Multimillionaire heiress Stephanie Scolaro, pictured entering Westminster Magistrates’ court, ordered snake-skin baseball caps and a travel bag from Indonesia, some of which she then sold in the UK to her network of uber-wealthy customers
A ‘Rich Kid of Instagram’ has admitted smuggling baseball caps and a bag made of endangered python skin into Britain before selling them.
Swimwear model Stephanie Scolaro, 26, sold snakeskin baseball caps and bags via her website ‘SS Python’ as well as her Instagram account, which has more than 80,000 followers.
She also sold some of the £450 baseball caps with Boudi Fashion boutique on South Molton Street, Mayfair.
The 26-year-old wannabe ‘influencer’ lives in a luxury flat in central London ordered the snake-skin baseball caps and a travel bag from Indonesia, some of which she then sold in the UK to her network of uber-wealthy customers.
On social media she shares pictures of high-end designer clothes and supercars for her 80,000 followers to admire.
Her sister Lana starred in the Channel 4 reality TV show Rich Kids Of Instagram after flaunting their jet-set lifestyles on social media.
Dressed in black and a white shirt with her hair tied back, she arrived at court with her mother Anna and sister Lana.
Scolaro pleaded guilty to two counts of importing goods with the intent to evade a prohibition, two counts of keeping for sale a species acquired unlawfully and one count of selling a species unlawfully imported between 2016 and 2017.
The 26-year-old wannabe ‘influencer’ lives in a luxury flat in central London where she leads a life of glamour as one of the ‘rich kids of Instagram. In her collection of carefully curated shots, she showed off her mega-bucks lifestyle with Martini cocktails in exclusive nightclubs
Scolarao, who became visibly upset after pleading guilty, was released on bail and will be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on 21 January 2019.
In total, police seized 35 hats as well as a number of large bag made of the illicit hides, which she was selling for £2,800 each.
Prosecutor Gregor Mckinley said: ‘The case is about the importation and selling and offering for sale of articles made from genuine python skin.
‘Ms Scolaro herself has a very active engagement with social media and in particular with an Instagram channel which she operates and manages.
‘She has been described in some quarters as being influential in terms of fashion, in particular with young people.
On social media she shares pictures of high-end designer clothes and supercars for her 80,000 followers to admire
‘The goods in question are a kind of baseball hat, in different colours, made from python skin. Also advertised on the website and seized as consignments were bags, both large holdalls and smaller bags.’
The prosecutor told how police began investigating the model after a package sent from Indonesia was stopped as it was sent via Europe.
‘A consignment of these goods comprising of ten of these caps, one large bag and one smaller bag, were stopped by German customs officials at Leipzig Airport.’
Mr Mckinley told the court that German customs alerted British authorities and forwarded the DHL parcel on to the UK.
‘It was with the forwarding company DHL and at the same time police were making enquiries as to the ultimate destination, Ms Scolaro was making enquiries with DHL as to why it had not arrived.
‘Police began looking at Ms Scolaro’s Instagram account and at the associated website,’ added the prosecutor.
Scolaro – known as Stephy – is the daughter of an Italian mining tycoon father and a British mother. They attended Mill Hill School in north London, where boarding fees are £33,717 a year, but regularly fly by private plane to family homes in Monaco, Ibiza and New York
Mr Mckinley told how the defendant had sold one of the caps to Rogue Menswear in Bexleyheath, Kent for £185 but suggested a retail price of £350.
‘Again, very similarly there were five of these caps on sale at a shop called Park Lane Collections. Three of the caps were on sale for £450 and two of them for £300.’
Customs officials seized another shipment of eight caps and another large bag made of illegal skins was stopped at Heathrow Airport on 8 March 2017: ‘Again, very simply addressed to the defendant and that was seized directly by customs.’
Scolaro was interviewed by police on the same day and gave a no comment interview.
‘Following the interview with police, the investigating officer was forwarded two documents which purported to be export licenses covering the importation of some of these goods from Indonesia,’ the prosecutor continued.
‘Both of these documents have been checked and both are forgeries.
Stephanie told The Mail on Sunday’s You magazine in 2016: ‘I think the first time I was really aware that we were rich was in my early teens. We were taking a private jet to Monaco and eating sushi from Nobu and something told me that regular kids didn’t do that’
‘All of the investigation has been by the police from the website and the Instagram account and without any cooperation from the defendant in finding these articles or where they had been placed on sale,’ explained Mr Mckinley.
‘There are some 35 of these baseball caps and if we take the retail value as was suggested by the defendant herself of about £350, the value of these hats come to £12,215.
‘The large bags, which were intercepted, were advertised on her website at £2,800 each. Looking at the large bags and the hats together, that comes to £17,815.
‘The maximum penalties on the regulatory offence is five years on each of these offences and the customs and excise management offence is a maximum of seven years.’
Scolaro advertised the goods on her website ‘SS Python’ and sold snakeskin accessories from Rogue Menswear in Bexleyheath, Kent and Park Lane Collections, Mayfair, between December 2015 and February 2017.
She is also charged with keeping specimens of python leather at her luxury home in Park View Residences, Marylebone, on 8 March 2017.
Judge Michael Gledhill QC adjourned sentencing until a full probation report can be carried out.
He said: ‘I still take a very dim view of this case. We are talking about the same category of offending that members of the public will be more readily aware of – it includes ivory from elephants and rhinos.’
Scolaro has more than 80,000 followers on Instagram, where she posts images of herself in exotic locations across the globe.
Scolaro – known as Stephy – and Lana are the daughters of an Italian mining tycoon father and a British mother.
They attended Mill Hill School in north London, where boarding fees are £33,717 a year, but regularly fly by private plane to family homes in Monaco, Ibiza and New York.
Lana, who designs diamond jewellery, once claimed she spent £15,000 a month on clothes and shoes.
Stephanie told The Mail on Sunday’s You magazine in 2016: ‘I think the first time I was really aware that we were rich was in my early teens.
‘We were taking a private jet to Monaco and eating sushi from Nobu and something told me that regular kids didn’t do that.’
She said she planned to launch a brand of caviar ‘because there’s, like, a real demand, you know?’.