Team of Jewelry Thieves Imprisoned After Stealing Thousands of Diamonds Worth Millions During Heist

Five men were convicted Tuesday of making off with 21 pieces of 18th century jewels worth more than €113.8 million during a heist at a Dresden museum.

Judges in a German court ruled five individuals, between the ages of 24 and 29, were responsible for the theft at the Green Vault Museum Nov. 25, 2019, according to the Associated Press.

Sentences for the men ranged from about four years to just over six years, German news agency dpa reported, according to the AP. One defendant was acquitted.

The stolen pieces, which included more than 4,300 diamonds, had an insured value of $129 million.

The group was accused of setting a fire to disable street lights outside the museum shortly before the men broke in.

Before fleeing to Berlin, they also set a car ablaze in a garage near the museum, the AP reported. The team was caught months later.

Most of the stolen jewelry was returned, although some items with large diamonds are still unaccounted for, the outlet reported.

The men were convicted on charges of particularly aggravated arson, dangerous bodily injury, theft with weapons, damage to property, and intentional arson.

Judges said the mission of the heist was "to get rich."

Four of the men agreed to plea bargains earlier this year and admitted their involvement in the break-in. The fifth defendant confessed only to helping get tools used to make holes in a display case, according to the AP.

“There are things in your life that are worth living a different life for,” Presiding Judge Andreas Ziegel told the men. “It’s your choice what you do with your life.”

Even though some of the pieces were returned, the museum's collection of complete jewelry sets is "probably destroyed forever,” Ziegel said. The Green Vault is one of the world's oldest museums.

Dresden claimed damages of nearly €189 million to cover damaged pieces, those that remain missing, and needed repairs following the break-in, according to the AP.