Jewel thief swaps pebbles for diamonds in US$5.8 million London heist
- Lulu Lakatos, 60, who posed as an expert sent to appraise the gems by a wealthy Russian client, has been sentenced to over five years in jail
- The seven diamonds have never been recovered, in what prosecutors call the biggest heist of its kind ever committed in Britain
A jewel thief was jailed for more than five years in Britain on Wednesday for stealing millions of pounds worth of diamonds by switching them with pebbles in a daring sleight of hand.
Lulu Lakatos, 60, posed as a gem expert under the alias “Anna” to gain access to the jewels worth a total of £4.2 million (US$5.8 million).
She claimed she had been sent to appraise the gems by a wealthy Russian client before swapping them for the worthless stones.
A jury at Southwark Crown Court in south London found her guilty of conspiracy to steal. The judge called the heist “highly sophisticated and audacious”, involving “brazen deception”.
Prosecutors said the theft of the seven diamonds – including one worth £2.2 million – from a luxury family jewellers in London’s upmarket Mayfair district was the biggest heist of its kind ever committed in Britain.
The real diamonds, which London police have said were stolen by Lakatos in cooperation with an international organised gang, have never been recovered in the wake of the March 2016 theft.