The three men reportedly gagged David, and then did the same to his 73-year-old mother, Mireille. She recalled to the Algemeiner that the attackers hit, kicked, and attempted to rape her. The gang also beat up Mireille's husband, Roger, leaving him unconscious. The Algemeiner reported that after regaining consciousness, one of the muggers told Mr. Pinto he was targeted because "Jews have a lot of money." However, lawyers for the nine defendants — the three assailants and six more individuals who assisted them with the robbery — dispute the allegation that antisemitism was a factor. They stated that the defendants had taken note of Mireille Pinto a few weeks prior to the robbery, describing her as a “chic lady with beautiful jewelry” whom they had stalked on her way home. At least one defendant reportedly claimed that he was “unaware” that his victims were Jewish.
Several thousand euros in cash were stolen while the Pintos were tied up and locked in a room. After a few hours, Mireille Pinto managed to call for help using her son's phone.
After the attack, the Pintos moved away from the Livry-Gargan district where they had been established figures in the Jewish community for thirty years. Mireille Pinto still suffers from trauma due to the attack, while her husband was subsequently diagnosed with cancer.
The trial of the nine defendants, which is expected to go on for nine days, is eagerly anticipated by a French Jewish community still reeling from the decision of the country’s highest court in April to excuse from trial the accused antisemitic killer of Sarah Halimi. In 2017, Halimi, a Jewish woman, was brutally murdered in her Paris apartment. The perpetrator was excused on the grounds that his intake of cannabis had made him temporarily insane and therefore not criminally held responsible.