Ever since a group of thieves pulled off a seven-minute heist at the Louvre in Paris on Oct. 19, French authorities have been working around the clock to find and prosecute the criminals.
In recent days, French police have apprehended several suspects but they still haven’t found the missing jewels that are worth more than $100 million.
With public curiosity at an all-time high, some social media users have begun to circulate mugshot photos of the alleged suspects. But are they real? Here’s everything you need to know.
Who Are the People in the Viral Mugshots?
Across social media, posts claiming to contain photos of the Louvre suspects have gone viral. The catch? They’re not real.
One post included a photo of “Gossip Girl” star Chace Crawford’s mugshot from a 2010 arrest.
The same post featured a photo of a man with blue eyes and brown hair. An Instagram user named Stefan Dolbashian addressed the viral photos in a post, saying that he was the man in the photos, but is not a Louvre thief.
“Since everyone keeps asking yes, after an extensive career in the performing arts, I’ve decided to leave it all behind to team up with Hollywood star Chase Crawford and commit international thievery across the whole world. We appreciate your love and support in this endeavor as we have poured our blood, sweat and tears into our new careers, and we hope we can continue to count on your support in the future,” he joked.
Dolbashian continued his post, writing, “In all seriousness, this is hilarious and I hope it keeps going thank you guys so much for reaching out. I appreciate it. Love you all. Thank you so much for continuing to support me in my endeavors. The Louvre was just the start!! Lmao!!!”
Dolbashian told TODAY.com in an email statement he first heard about the viral post when a friend sent him a screenshot of a Facebook post that had been circulating.
“At first I just laughed it off not thinking much of it but that same day and several days after it seemed like almost everyone I’ve ever met in life reached out to me asking if the picture was me,” he said.
Stefan DolbashianCourtesy Stefan Dolbashian
Dolbashian, who works as a dance professor and a freelance choreographer, says the photo that went viral is indeed his mugshot from when he was arrested in Florida in 2010 on burglary charges. Charges were dropped and he has no convictions.
As it turns out, this isn’t the first time Dolbashian’s mugshot has gone viral.
“A few weeks after the initial arrest, a good friend had revealed to me that the mugshot had made an appearance on Buzzfeed’s list of hottest mugshots, and mine was the number one slot,” he explained. “This resulted in something similar happening in my life that is occurring now, but this was back around 2010 so social media didn’t have the same global reach that it does now. But it was still viral enough that it caused a bit of a stir in my life.”
During that time, Dolbashian was concerned about losing work because people had seen his mugshot without him being able to share his side of the story first. That’s why he decided to comment on the viral mugshot photos this time around.
“It’s because of this that I felt like I needed to try to get in front of the narrative of my story a little bit, and I also just figured if this many people are going to talk about me I thought I’d be part of the conversation,” he said.
Dolbashian said all of his employers are aware that his prior mugshot is going viral once again and are “having a good laugh about it all.”
“The original incident for me was so long ago that I now only laugh when I see the picture, which I think is why I’m taking this as it comes now. I’ve seen some hilariously creative posts about this, and some really just make my wife and I cackle out loud on the couch together,” he said.
Another Instagram account included a photo of Dolbashian and an unidentified man with a scar on his face. That photo had previously been included in roundups of mugshots.
In the comments section of a post containing the fake photos, many Instagram users left cheeky reactions after looking at the alleged suspects.
“They are both works of art! 🙌🙌,” model Christie Brinkley commented.
“These guys are also stealing hearts ❤️😂,” another social media user wrote.
Who Are the Suspects in the Louvre Heist?
On Oct. 19, four thieves executed a heist in the Galerie d’Apollon in the Louvre. They accessed the room by using a furniture-lift truck and tools to open the window. After seven minutes, they made off with eight of France’s crown jewels then escaped on scooters.
French police took two men in their early 30s into custody on Oct. 25. Both suspects have criminal records for jewel theft, according to Axel Ronde, a police officer and spokesman for the French police union CFTC.
Five additional suspects were arrested in the greater Paris area on Oct. 29.
As of Nov. 3, four suspects had been charged in the case, with three others being released. According to the Associated Press, the suspects include the first two men who were arrested, a 37-year-old who has 11 prior convictions and his 38-year-old female partner. The latter two have denied involvement, per the AP.