Thief Nabs Handbag with $3 Million Faberge Egg and Watch Outside London Pub
A 29-year-old man was sentenced to 27 months in prison after stealing a handbag from outside the Dog and Duck pub in Soho, London. The bag contained a Faberge egg and watch valued at approximately $2.8 million (£2 million).
Enzo Conticello, who has no fixed address, pleaded guilty to theft and multiple counts of fraud. The incident occurred in November 2024 when the victim's Givenchy handbag, worth £1,600, was taken from the smoking area.
Prosecutor Julian Winship detailed the contents of the stolen handbag, which included not only the emerald-encrusted Faberge egg and watch but also a laptop, wallet, AirPods, and bank cards belonging to the victim, an employee of the Craft Irish Whiskey Company.
Judge Kate Livesey remarked on the unusual nature of the case, highlighting the victim's shock upon discovering her belongings were missing. The court learned that the valuable items had been part of a display at a work event earlier that evening and have yet to be recovered.
Conticello, also known as Hakin Boudjenoune, attempted to use the stolen bank cards for purchases at nearby supermarkets shortly after the theft. The stolen items were part of a limited series of seven bespoke "Emerald Isle" sets produced by the Craft Irish Whiskey Company, each set comprising a Faberge egg, a Faberge watch, a handcrafted whiskey bottle, and a cigar humidor.
Three of these exclusive sets had previously sold for between $2 million and $3 million. Livesey noted that Conticello acted "opportunistically" and claimed he had "no knowledge of the contents of the bag." It was revealed that he later exchanged the stolen items for drugs, unaware of their true value.
His defense attorney, Katie Porter-Windley, stated that Conticello had been homeless and struggled with cocaine addiction. He will serve half of his sentence in jail before being released under license.
