Three Men Sentenced for Theft of Ancient Gold Coins from German Museum

On Tuesday, a court in the southern German city of Ingolstadt handed down prison sentences to three men involved in the theft of numerous ancient gold coins from a museum in 2022, with sentences extending as long as 11 years. The group was found guilty of gang robbery linked to the museum heist, while a fourth individual was acquitted of direct involvement but found guilty of participation in other thefts carried out by the same group.

The suspects, who hail from northern Germany, faced charges following a break-in that took place on November 22, 2022, at the Celtic and Roman Museum located in Manching, Bavaria. During this incident, a total of 483 Celtic coins, which had been unearthed in a significant archaeological dig in 1999 and date back to around 100 B.C., were stolen. These coins are renowned as the largest collection of Celtic gold discovered in the 20th century.

The meticulously planned robbery was executed in an astonishingly short time frame of just nine minutes. Investigators reported that at 1:17 a.m., the thieves cut cables at a nearby telecommunications hub, disrupting communications in the area. By 1:26 a.m., they had pried open the museum's door, and by 1:35 a.m., they had escaped after smashing a display case to seize the valuable coins. Alarm systems were not triggered throughout the ordeal, and the museum did not have a security guard present overnight.

While most of the stolen treasure remains unaccounted for, investigators discovered some melted gold in the possession of one suspect during his arrest, suggesting that part of the coins may have been destroyed. Rupert Gebhard, head of the Bavarian State Archaeological Collection in Munich, expressed his dismay in 2022 at the possibility of the coins being melted down, calling it "the worst option." The defendants were also linked to approximately 20 other thefts or attempted robberies across Germany and Austria, dating back to 2014, many involving breaking into safes or cash machines. Although the defendants chose not to respond to the charges during their six-month trial, their attorneys argued for their acquittal. Ultimately, the court determined prison sentences ranging from four years and nine months to 11 years were appropriate.