Nine years behind bars for the mastermind
The Paris court delivered its verdict on Friday. Ilyas Kherbouch, 21, was handed nine years in prison with immediate custody. Judges ruled he was the mastermind behind the violent burglary that targeted Gianluigi Donnarumma and his partner Alessia Elefante in July 2023.
Prosecutors had asked for 10 years. The young man denied everything throughout the case. The prosecution said he ran the operation from his cell.
Two other defendants also appeared in court. Khyan M., 22, described by prosecutors as a second mastermind, was cleared even though nine years had been sought for him. Moktar D., who was said to have acted as lookout on the night in question, received five years, including two suspended under probation.
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A million euros gone from an Avenue Montaigne flat
The crime dates back to the night of 20 to 21 July 2023. The Italy goalkeeper and his partner were asleep in their apartment on Avenue Montaigne in Paris when the intruders woke them, tied them up and beat them.
The haul was huge. Cash, jewellery, watches and luxury bags vanished that night. The damage was estimated at close to 1 million euros.
Donnarumma was then playing for Paris Saint-Germain, whom he joined in 2021 before continuing his career in the Premier League. The case sent shockwaves through the Paris dressing room and reignited the debate over the security of top players, who remain regular targets of home-jackings in the Paris area.
Three years of investigation, and an appeal window still open
Prosecutors stressed the seriousness of the impact on the two victims. The investigation lasted more than three years and brought several suspects before the courts.
The verdict closes a legal chapter that opened the day after the attack. The convicted men have time to appeal.
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