Marceau Baum-Gertner, a key suspect in the 2016 $10,000,000 (£7,511,455) Paris robbery of Kim Kardashian, has reportedly died before the case was set to go to trial.
Baum-Gertner died aged 72 on March 6, according to Mail Online, in Paris’ 10th arrondissement.
A cause of death has not yet been announced, but a source told the publication that his death was ‘sudden.’
‘Mr Baum-Gertner had been released on bail following his arrest over the Kim Kardashian robbery eight years ago and was living in Paris while regularly reporting to police,’ the insider said.
‘His name was on the defendants’ list for the trial, and he was very enthusiastic about clearing his name in court.
‘This was until he died suddenly in the 10th arrondissement of Paris on March 6.’
‘He was suspected of liaising with mafia gangs from across the world over the Kardashian jewellery, and criminals are known to have issued threats against him following widespread publicity connected to the case.’
Nicknamed ‘Rough Nose’, he was part of a group of 12 people set to go on trial at the Paris Assizes court on April 28 for kidnapping and armed robbery, nine years after the crime took place.
In the early hours of October 3, 2016, while she was attending Paris Fashion Week, Kim was attacked in her room at the Hôtel de Pourtalès.
The terrifying attack was led by five armed men, posing as police officers, who tied up the socialite and locked her in the bathroom, along with the concierge.
They reportedly stole a jewellery box worth $6.7 million (£5.2million) and a ring worth $4.5 million (£3.4million)—both are believed to be her personal items. She also lost her smartphone during the attack.
Baum-Gertner was alleged to have worked with the gang that committed the robbery as a fence, responsible for finding buyers for the stolen goods.
Kardashian is set to attend the trial in Paris to face her attackers during the long-awaited trial.
In January 2017, 17 people, including Baum-Gertner, were arrested in connection with the robbery. Twelve people are currently on remand and set to face trial.
She recalled the experience on an episode of E! True Hollywood Story, which aired in 2019, saying the attack ‘changed her whole life.’
‘Right as I was about to fall asleep, I heard guys running up the stairs,’ the mum-of-four explained. ‘They wanted my ring and my jewellery, so I didn’t fight back.
‘I just gave them everything, and they tied me up.
‘They wrapped duct tape over my eyes and my mouth. It was the scariest thing I’ve ever been through in my entire life, just thinking, you know, you’re about to die.
‘You’re just kind of bracing yourself for the moment that they’re going to shoot and kill you.’
Appearing on The Alec Baldwin Show in 2018, she said she was ‘grateful’ for the incident.
‘I was never depressed, but I wasn’t motivated to get up and work like I used to. It shook me,’ she explained.
In 2021, Kim opened up to her sister Khloe about experiencing agoraphobia following the robbery.
Coming out of lockdown during the pandemic brought back the fears she had then, as she felt unsafe being outside and tried to avoid fans who approached her and estranged husband Kanye West in the street.
She continued: ‘People were trying to come up to Kanye and talk to him. People were trying to come up to me and ask for photos and I was like, “Absolutely not.” I would stop people and be like, “Get away, this is my first time out. I’m not comfortable with you coming a step closer”
‘I feel like I had agoraphobia, definitely, after my robbery in Paris. Definitely would stay in, hated to go out, I didn’t want anyone to know where I was or be seen. I just had such anxiety.’
‘Then I feel I was just getting back into it, we’d just gone to Paris, we just started travelling again, and then quarantine happened and I’m such a freak all over again and I never wanna leave.’
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.