Claudio Bevilacqua stole James Gandolfini’s Rolex!

Claudio Bevilacqua

Claudio Bevilacqua is the Italian man who is accused of stealing late actor’s watch! Back in 2013 Soprano’s actor, James Gandolfini suddenly died of a heart attack while in Rome, Claudio Bevilacqua is allegedly said to have taken the pricey watch and his trial began today.

Gandolfini who became a household name thanks to his lead role in The Sopranos and won three Emmys for his portrayal of the troubled mob boss –was the victim of a post mortem robbery that Tony Soprano could have done himself.

Claudio Bevilacqua is one of the Italian paramedics who arrived at the scene where 51-year-old Gandolfini suffered a massive heart attack while in the master bathroom of the suite he shared with his son as they waited for the arrival of wife Deborah Lin, who was set to join them on an Italian holiday before the actor was scheduled to be a keynote speaker at the Taormina Film Festival in Sicily.

Gandolfini was still alive when he was taken to the Policlinico Umberto I hospital in Rome, but died shortly after arrival.

According to TMZ, Gandolfini’s team reported the watch was missing to his insurance company back in 2013, a few months after he died of a heart attack. At the time, there was no suspect named in the theft.

Is still not yet clear if Claudio Bevilacqua allegedly stole the Rolex Submariner right off the ‘Sopranos’ star’s body, or if it was lifted from his hotel room. One theory sustains, Claudio Bevilacqua allegedly took the $3,000 Rolex Submariner while his then 13-year-old son alerted the reception desk at Rome’s Boscolo Exedera Hotel that his father had collapsed on the bathroom floor of their top-floor suite.

However it happened, prosecutors say Mr Bevilacqua took advantage of the chaos to pocket the watch.

43-year-old Claudio Bevilacqua, was also the ambulance driver of one of two ambulances that responded to the scene. Monday’s hearing was brief, and Bevilacqua was not present in court.  His lawyers did not enter any plea of guilt or innocence. The opening hearing was adjourned and the trial will begin in November. Claudio Bevilacqua faces a hefty fine and as much as five years in prison if convicted.