A young man from Nice has been sentenced to four months in prison following a botched attempt to steal a luxury watch in Monaco's prestigious Casino Square. The incident, which quickly became a social media sensation, involved the student swapping a counterfeit watch for a real one valued at €100,000 at a pop-up shop between the iconic Hôtel de Paris and the Monte-Carlo Casino. His capture was filmed and widely shared online, showing the dramatic moment he was apprehended by security.
The perpetrator, who has a prior criminal record in France, had planned the heist under the pseudonym "Arkady Abramovitch." He orchestrated a meeting on August 15th to view two Rolex watches and returned later, on August 27th, donning a disguise. His suspicious behavior and poor execution of the watch swap led the salesman to call security, resulting in his immediate arrest.
During his trial, the student cited mounting debts and his mother’s influence—she is currently incarcerated for theft—as motivations for his actions. Nonetheless, the court was unmoved by his defense and upheld the prosecutor's recommendation for imprisonment. The incident occurred just steps away from the Monte-Carlo Casino, adding a cinematic backdrop to the foiled theft.
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