London-based influencer Stephanie Scolaro has claimed she has been “bullied” and treated unfairly under the law after she was busted importing illegal fashion accessories. (SWNS)
This Instagram rich kid has a thick wallet and a thin skin.
London-based influencer Stephanie Scolaro has claimed she has been “bullied” and treated unfairly under the law after she was busted importing illegal fashion accessories made from endangered python skin into the UK.
The 26-year-old daughter of Italian mining tycoon Francesco Scolaro was sentenced to 12 months community service after admitting to importing $23,324 worth of snakeskin fashion pieces.
Scolaro, whose sister appeared in the reality TV show “Rich Kids Of Instagram”, sold the illegal accessories through her Instagram and website, SS Python.
When sentencing Scolaro on Monday, Judge Michael Gledhill QC said: “I take the view that this is a young woman who, for all sorts of different reasons, is utterly self-centered — her entire life is utterly centered around herself.”
Detective Constable Sarah Bailey, from the Metropolitan Police’s Wildlife Crime Unit said pythons are one of many species protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, an international treaty to protect endangered plants and animals.
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“Any trade outside of the legal framework could threaten the conservation status of the remaining wild population and contribute to its decline in the wild,” she said.
But the swimwear model, who regularly shows off her lavish jet-setting lifestyle on Instagram to her more than 100,000 followers, claims she has been treated unfairly by the justice system because of her affluent upbringing.
“If it was someone with no followers or a man in his 40s who is not so popular on social media, it would have been different,” Scolaro told The Sun.
“I think the whole is harsh because I would never voluntary go out of my way go and buy anything that is endangered.”
She also claims that she’s received death threats.
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“I feel like I’ve been bullied and I’ve received threats,” Scolaro said.
“People have said they will throw acid on my face and that I should get skinned alive — it’s way out of line.”
Scolaro was investigated by police after a parcel containing ten python skin hats and two bags was seized in November 2016 at Leipzig Airport by German Customs Officers Authorities. The parcel was intended to be sent to Scolaro at her parents’ address in Mayfair, London.
She was charged in October 2018 with two counts of importing goods with the intention to evade prohibition and four counts of keeping for sale specimens of species imported unlawfully.
Under her community service, the social media maven will have to perform 160 hours of unpaid labor within the next two years.
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On the upside, Scolaro has said that the experience has galvanized her to become an animal rights activist.
“I now want to be part of an animal rights campaign to educate people,” she said.
“People can learn from my mistake.”
