Two Men Sentenced to Prison Over Brutal Paris Burglary Targeting Gianluigi Donnarumma and Partner

A Paris court has handed down prison sentences to two men involved in a violent home invasion targeting Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and his then-fiancée, now wife, Alessia Elefante, at their residence in Paris.

During the attack, Donnarumma was severely beaten, while Elefante was choked with a cable. Prosecutors noted that Elefante later suffered a miscarriage, which was attributed to the trauma of the harrowing incident.

Ilyas Kherbouch, identified as the 21-year-old mastermind of the burglary, was sentenced to nine years in prison and ordered to pay an 80,000 euro ($93,000) fine by the Paris Criminal Court. A co-defendant, Moktar D, received a five-year prison sentence, with two years suspended under a probationary period. Meanwhile, a third defendant, Khyan M, whom prosecutors believed also helped orchestrate the robbery from his prison cell, was acquitted.

The court heard that the terrifying ordeal took place in July 2023 inside the couple's luxury apartment on Avenue Montaigne in central Paris, where the victims were bound and threatened at knifepoint. At the time, the Italian international was playing for Paris Saint-Germain before later moving to Manchester City in 2025.

In the early hours of July 21, 2023, four masked men broke into the ninth-floor apartment via the rooftops, dragging Donnarumma and his fiancée from their bed. Donnarumma was beaten with hard knuckle gloves until he bled while the attackers demanded money and watches. Elefante was choked with a phone charging cable before the couple was separated and tied up. A gang of seven made off with cash, jewelry, luxury watches, and bags valued by the footballer at just under one million euros ($1.1m).

Prosecuting officials highlighted that the exclusive Avenue Montaigne area has increasingly seen attacks by a younger criminal demographic targeting celebrities. The second and final day of the trial saw Kherbouch apologize to police and the court, though the alleged masterminds denied involvement despite incriminating digital evidence. Moktar D claimed he only acted as a lookout.