Dresden Jewel Robbery: Five Convicted in $123 Million Green Vault Heist in Germany

CNN
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Five were sentenced to several years in prison A $123 million theft It caught the attention of the world Shame on youpublic broadcaster MDR reported on Tuesday.

Most of the defendants involved were sentenced to up to six years in prison because they partially confessed to the crimes after a legal “deal” and some of the treasure was returned. The sixth defendant was acquitted.

A mob stormed the historic Green Vault in Dresden on November 25, 2019. CCTV footage showed two masked thieves smashing glass and grabbing 21 diamond-encrusted artefacts.

The vault contained an amazing collection of historic jewels and precious ornaments – from glittering bowls carved from crystal and agate to jewels and cups fashioned from gilded ostrich eggs.

The 41-carat green diamond, known as the Dresden Green, was on loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, one of the most famous pieces of the collection, but was not in the museum at the time.

Footage released by Saxony police showed two men dressed in dark clothing and using flashing lights to move quickly through the gallery. One of them uses an ax to break the glass – the video shows the criminal taking at least nine blows before the glass shatters. At the time of the robbery, street lights were damaged due to an electrical leak nearby.

Within minutes, the world’s most valuable historical jewels were gone. Only some looted items have been recovered.

The director of Dresden’s state art collection, Marian Ackermann, said their material value does not begin to reflect their “incalculable” historical and cultural significance.

Almost all of the stolen artefacts were made during the reign of Frederick Augustus III, the last Elector of Saxony, later known as Frederick Augustus I, the first King of Saxony.

They include a 1780s hat handle decorated with 15 large and more than 100 small diamonds, as well as a 96-centimeter (38-inch) sword and a scabbard or scabbard with more than 800 diamonds.

Judges at the Dresden Regional Court sentenced the five accused defendants to several years in prison.

According to MDR, one of the main culprits, Rabieh Remo, will serve six years and two months in jail. His accomplice Wissam Remmo was sentenced to six years and three months in prison, while Bashir Remmo was sentenced to five years and 10 months. Another accused was sentenced to four years and four months in prison under the Juvenile Offenders Act.

All four accused confessed and returned part of the loot. A fifth defendant was sentenced to five years in juvenile detention – in addition to a previous sentence. The 24-year-old did not commit to the robbery until the end. He said he participated in the means of committing the crime like ax.