In Germany: "Familial" Theft of Historical Jewelry

A German court issued a multi-year prison sentence on Tuesday to five men involved in the theft of jewelry in 2019 from a museum in Dresden that houses some of the greatest art collections in Europe. The stolen jewelry pieces from the Green Vault Museum include over 4,300 diamond pieces, valued at more than 113 million euros. Among the stolen items were the Star of the Order of the White Eagle of Poland and a diamond-studded headdress. Police reported that most of the stolen jewelry has been recovered. Five members of the same family were sentenced to prison terms ranging from four years and four months to six years and two months. A sixth family member was acquitted. All defendants are in their twenties. The stolen jewelry collection from Dresden was created in the 18th century during the reign of Saxon ruler Augustus the Strong, who later became King of Poland and commissioned more extravagant jewelry to compete with his rival, King Louis XIV of France. This treasure survived Allied bombings during World War II only to be seized by the Soviet Union as war loot. It returned to Dresden, the historic capital of Saxony, in 1958.