Gigio Donnarumma's shocking robbery: Boss 'Ganito' gets nine years

Paris – Nine years in prison for planning and directing from a prison cell one of the most brutal and high-profile robberies in recent years. The first-instance trial before the Paris Tribunal for the robbery and kidnapping suffered on July 21, 2023, by former PSG and national team goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and his partner Alessia Elefante, concluded last night.

Parisian judges handed down a nine-year prison sentence to Ilyas Kherbouch, 21, known in criminal circles as "Ganito," almost entirely upholding the prosecutor's request (which had requested a ten-year sentence). However, the case against the alleged commander, 22-year-old Khyan M., was dropped. The prosecution had requested a nine-year sentence for him, but the panel acquitted him for failure to prove his criminal responsibility, accepting the arguments of defense attorney Céline Dadouat.

The shadow of the boy boss and the prison heist

Kherbouch, a figure already known to law enforcement for his spectacular escape from Villepinte prison last March (which lasted 13 days before his capture), was identified as the mastermind of the operation. According to prosecutors' reconstruction, the 21-year-old allegedly coordinated the seven perpetrators—some of whom have never been identified—directly from the prison.

The episode is part of a series of at least seven homejackings carried out between 2022 and 2025 in the western part of the French capital, targeting celebrities and wealthy individuals. The Prosecutor's Office has described this phenomenon as indicative of increasingly ruthless and organized youth crime.

The Night of Terror on Avenue Montaigne

Court documents reconstructed the ruthless violence that took place that night in the prestigious apartment on Avenue Montaigne. The robbers broke in late at night, surprising the couple in bed. Donnarumma was repeatedly punched in the face with reinforced fists, suffering bruises and bleeding wounds, while his partner, Alessia Elefante, who was pregnant at the time, was immobilized and strangled with a cell phone charger cable. In just a few minutes, the robbers made off with a haul estimated at just under a million euros, including jewelry, designer handbags, cash, and luxury watches.

The collateral tragedies of the investigation

The trial records also highlighted the dramatic aftermath of the robbery. The first concerns the loss of the child Alessia Elefante was carrying: a miscarriage that occurred shortly after the attack and was directly attributable to the psychological and physical shock she suffered. The second shadow concerns the suicide in prison on May 10, 2024, of a man implicated in the incident. He took his own life after suffering severe retaliation and threats because he was believed to be the "spy" who had provided logistical details of the footballer's assets.