A Berlin court sentenced three men on Thursday over the 2017 theft of a gigantic gold coin from a city museum.

The coin, dubbed the "Big Maple Leaf," weighed roughly 100 kilograms (220 pounds) and had an estimated value of €3.75 million ($4.05 million). It was stolen from Berlin's Bode Museum in the night of March 27, 2017 and has not been recovered. Police believe it was cut up into smaller pieces, as they later found gold particles.

The Canadian coin was imprinted with the image of Queen Elizabeth II. It was only one of five in the world made by the Royal Canadian Mint. It is thought to be the world's second-largest coin.

Two defendants, ages 23 and 21, were sentenced as juveniles and handed four-and-a-half-year prison sentences. The third convicted defendant, a 21-year-old guard at the museum, received a prison sentence of three years and four months. A fourth defendant was acquitted.

The trial, which began more than one year ago, lasted 41 court days. State prosecutors had pushed for all four men to receive prison sentences of between five to seven years, whereas the defense attorney had argued for acquittal.

Read more: Berlin museum director responds to shocking giant coin theft

Childhood friends

41 days of hearings packed with personal and expert testimony convinced the court that cousins Ahmed and Wissam Remmo had orchestrated an insider job with Denis W., a childhood friend of Ahmed's, freshly hired in March 2017 to guard the 100-kilogram gold coin.

"This relationship was the lynchpin of the crime," Prüfer told a packed courtroom at Berlin's Regional Court.

Between 3:20 and 3:50AM on March 27, 2017, the Remmo cousins, together with an unidentified accomplice, walked along the light-rail tracks running parallel to the Bode Museum in central Berlin, from which they accessed a changing room for museum staff.

From there, they quickly infiltrated the Bode Museum's world-renowned coin collection housing some 540,000 pieces. That included the "Big Maple Leaf," on special exhibition since 2010.

Within a half-hour, the team had freed "Big Maple Leaf" from its bulletproof-glass case, rolled it back to their point of entry, dropped it down to the tracks, and pushed it along to a neighboring park in central Berlin, where a getaway car awaited.

Read more: Art theft: 'There is always a risk for museums'

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A trail of evidence

The 99% pure gold coin, one of six in existence, was never seen again. But it left behind a trail of evidence leading investigators to four suspects, authorities said.

Denis W. had been hired at the Bode Museum as a security guard just weeks before the heist. Digging into his past, authorities discovered the connection to Ahmed Remmo, whose family is among one of Germany's most notorious crime networks.

"How can it be that someone who has never worked in Germany can accumulate millions in wealth?" Dr. Ralph Ghadban, a sociologist who has studied the family, told Germany's Focus magazine in 2019, referring to Issa Remmo, the family's patriarch.

Authorities also discovered that Denis W. had worked the museum's graveyard shift on the days leading up to the heist, when three suspicious men dressed in all black walked the exact getaway route, according to security footage.

Expert analysis of the size and stature of the men portrayed in the security camera footage matched cousins Ahmed and Wissam Remmo, both high-school dropouts convicted multiple times for past petty crimes.

A subsequent search of Ahmed's apartment turned up clothing with gold particles matching the high purity of "Big Maple Leaf." The same particles were found in more than one of the Remmo family's cars, suggesting the coin was immediately broken apart, melted down, transported and sold.

Meanwhile, a search of Wissam's apartment resulted in a pair of gloves with security glass particles matching those of the window through which the thieves accessed the museum. His phone also contained a detailed search history of how to break down large pieces of gold, and investigators uncovered a rare Armani jacket in his possession clearly identifiable in security footage.

The most spectacular art robberies in history Breaking into one of the world's oldest museums The Green Vault in Dresden's Royal Palace is one of the most famous treasure chambers of Europe. Early in the morning of November 25, 2019, burglars broke into the museum and stole three sets of jewelry from the early 18th century. The works made up of diamond, ruby and emerald gems are seen as "priceless." German newspaper Bild called it "probably the biggest art theft since World War II."

The most spectacular art robberies in history When Mona Lisa's smile disappeared The world's most famous portrait, Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa," was stolen in 1911. A young Italian named Vincenzo Peruggia took the painting from the Louvre in Paris. Dressed as a member of the museum staff, he was able to hide the relatively small painting under his work coat. It reappeared in 1913 after an art dealer alerted the police.

The most spectacular art robberies in history The world's most frequently stolen painting Rembrandt's portrait of "Jacques III de Gheyn" wasn't stolen from Britain's Dulwich Picture Gallery just once, but four times, namely in 1966, 1973, 1981 and 1986. That's why it came to be nicknamed the "Takeaway Rembrandt." Fortunately the painting has been recovered after each theft.

The most spectacular art robberies in history Art robbery in Boston remains a mystery The burglary of 13 paintings from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum stirred international attention in 1990. Two men disguised as policemen broke into the building and removed the paintings, among them Edouard Manet's "Chez Tortoni" and Jan Vermeer's "Concert" (pictured). The empty picture frames are still hanging on the walls.

The most spectacular art robberies in history Spectacular Van Gogh theft In 1991, a man managed to lock himself into a bathroom in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam — unnoticed. With the help of a warden, he removed a total of 20 paintings, among them the Dutch painter's "Self-Portrait with Easel." However, police were able to recover the works from the getaway car just one hour later. The thieves were caught a few months later.

The most spectacular art robberies in history Da Vinci disappeared for years "Madonna of the Yarnwinder" by Leonardo da Vinci, valued at €70 million ($76 million), was stolen from a Scottish castle in 2003. Two thieves who entered an exhibition as tourists overpowered the security guard at Drumlanrig Castle and fled with the precious artwork. It remained lost for years until it was discovered during a raid in Glasgow in 2007.

The most spectacular art robberies in history Armed assault on the Munch Museum Two paintings by expressionist Edvard Munch, "The Scream" and "Madonna," were stolen in Oslo in 2004. Two armed robbers invaded the Munch Museum and, witnessed by numerous visitors, ripped the paintings from the wall. Police were able to retrieve the two famous paintings. However, "The Scream" was damaged so badly during the incident that it could never be fully restored.

The most spectacular art robberies in history Europe's biggest art burglary In 2008, armed thieves pilfered four paintings amounting to a total value of 180 million Swiss francs (€156 million, $182 million) from the collection Bührle in Zurich. "The Boy in the Red Vest" by Paul Cézanne, "Ludovic Lepic and His Daughters" by Edgar Degas, "Blossoming Chestnut Branches" by Vincent van Gogh, and "Poppy Field Near Vétheuil" by Claude Monet (pictured) all resurfaced later on.

The most spectacular art robberies in history Theft of a 100-kilo gold coin in Berlin In March 2017, a huge gold coin weighing 100 kilos was stolen from Berlin's Bode Museum. Just its sheer material value alone amounts to four million dollars. It is believed that the thieves found their way into the building through a window. The "Big Maple Leaf" coin originated in Canada. It is 53 cm high and 3 cm thick. On the front side, it bears an image of Queen Elizabeth II. Author: Ines Eisele (ad)



Lesser convictions

Defense attorneys' attempts to dispute the mounds of evidence against the three men proved futile. But prosecutors were unable to secure convictions against all of the accused to the degree they had initially hoped.

Security guard Denis W., just 18 years old at the time of the theft, was sentenced to three years and four months behind bars, as well as a fine of €100,000 — the amount phone records and investment inquiries he made after the fact indicated he received for his part in the theft. Prosecutors had originally sought a six-year conviction.

Ahmed and Wissam Remmo, 18 and 20 years old when the crime occurred, were each sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison. Authorities had initially sought a maximum sentence of seven years for each perpetrator.

They were both, however, fined for the estimated price of the coin — a whopping €3.3 million. All of the suspects were tried and sentenced according to juvenile law, based on their ages at the time of the crime, authorities said.

Wayci Remmo, the fourth defendant in the case and Ahmed's brother, was acquitted of all charges. The prosecution's attempts to prove his involvement using high-tech models that linked him to security footage proved unconvincing, Justice Prüfer said.

Watch video 02:02 Share The Art Market in Numbers Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3GrBs Theft, forgery, and fakes: The world art market

Further investigations

But speaking to a flurry of reporters after the trial, lead prosecutor Thomas Schulz-Spirohn said his office would continue investigating other members of the Remmo family believed to have taken part in the theft. 52-year-old Issa is already standing trial for verbally assaulting a police officer.

"We will calmly review the evidence and won't steer clear [of further investigations]," Schulz-Spirohn said.

Both the prosecution and the defense now have a week to appeal the decision, according to German law. DW could not immediately reach the defense team for comment.

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