A suspected Fabergé egg — which could be one of the few remaining in the world — has been recovered from a Russian oligarch’s superyacht that was seized in Fiji last month, US officials have revealed.
Speaking at the Aspen Security Forum Wednesday, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said that the jewel-encrusted ovum was one of the more “interesting” discoveries that have been made by her team targeting Russian assets abroad — and could be worth millions if authentic, reported CNN.
Although Monaco did not specify which yacht was found to contain the alleged Fabergé artifact, she did say the vessel had come from Fiji and was docked in San Diego Bay.
In late June, federal law enforcement sailed Suleiman Kerimov’s $325 million yacht called Amadea from Fiji to the US — a 5,000-mile journey across the Pacific Ocean — following a protracted court battle hinging on the question of ownership of the vessel.
The House of Fabergé began creating their iconic eggs nearly 180 years ago in Saint Petersburg, Russia, where they rose to prominence as jewelers to the country’s moneyed nobility. VCG via Getty Images
The $325 million superyacht, called Amadea, was owned by Russian billionaire Suleiman Kerimov (pictured). Getty ImagesThe 384-foot ship was confiscated by the US Department of Justice’s imitative KleptoCapture and a multinational task force called REPO — Russian Elites, Proxies, and Oligarchs — seized the assets of Kremlin allies and sanctioned Russian oligarchs.
The sanctions are part of an effort to pressure Moscow to end the war in Ukraine.
According to US officials, the ship’s prior owner, Kerimov, is a suspected money launderer who was sanctioned back in 2018 over Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
Forbes reported that Kerimov is a majority-stake investor in Russia’s largest gold producer with an estimated net worth of $12.9 billion.
Monaco said that the possible Fabergé egg recovered from the yacht, if genuine, would make it one of the few remaining in the world and worth millions of dollars.
The House of Fabergé began creating their iconic eggs nearly 180 years ago in Saint Petersburg, Russia, where they rose to prominence as jewelers to the country’s moneyed nobility.
In 1885, Tsar Alexander III commissioned the first Fabergé egg as an Easter gift for his wife, Empress Maria Feodorovna.
A DOJ task force seized the 384-foot ship in Fiji and sailed it to San Diego after a long court battle. APOver the next 30 years, Fabergé created 50 eggs for the Romanov imperial family.
Monaco told the security forum that she supported the idea of selling off seized Russian assets, and she has asked the U.S. Congress for the authority to give the proceeds from the transactions to Ukraine.
