Ten charged for Paris Kardashian robbery
Six suspects in the Kim Kardashian jewel heist were to be charged Friday, following four who were charged on Thursday. Sources describe them as old-style gangsters and several are over the age of 60.
Issued on: Modified:
The first suspect to be charged was Yunice A, 63.
He is accused of armed robbery, gangsterism and sequestration for his part in the robbery of the reality TV star in an exclusive Paris hotel last October.
Three others were charged on Thursday.
Some of the suspects have confessed, according to sources, while others maintain their innocence.
Brains to be charged Friday
Among those to be charged on Friday was the man investigators believe to be the brains of the operation, a 60-year-old man, well-known in organised crime circles, whose ADN was found on the gag and cuffs used to tie Kardashian up in her bathroom while the raid took place.
Three of his alleged accomplices, his partner and his son, who is believed to have driven the gang to near the scene of the crime, were also to be charged.
Two men - Florus H, 44, and Gary M, 27, - are believed to have kept the gang informed of Kardashian's movements, while Marceau B, 64, is believed to have been responsible for selling the stolen goods.
Investigators traced his movements to Antwerp, the European centre of the diamond trade.
Experienced professional criminals
With a booty worth nine million euros, the heist is France's biggest jewel robbery from an individual in 20 years.
Four of the suspects were convicted of theft, robbery or drug trafficking in the 80s and 90s.
One, a 61-year-old nicknamed Blue Eyes, was sentenced to eight years six months in prison in 2003 after being found guilty of receiving two tonnes of cocaine at Le Bourget airport.
Marceau B has also already served time in prison.
After his release in 2011, he was accused of counterfeiting six months later but acquitted when the case went to trial.
Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning
Subscribe