Six months in prison for stealing Dolce Gabbana bag and mink coat

Monaco Criminal Court heard its first case since the start of the new judicial year, on Tuesday 7 October.

Ms G., who has dual Russian and Armenian nationality, appeared in court escorted by the police. The 51-year-old unemployed Beausoleil resident was charged with theft totalling over €6,000 and several instances of unsettled bills, in two separate cases.

The first case concerned two thefts committed at the end of 2024. On 24 December, she snatched a pink Pagani mink coat worth €5,000. The CCTV cameras recorded her taking the article. A week later, on 31 December, a €1,100 Dolce & Gabbana handbag disappeared. The staff realised this during stock taking. The defendant was quickly identified in the customer database and arrested in Monaco in April 2025. Taken to the Sûreté Publique, she admitted the offences, justifying her actions by repeating several times during the hearing: “The French state is stealing from us” and “I needed an outfit.”

“I needed an outfit”

The second case concerned two instances of unsettled accounts. On 17 September 2025, at around 8pm, she ate a 37-euro meal at Maya Mia, including a glass of wine, then left without paying. The restaurant manager immediately recognised her: “It’s not the first time she’s done this sort of thing.” The Police Department found her not far from there shortly afterwards. Earlier, on 23 July 2025, she had ordered a 500-euro return taxi journey, which she never paid for. The driver, who attended the hearing, was claiming €1,000: €500 for the unpaid fare and a further €500 to make up for the day’s work he lost: “I just wanted to be paid,” he explained.

2025-2026 judicial year: increased litigation, creation of a reserve, rule of law

“Someone who will never stop”

When asked by the court if she recognised the seriousness of her actions, Mrs G. said she did not. Her behaviour during the hearing soon started to irritate the court. She sat down during questioning and constantly interrupted the court president. Asked to stand up, she alleged that she was “disabled in many ways” and stayed seated. “France is stealing my money,” she repeated, to explain her actions. The court firmly reminded her that she was there to answer for what she had done. Already sentenced in 2023 to one month’s imprisonment for unsettled accounts, she is also known to the police for thefts from small shops such as Zara. The court pointed out that she is unable to manage her money, which is why she has been placed under curatorship. Her daughter pays her rent.

The first deputy public prosecutor said: “We’re dealing with someone who will never stop.” As she began to list the offences in chronological order, the defendant interrupted her. The court ordered her to be silent. “She has committed two thefts, we’ll explain that to her, but she’ll do it again. She never learns from her mistakes. She has no respect for other people’s work, people who work, who run their shops and make sure they turn a profit. All that goes over her head.” The prosecutor decided to proceed with a conviction for repeat offences, noting in passing that she showed no repentance on the stand: “On the contrary, she believes this is perfectly normal behaviour.” She asked that the two cases be considered jointly and asked for six months’ imprisonment, a ten-year ban on staying in Monaco and an arrest warrant for the sentence to begin immediately.

Arrogant towards the court

The defence lawyer tried another approach: “What are we going to do with her? Fines don’t work, she has financial problems, which is why she is under curatorship.” He called for a psychological assessment, suggesting that psychological problems should be taken into account. In his opinion, other means of punishment should be found to protect her mental health. In her final words to the court, Mrs G. said: “All my accounts are frozen. I’ve lived in this region for 22 years, and I had no problems until 2022.” The court asked her if this was a valid reason for committing these offences, to which the defendant replied arrogantly: “You don’t answer questions with questions.” In view of her behaviour, as she continued to interrupt and refused to answer, the court withdrew to deliberate.

The court subsequently found Mrs G. guilty as charged and sentenced her to six months’ imprisonment and a five-year ban from Monaco. The arrest warrant was issued. In the civil action, the court upheld the taxi driver’s claim for damages. Mrs G. was immediately escorted out by the police to begin serving her sentence.