It seems one bad egg was carrying another very valuable egg.
Bloomberg reports that the US Department of Justice found what it believes to be Faberge egg aboard a sanctioned Russian superyacht of an oligarch.
Lisa Monaco, US deputy attorney General, told Aspen Security Forum attendees on Wednesday that it was one of the most “interesting” finds her team made during the sanctions-led investigation.
The egg was discovered on a multimillion-dollar vessel, which was recently seized by Fiji. Monaco didn’t disclose the identity of the superyacht but stated that it was currently docked on San Diego Bay.
Robb Report reached out to the justice department to request a comment about the name of the vessel. But all indications point to Amadea, which is estimated to cost $325million. After a lengthy legal battle over yacht ownership, US law enforcement officials took the Lurssen megayacht 350 feet to San Diego. Kerimov is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and could be one private owner of Faberge eggs that are not publically listed.
The House of Faberge handcrafted Faberge eggs in 1885-1897 for the Russian royals and other elite individuals. There are only 57 remaining of the estimated 69 produced. The rare gem-encrusted rarities, which are highly sought after, are now symbols of luxury valued at tens or millions of dollars. (The one pictured is the Spring Flowers Egg from 1899.
This egg is one of many assets taken as part of “KleptoCapture”, a justice department initiative to sanction Russians. As reported by the Guardian, REPO (Russian Elites Proxies and Oligarchs), a multinational task force has also confiscated billions in assets since March.
“We’re working with our law enforcement counterparts around the world to conduct searches on these yachts to make sure we have the authority and can go to a court, seize them and then forfeit the proceeds,” Monaco said.
Reference: Robreport
