The Kim Kardashian robbery in Paris: the "grandpa robbers" and the one-euro compensation

Five men dressed as police officers. One of the most famous women in the world, tied up in the bathroom of a Paris hotel. And a haul worth several million dollars.

But the most incredible part of this robbery came out later: most of the robbers were grandfathers. And the story ended, almost ten years later, with compensation of a single euro.

That night

It was the early hours of October 3, 2016, in the middle of Paris Fashion Week. Kim Kardashian was staying at the Hôtel de Pourtalès, a historic building turned into a very discreet luxury residence in the city center.

After three in the morning, the receptionist saw several men dressed as police officers arrive. They weren't police. They handcuffed him and forced him to take them to Kim's room, where she was packing.

As she told the court years later, the men demanded the ring. They tied her hands with plastic zip ties, taped her mouth shut and left her in the bathroom. Her stylist was also in the apartment and managed to hide.

The haul and the first mistake

In a few minutes they took the engagement ring Kanye West had given her, of about twenty carats, and a box full of jewelry. The ring alone was valued at about four million dollars; in total, estimates of the haul range from six to ten million.

They fled on foot and by bicycle. And that's when the first mistake happened: one of them fell, and several pieces of jewelry were left lying in the street. The next day, a passerby found a diamond cross. It was the only piece ever recovered: the rest, including the ring, never turned up.

DNA on the zip ties

The key was a tiny detail: on the zip ties used to tie up Kim, investigators found DNA. That trace led them to the man who, according to the investigation, led the group. Then police tapped phones and heard them arranging the sale of the diamonds in Belgium.

In January 2017 came the arrests: seventeen people, in five French cities. And then the surprise: many of the suspects were between sixty and seventy years old. The French press gave them a nickname that went around the world: the grandpa robbers.

Many of those arrested were between 60 and 70 years old: the press called them "the grandpa robbers".

The trial, nine years later

In May 2025, Kim Kardashian traveled to Paris to testify. She said that night she was convinced she was going to die, and that she prayed for her family. At the end of her testimony, the judge read a letter from the man named as the ringleader, who has hearing problems and can't speak. In it he apologized. Kim replied that she forgave him, but that forgiveness doesn't erase the trauma.

On May 23, 2025 came the verdict: eight of the ten defendants were found guilty. The ringleader received eight years in prison, five of them suspended. Since they had already spent time in pretrial detention, none of those convicted went back to prison.

An almost movie-like detail: one of those convicted had already published a book about the robbery, with a title that could be translated as "I Tied Up Kim Kardashian".

One euro

The last chapter came in September 2026, when a Paris court decided on compensation. The receptionist, who had asked for more than half a million euros, received about 109,000. The hotel, 50,000. And Kim Kardashian? One euro.

It wasn't a mistake: it was exactly what she asked for, as did her stylist. According to them, it was never about the money, but about having what happened recognized.

Since that night, Kim has changed the way she lives: she no longer keeps jewelry at home, and when she travels she often books the rooms next door for her security.