A French national was convicted to five years in prison for his role in a million-euro diamond heist at Brussels Airport in 2013, after a court on Thursday found he was the brains behind the operation.
A correctional court in Brussels sentenced Marc Bertoldi to five years in prison and handed him a €6,000 fine for his role in the theft, Het Nieuwsblad reported. Bertoldi was the only man sentenced out the 18 involved in the spectacular robbery.
In 2013, at least 8 masked and armed men drove onto the tarmac at Brussels Airport and stole 121 packages containing about €38 million in diamonds out of a plane from the airline Swiss.
While 19 people were charged, all but one were acquitted due to a lack of evidence.
The prosecutor alleged that Bertoldi was the brains of the crime and was present for the robbery, but the court ruled there was insufficient evidence to prove so.
However, Bertoldi admitted to having possession of the diamonds, and the court did find that Bertoldi had prepared in advance to sell them, which was enough to label him a co-conspirator in the crime.
Sam Nelson
The Brussels Times
