A Russian tourist’s alleged taste for the high life may have gone a little too literal in Miami, where police say he walked out of a Design District gallery with a small statue worth about $40,000 and later slipped a rare bottle of La Tâche into his jacket at a Brickell hotspot. Authorities identified the suspect as 35-year-old Stevan Milovanovic, who is in custody on multiple felony counts. Police say a dining companion who was with him that night has not been charged.
Detectives say license-plate recognition hits on a red Jeep Wrangler led them to Milovanovic, who was stopped by officers on Sunday morning and matched to surveillance stills from the gallery and the restaurant. According to investigators, he waived his Miranda rights and admitted in a post-arrest interview that he took items from both locations. The booking report lists a second-degree grand theft charge and other counts tied to the alleged wine caper, according to Local10.
Alleged Heists At Gallery And Restaurant
Police say the statue came from Galeries Bartoux in the Miami Design District, which lists its address as 127 NE 40th St, and that Milovanovic and a companion later sat down for dinner at Sexy Fish in Brickell at 1001 S. Miami Ave. Surveillance reviewed by detectives reportedly shows the suspect leaving the gallery with a “noticeable bulge” under his jacket, then entering the restaurant’s restricted wine area, where a Monopole 1996 La Tâche bottle was allegedly tucked away and carried out. Restaurant management reported about $16,000 in missing merchandise and police estimated the gallery piece at roughly $40,000, as reported by Local10.
Why Miami Draws High-Value Thefts
Miami’s mix of international galleries, deep-pocketed buyers and a major global airport has long made it a prime crossroads for valuable art and artifacts, experts say. That pattern, documented in earlier reporting, helps explain why law enforcement often treats gallery thefts as potential entry points into broader criminal networks and gray-market trading, as detailed by Miami New Times.
Milovanovic faces one count of second-degree grand theft in the gallery case and separate burglary and third-degree grand theft counts connected to the wine. He remains held at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, with bond listed as to be set, and police say they have not indicated whether his dining companion will face any charges. Prosecutors are expected to review the arrest report before deciding on formal filings, and no court dates have been announced.
