Seven members of the Hamidovic family have been sentenced to prison in France after a Paris court found them responsible for a system that exploited children and young women as pickpockets, including at Disneyland Paris.
The September 23 ruling puts a criminal case with direct ties to the resort into sharper focus. Investigators said groups of young people were sent to tourist-heavy locations including Disneyland Paris, the nearby Marne-la-Vallée transport hub, Charles de Gaulle Airport, and the Paris Métro, where foreign tourists were targeted.
Disneyland Paris Was One Target in a Wider Pickpocketing Network
Roberto Hamidovic, 48, received the longest sentence: eight years in prison and a €500,000 fine. His wife, Lejla Hamidovic, was sentenced to six years and fined €300,000, while five other family members received prison terms ranging from five to seven years, according to reporting on the verdict.
The case followed an investigation opened in late 2022 into human trafficking, organized theft, corruption of minors, money laundering, and criminal association. During the trial, prosecutors described a family structure in which children—most of them belonging to the defendants—and young adult women were compelled to steal.
For Disneyland Paris guests, the location matters. Investigators said groups of six to nine young pickpockets were taken to the resort, particularly during evening parade periods, as well as to the RER platforms at Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy. That setting places the activity amid the dense crowds and transportation corridors used by families arriving at and leaving the resort. Previous Inside the Magic coverage has examined pickpocket concerns at Disneyland Paris and later reports of recurring theft risks around the resort.
Investigators Said the Network Collected About €25,000 Per Day
According to the order sending the case to trial, reviewed by AFP, the children returned to Paris and handed over proceeds averaging €25,000 per day to men in the family. That figure covered the network’s theft activity across its targeted locations; available reporting does not establish that €25,000 was stolen from Disneyland Paris guests alone each day.
The court heard allegations of severe violence used to enforce the system. Children who failed to bring back enough money were subjected to beatings, burns, or sexual abuse, according to evidence described during the proceedings. Some of the children were reportedly as young as 10.
France’s Ministry of the Interior identifies forced organized theft as a form of exploitation affecting minors and specifically notes cases involving children used for theft in public transportation, amusement parks, and airports.
The Case Goes Beyond Ordinary Theme-Park Theft
That human-trafficking dimension separates this case from an isolated stolen wallet or phone. The French Interior Ministry explains that human trafficking involves recruiting or otherwise using people for exploitation, and its guidance recognizes organized theft involving minors as one form authorities encounter.
The case also arrives after repeated concerns about theft around the resort. Inside the Magic previously reported on attempted theft amid dense nighttime crowds. More recently, the site documented unauthorized vendors operating on the approach to Disneyland Paris, another reminder that the wider arrival zone is not isolated from ordinary public-space risks.
Security Around Disneyland Paris Remains a Guest Concern
Disneyland Paris already uses security screening around its resort areas, and the Disney Village entrance has undergone a significant checkpoint redevelopment. Inside the Magic reported earlier this year that the redesigned Disney Village security area was nearing completion after the former structure was demolished and rebuilt.
That work should not be presented as a response to the Hamidovic case. No verified source reviewed for this article establishes that the Disney Village security project was prompted by this investigation or verdict.
The practical issue for guests is narrower: crowded spaces create opportunities for pickpocketing. Previous reports have highlighted the parks, Disney Village, shuttle areas, and nearby transportation as places where visitors have described attempted or completed thefts. The criminal case now provides court-backed evidence that an organized network deliberately included Disneyland Paris among its targets.
What the Sentences Mean for Disneyland Paris Guests
The verdict removes seven convicted members of this branch of the network from the streets for substantial prison terms. The court also imposed fines, and reports on the judgment state that the defendants received permanent bans from French territory.
It does not establish that pickpocketing at Disneyland Paris has ended, nor does it show that every theft reported around the resort is connected to this family. Guests should avoid treating the conviction as proof of either a continuing resort-wide criminal operation or the elimination of theft risk.
For families planning a visit, ordinary precautions remain sensible: keep phones and wallets secured, pay close attention to bags in compressed crowds, and avoid leaving valuables unattended. That is especially relevant around parades, nighttime entertainment, transit platforms, and other places where people naturally bunch together or become distracted.
Disneyland Paris has not been accused of participating in the crimes described in this case. The significant new development is the court judgment against the adults who exploited minors and young women while using one of Europe’s most recognizable family destinations—and the transportation network around it—as part of a broader theft operation.
What remains to be seen is whether the convictions produce any publicly announced changes in policing, transportation security, or Disneyland Paris operations. No such changes tied directly to the September 23 verdict were identified at publication time.
