Five Germans handed jail sentence for jewel heist
STORY: A German court on Tuesday sentenced five men to several years behind bars for their involvement in this jewel heist in 2019 at a museum in Dresden housing one of Europe's greatest art collections.
The pieces stolen from the break-in at the Green Vault museum contained more than 4,300 diamonds with an estimated value of more than 113 million euros - or $123 million.
Police have said most of the stolen jewels have been recovered.
Six German men, all in their 20s, had been charged with aggravated gang theft and serious arson.
Five members of the same family were handed sentences of between four years and four months and six years and two months.
A sixth family member was acquitted.
Prosecutors said the men had sawn through part of a window grating in advance and re-attached it to get into the building as quickly as possible during the heist.
The stolen Dresden collection was assembled in the 18th century by Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and later King of Poland, who commissioned ever more brilliant jewelry as part of his rivalry with France's King Louis XIV.
