Overview

• Defense lawyers for all four men delivered their closing pleas on July 17, arguing that the prosecution’s evidence is fragmentary and urging acquittals.
• Prosecutors have identified a 48-year-old from Plate near Schwerin as the ringleader and called for a 12-year sentence while seeking 6½ to 10 years for the other defendants.
• The accused have been held in pretrial detention since July 2023 and have maintained their silence throughout the trial, which began in January.
• Authorities say the group stole about 3.7 kilograms of Celtic gold—including 483 coins valued at €1.5 million—in the November 2022 museum burglary and link them to at least 19 other break-ins.
• The court at the Landgericht Ingolstadt is set to pronounce its verdict on July 29 after hearing months of testimony and legal arguments.