Two helmeted gunmen on a scooter shot and killed businessman Eric Robic Thursday morning on Boulevard Victor Hugo in Neuilly-sur-Seine. The attack occurred around 9:30 AM, with the shooters firing three or four rounds that struck Robic in the head and arm as he walked along the sidewalk. Emergency responders from SAMU pronounced the 51-year-old dead at 10:15 AM.
Witnesses saw the suspects flee the scene on their scooter, traveling via Rue Saint-Paul toward the neighboring commune of Levallois-Perret. The shooting took place in a high-security zone, just a short distance from the headquarters of the Direction générale de la sécurité intérieure (DGSI), France’s domestic intelligence agency.
Two gunmen on a scooter killed Eric Robic in Neuilly-sur-Seine
Police identified Robic as a man “very unfavorably known” to law enforcement. His criminal record spans two decades and includes charges of rebellion, insults to officials, organized fraud, and both voluntary and involuntary assault.
The brigade criminelle has taken charge of the investigation. Investigators are currently tracing the flight path of the scooter and reviewing surveillance footage from the Boulevard Victor Hugo area to identify the shooters.
Why the 2011 Tel Aviv crash strained diplomatic relations
A fatal accident in Israel remains the most consequential event in Robic’s public record. In 2011, Robic killed a young Israeli woman, Lee Zeitouni, while driving a 4×4 in Tel Aviv. He fled the scene and returned to France immediately after the crash, an act that created significant tension between French and Israeli authorities.
French courts eventually addressed the incident. In December 2013 or 2014, the Paris correctional court sentenced him to five years in prison for involuntary homicide and non-assistance to a person in peril. A passenger in the vehicle, Claude Khayat, received a 15-month sentence.
Legal proceedings regarding the crash continued years later. In December 2024, the Paris court again sentenced Robic to five years in prison for aggravated involuntary homicide, a ruling that included an immediate incarceration order.
Between 2004 and 2024, Robic accumulated ten convictions
Robic’s financial dealings frequently drew the attention of prosecutors. In January 2024, he was convicted in a massive international fraud scheme totaling $1.08 million (€1 million). The scam involved the apply of shell companies to purchase vehicles.
The court handed him an 18-month prison sentence for the fraud, though the term was entirely suspended. The judge imposed a two-year probationary period requiring Robic to maintain employment, repay the state, and compensate his victims.
This pattern of high-value fraud and violent negligence defined Robic’s professional life. He operated as a businessman while simultaneously navigating a cycle of convictions and suspended sentences that spanned twenty years of French judicial oversight.
Who was Lee Zeitouni?
Lee Zeitouni was a young Israeli woman killed in 2011 when Eric Robic struck her with a 4×4 in Tel Aviv. Robic fled the country following the accident, which led to years of legal battles and a five-year prison sentence in France.
What was the nature of the international fraud case?
The fraud involved a $1.08 million (€1 million) scheme centered on the purchase of cars through shell companies. In January 2024, Robic received an 18-month suspended sentence and was ordered to indemnify his victims and pay the state.