Donnarumma: Two Jailed Over Violent Paris Burglary of Man City Goalkeeper, Wife

Donnarumma: Two Jailed Over Violent Paris Burglary of Man City Goalkeeper, Wife

Two men have been jailed over the violent burglary of Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and his wife, Alessia Elefante, at their Paris home in July 2023, while a third defendant was acquitted.

Ilyas Kherbouch, 21, whom prosecutors described as the main organiser of the operation, was sentenced by a Paris criminal court to nine years in prison and fined €80,000.

Moktar Diop, 24, who admitted taking part in the operation, was sentenced to five years in prison, with two years suspended and subject to probation.

A third defendant, Khyan Mamouni, 22, who was accused of helping coordinate the robbery from his prison cell, was acquitted. The verdict was delivered late Friday after a two-day trial. (L’Équipe)

The case centred on the home invasion targeting Donnarumma and Elefante in the early hours of July 21, 2023, when the Italian goalkeeper was still playing for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

Donnarumma subsequently moved to Manchester City, where he now plays as the club’s goalkeeper. (AFP)

The couple were asleep in their luxury ninth-floor apartment on Avenue Montaigne in central Paris when a group of masked men entered the property through the rooftops.

According to evidence presented during the trial, four attackers entered the apartment and pulled the couple from their bed before restraining them.

Donnarumma was beaten in the face with hard gloves until he bled, while the attackers demanded money, watches and other valuables.

Elefante, who was pregnant at the time, was also subjected to serious violence and was choked with a phone charging cable before the couple were separated and tied up.

The wider group involved in the operation was reported to have comprised seven people, some of whom have not been identified.

The robbers escaped within minutes with cash, jewellery, luxury watches and designer bags. Donnarumma estimated the value of the stolen property at just under €1 million. (AFP)

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Elefante lost her pregnancy a few days after the attack. Prosecutors referred to the loss during the trial and attributed it to the shock suffered during the burglary. (AFP)

Donnarumma and Elefante, who have since married, did not attend the trial.

Prosecutors had sought a 10-year prison sentence for Kherbouch, nine years for Mamouni and six years for Diop, arguing that the robbery was a highly lucrative and extremely violent operation.

Kherbouch, known as “Ganito,” was accused of organising the burglary while he was in prison.

His name had also featured in several other cases involving alleged kidnappings and violent robberies. He attracted further attention in March 2026 after escaping from Villepinte prison in the Paris region before being recaptured. (AFP)

Kherbouch denied organising the Donnarumma robbery despite evidence from messages and videos recovered from phones used while he was in custody.

Mamouni, who was also accused of coordinating the operation from prison, similarly denied the allegations. His lawyer welcomed his acquittal, saying the court had considered the evidence and uncertainties surrounding the case before reaching its decision. (AFP)

Diop was the only one of the three defendants who was present at the scene of the burglary.

He admitted being involved but maintained that he acted only as a lookout, positioned on the roof of a building opposite Donnarumma’s apartment.

Prosecutors, however, argued that he was part of the criminal operation that targeted the couple.

The trial was marked by dramatic scenes on its first day after Kherbouch repeatedly insulted and threatened police officers in the courtroom following a dispute involving members of his family.

The proceedings were temporarily disrupted as police officers entered the courtroom and some of Kherbouch’s relatives were removed.

Kherbouch later apologised to the officers and the court, allowing the second day of proceedings to continue in a calmer atmosphere. (L’Équipe)

The case also involved another alleged participant who was a childhood friend of Diop.

That man, who was accused of being involved in the operation and later described as an informant, died by suicide in prison in May 2024 after reportedly facing threats linked to the case. (AFP)

The prosecution presented the Donnarumma burglary as part of a wider pattern of home invasions targeting wealthy residents and celebrities in Paris, particularly in affluent areas such as Avenue Montaigne.

Prosecutors said several celebrities had been targeted in similar attacks between 2022 and 2025, describing the criminal activity as increasingly youthful and focused on lucrative targets. (AFP)

The Donnarumma case has attracted significant attention because of the level of violence used against the couple, the value of the stolen property and the alleged involvement of organisers operating from prison.

With Kherbouch sentenced to nine years and Diop to five years, the latest judgment has resulted in two convictions in the main trial, while Mamouni was cleared of the allegations against him.

The verdict brings the principal court proceedings over the 2023 Donnarumma home invasion to a close, although other alleged participants in the wider operation have been dealt with separately or remain unidentified.

Donnarumma: Two Jailed Over Violent Paris Burglary of Man City Goalkeeper, Wife