on trial for charges of armed robbery in an organized gang, kidnapping and other weapons charges. Several of the defendants have spoken directly to Kardashian during the trial. The judge read a letter written in 2017 by Aomar Ait Khedache, one of the defendants, apologizing for the robbery. “Madame, after seeing you in a French TV show and seeing your emotion and realizing what psychological harm I did to you, that I decided to write to you,” Khedache’s letter reads, adding he regrets his actions and is “sorry for the pain I caused you,” BBC reported. Kardashian said she appreciates the letter and forgives Khedache, but said it “doesn’t change the emotion, the feelings and the trauma and the way my life has changed.” Yunice Abbas, another defendant, told Kardashian: “Listening to the trauma, you really regret your actions… I beg you to accept my apologies,” BBC reported. All but two of the suspects on trial have pleaded not guilty.
Key Background
Among the pieces of jewelry stolen from Kardashian during the robbery was a $4 million engagement ring, given to her by her then-husband Kanye West. Following the robbery, Parisian police said DNA of two of the accused suspects on trial was found at the scene. Production was suspended for several weeks on “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” following the attack, during which time Kardashian kept a low profile. The robbery received international attention and also drew some skeptics, and some, including designer Karl Lagerfeld, criticized Kardashian for displaying her wealth online. After the robbery, Kardashian filed a quickly-dropped libel lawsuit against the MediaTakeOut tabloid for suggesting the robbery was fake, which the tabloid later admitted were “false stories.” Suspects in the case were detained by French police in 2017, and prosecutors said in 2020 they would seek trial, which did not begin until April. The trial is scheduled to run until May 22 with a verdict on May 23, CNN reported.
Forbes Valuation
Kardashian is worth an estimated $1.7 billion, much of which comes from her stake in Skims, her shapewear and loungewear brand. She also operates SKKN By Kim, a skincare brand she launched in 2022, and she first rose to fame as a reality star on the television series “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.”
Further Reading
A trial begins in Paris over the jewel heist aimed at Kim Kardashian in 2016 (Associated Press)
