A 21-year-old man has been sentenced to nine years in prison and fined €80,000 for his involvement in a 2023 home invasion targeting Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and his then-pregnant girlfriend in Paris. Ilyas Kherbouch, known as 'Ganito,' received the sentence from a Paris criminal court for his role in the incident that occurred at the couple's flat on Avenue Montaigne.
Donnarumma and Alessia Elefante, who have since married and had a child, were reportedly hit, bound, and threatened with a knife during the robbery. Kherbouch, who has a history of 11 criminal convictions, has been identified as one of the individuals involved in the break-in. His co-defendant, Khyan Mamouni, was acquitted, while another defendant, Moktar Diop, received a five-year sentence, with two years suspended.
Court documents indicate that Donnarumma was awakened by an intruder and subsequently struck with a knuckle duster and threatened with a knife. The thieves demanded watches, and Donnarumma showed them an Audemars Piguet. His partner told investigators that she was also threatened and handed over a Cartier watch, jewelry, and €2,000 in cash. She reported being pulled by her hair and hit on the thighs by one of the robbers, despite stating she was pregnant.
The robbers also sought the code to a safe, but Elefante stated she did not know it and that it was empty. Donnarumma eventually provided the safe code, but it contained nothing. The thieves made off with keys to a Mercedes and a Lamborghini, cash, watches, and luxury handbags.
Investigators determined that the perpetrators gained access to the flat by using a ladder to climb onto the roof, descending to the balcony, and breaking in through windows. Two other individuals under the age of 18 at the time of the incident received three and four-year sentences in a children's court. A fourth suspect involved in the robbery died by suicide in 2024, having previously admitted his involvement under pressure from accomplices.
Donnarumma, who was playing for Paris Saint-Germain at the time of the incident, did not testify in court, but a witness statement provided details of the ordeal. Lawyers for Donnarumma and Elefante stated that the couple remained "profoundly shocked" by the event. Kherbouch reportedly caused disruptions during the trial, including insulting and threatening police officers.