BANDIT CRIMINALITY - Person(s) responsible for ATM breach given prison sentence
They usually operated at night, blew up ATMs in Germany, particularly in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, and then left with a lot of cash. In total, it was a million-dollar heist. The public prosecutor accused 16 men from the Netherlands and Belgium of this. And so, the defendants admitted it to a large extent. A criminal court in Bamberg sentenced 15 of the men between the ages of 23 and 43 to prison terms. The sentences ranged from one year and nine months on probation to five years and eleven months in prison.
According to the court's conviction, they confessed to charges of serious robbery and aiding and abetting a bomb explosion. Two men were sentenced to probation for aiding and abetting. The duration of their detention in the Netherlands will be deducted from their sentences. In addition, several defendants were ordered to pay damages of up to 60,000 Euro each. The judgment is not final.
More than 5.5 million Euro in damages
Their loot, according to the indictment, was worth more than 3.3 million Euro, and the damage caused by the explosions was more than 5.5 million Euro. The public prosecutor accused them of blowing up numerous ATMs in Bavaria and the southwest to obtain cash. Since the investigators also attributed cases in Zapfendorf and Forchheim in Upper Franconia to the defendants, the case came before the court in Bamberg.
Preparations for the crimes were made in several garages disguised as auto workshops near the German border in the Netherlands. The crime scenes were reportedly surveyed beforehand, the escape routes were meticulously planned, and suitable license plates from the region were stolen. Not all defendants were present at the explosions in Germany, according to the judgment. Within the gang, one could apparently rise from the role of "logistician" to "bomber."
The court reached an understanding with 14 of the 16 defendants. They spoke extensively about the charges, and in consultation with the public prosecutor and defense attorneys, the court set a sentencing framework. One defendant had already spoken out earlier, so there was no formal "deal" for him. The proceedings against a 30-year-old who initially made no statements were also separated.
The confessions were of great value for the trial, said the presiding judge in the judgment explanation. Since the defendants were not caught in the act, the court initially planned a lengthy indictment process with hearings as late as 2026.
The public prosecutor in Bamberg spoke of a "significant success in the fight against organized crime" after the judgments.
The process was associated with enormous effort due to the large number of suspects: The trial took place in a sports hall on the Bundespolizei grounds in Bamberg. The defendants had to be transported from various prisons throughout Bavaria to the trial days in Bamberg.
The proceedings against the 16th defendant are now being continued in the building of the Landgericht. An end is currently still not foreseeable.
The 16th defendant, originally from Bavaria, is being prosecuted separately in the Landgericht building. The crimes committed by the group were primarily focused in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, two prominent regions in Germany. The Public Prosecutor's Office in Bamberg carefully investigated the band criminality, gathering evidence that led to the indictment of 16 men from the Netherlands and Belgium. The judgments issued by the court in Bamberg imposed severe punishments, ranging from probation to prison terms, on the convicted individuals. The damages caused by the ATM explosions exceeded 5.5 million Euro, resulting in substantial financial consequences for the affected countries. Despite the extensive efforts required, the Public Prosecutor's Office in Bamberg views this as a significant success in the fight against organized crime.
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