The men were convicted of breaking into the Green Vault Museum and stealing millions of dollars worth of 18th century royal jewels.
Dresden, Germany – On Tuesday, a German court convicted five men of breaking into the Green Vault Museum in Dresden, Germany, in November 2019 and stealing millions of dollars’ worth of 18th century royal jewels.
Although some of the jewels were recovered last year, important pieces are still missing. The stolen jewels have an insured value of at least $135 million.
The men are all members of the Berlin-based Remmo organised crime family, according to the German news agency DPA.
The men, aged between 24 and 29, were given sentences ranging from four years and four months to six years and three months. A sixth suspect was acquitted.
The sentences were handed down as part of a plea bargain following the recovery of some of the stolen jewels in late 2022, DPA said.
In an earlier statement, local police said they had found 31 pieces of jewellery in Berlin, some of which were believed to be intact, including the Polish Order of the White Eagle breast star and a hat decoration.
An epaulette set with the famous ‘Dresden White Diamond‘ and the large bustle of Queen Amalie Auguste are still missing.
The convicted men were originally charged with organised robbery and arson in September 2021.
They were said to have set a fire before the robbery to cut the power to the street lights outside the museum. They also set fire to a car in a nearby garage.
Other members of the Remmo family were convicted in connection with a similar robbery, the theft of a 220-pound Canadian gold coin known as the “Big Maple Leaf” from Berlin’s Bode Museum in 2017.
The coin, valued at around $4.5 million, was never recovered and authorities believe it was likely destroyed and sold in pieces.
The Green Vault is one of the oldest museums in the world, founded in 1723 by Augustus the Strong of Saxony, who wanted to establish Dresden as a centre for the arts.
Located in the Royal Palace of Dresden, his treasure chamber contains 4,000 jewels, works of art and other historically significant objects. His most famous treasure is the Dresden Green Diamond, a 41 carat green diamond.
