A man has been sentenced to over two years in prison for stealing a handbag that contained a Fabergé egg and watch set valued at approximately £2.2 million. Enzo Conticello, aged 29, committed the theft on November 7, 2024, while Rosie Dawson was in the smoking area of the Dog and Duck pub located in Soho, London.
The handbag, which is worth £1,600, belonged to Dawson and held the precious Fabergé items, which were owned by her employer, the Craft Irish Whiskey Company. Alongside the egg and watch, Conticello also stole a £1,500 Apple laptop, Apple AirPods, a £350 gift card, keys, three bank cards, £200 worth of makeup, a Mulberry card holder valued at £150, and £20 in cash.
During the sentencing at Southwark Crown Court, it was revealed that Conticello sought “easy money” and planned to sell the bag, complete with its valuable contents, to fund his drug habit. Recorder Kate Livesey sentenced him to two years and three months in prison, noting that the “opportunistic” nature of the theft caused “inconvenience and stress” to both Dawson and her employer. Livesey remarked on the “shock and panic” Dawson experienced upon discovering that her bag, which contained items of significant worth to her company, had been stolen.
Conticello, who is also known by the name Hakin Boudjenoune, admitted guilt to three counts of fraud by false representation and one count of theft during a hearing in February. His connection to the crime was established when he attempted to use Dawson’s stolen bank cards shortly after the theft at a nearby store.
Prosecutor Julian Winship explained that Dawson had brought the Fabergé items for a work display earlier that evening. He indicated that Conticello’s intentions were to acquire quick cash, although prosecutors acknowledged that he did not originally intend to steal the Fabergé egg and watch. The Craft Irish Whiskey Company has since received £106,700 from insurers for the loss.
Of the limited number of Fabergé sets in existence, only seven are known to include a jeweled egg, watch, cigars, and case, with three having been sold for prices ranging between £1.5 million and £2.2 million.
Katie Porter-Windley, the barrister representing Conticello, shared that he had lost his job as a chef due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently fell into addiction. She emphasized that the theft was a momentary lapse of judgment and expressed that he feels genuine remorse for his actions, admitting he handed over the bag to someone else to buy drugs, as he was struggling with a cocaine addiction at the time.
Immediately after the handbag was stolen, Dawson received a fraud alert on her phone, indicating that Conticello had attempted to use one of her bank cards for a purchase of £33.48 at a store on Berwick Street. Additional attempts were made to use her cards later that night, but they had been canceled by that time.
The court noted that the Fabergé egg and watch have not been recovered, and Winship stated that seeking confiscation or compensation from Conticello would not be pursued, as he does not appear to have the means to fulfill such obligations. Conticello is expected to serve up to half of his sentence before being eligible for release on license.
