Enzo Conticello, 29, was sentenced to 27 months in prison for stealing a handbag with a Fabergé egg and watch worth at least $2.8 million from a London pub. The theft occurred outside the Dog and Duck in Soho in November 2024. The prized items remain unrecovered.
Enzo Conticello, also known as Hakin Boudjenoune and of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to one count of theft and three counts of fraud at Southwark Crown Court. He received a total sentence of 27 months on Thursday. He will serve half in custody before release on license, as ordered by Judge Kate Livesey. Conticello had previously worked as a chef but lost his job and struggled with homelessness and cocaine addiction, his lawyer Katie Porter-Windley told the court. Judge Livesey described the theft as opportunistic, noting Conticello had no prior knowledge of the bag's extraordinary contents. Prosecutor Julian Winship explained that the Givenchy handbag, valued at 1,600 pounds, was taken from the smoking area outside the Dog and Duck pub in Soho. Inside were a green and gold emerald-encrusted Fabergé egg and matching watch owned by the Craft Irish Whiskey Company, plus a laptop, wallet, AirPods and bank cards. The victim, who worked for the whiskey company, discovered the loss after a work event featuring the items. The Fabergé pieces were part of a limited series of seven bespoke 'Emerald Isle' sets, each including a whiskey bottle and cigar humidor. Three sets had sold to private clients for $2 million to $3 million each, the court heard. Shortly after the theft, Conticello attempted to use the stolen bank cards at nearby supermarkets. He later exchanged the items for drugs, unaware of their value. The egg and watch have not been found, leaving the victim in shock, as Livesey acknowledged: 'This is an unusual case.'