Toni Musulin
Encyclopedia
Toni Musulin is a French
man of Serbo-Croatian
origins, and a former security van driver for the Loomis
security firm.
He is known for having stolen 11.6 million euros from the Banque de France
while on duty. At the time of the theft, he had emptied his flat and bank account. His colleagues reported that he had complained about the security firm and poor working conditions.
Musulin became a hot topic of conversation on a social networking website, where he was praised for "the heist of the century" and for doing it without resorting to violence or guns.
searched for Musulin in its 185 member states, with suspicions he might have fled to Serbia. He finally surrendered himself to a police station in Monaco on 16 November 2009. His lawyer claims that Musulin surrendered because "he is a responsible man, he committed an offense, not a crime, and decided to face his responsibilities". Police on the other hand believe that it was a planned surrender and that Musulin had no intention of cooperating. They believe that after his prison sentence, Musulin will be free to enjoy the remaining 2,5 millions Euros, which are still nowhere to be found.
According to French law, since the theft did not include any element of violence, the maximum prison term is only three years, with possible parole after 18 months. However, Musulin is also accused of false insurance claim. A few months prior to the van theft, Toni Musulin indeed had declared that his red Ferrari F340 had been stolen. In fact, it was discovered that he had simply left it in Serbia.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
man of Serbo-Croatian
South Slavs
The South Slavs are the southern branch of the Slavic peoples and speak South Slavic languages. Geographically, the South Slavs are native to the Balkan peninsula, the southern Pannonian Plain and the eastern Alps...
origins, and a former security van driver for the Loomis
Loomis Fargo & Company
Loomis is an armored car company. The modern company was formed in 1997 by the consolidation of two armored security concerns, Wells Fargo Armored Service and Loomis Armored Inc...
security firm.
He is known for having stolen 11.6 million euros from the Banque de France
Banque de France
The Banque de France is the central bank of France; it is linked to the European Central Bank . Its main charge is to implement the interest rate policy of the European System of Central Banks...
while on duty. At the time of the theft, he had emptied his flat and bank account. His colleagues reported that he had complained about the security firm and poor working conditions.
Musulin became a hot topic of conversation on a social networking website, where he was praised for "the heist of the century" and for doing it without resorting to violence or guns.
Theft
On November 5, 2009 he stole the armored van he was driving containing 11.6 million euros. This was made possible by lenient application of security procedures. The armored van was found empty shortly later with its GPS tracking device disabled. On November 7, the police were tipped off by witnesses and searched a garage in which they found most of the stolen cash: 9.1 million euros as well as a hired van. The remaining 2.5 millions however could not be found. Musulin claims that he left them in the van with the rest of the cash. He claims that he did the robbery because he had been "mistreated" while at his job.Surrender
InterpolInterpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
searched for Musulin in its 185 member states, with suspicions he might have fled to Serbia. He finally surrendered himself to a police station in Monaco on 16 November 2009. His lawyer claims that Musulin surrendered because "he is a responsible man, he committed an offense, not a crime, and decided to face his responsibilities". Police on the other hand believe that it was a planned surrender and that Musulin had no intention of cooperating. They believe that after his prison sentence, Musulin will be free to enjoy the remaining 2,5 millions Euros, which are still nowhere to be found.
According to French law, since the theft did not include any element of violence, the maximum prison term is only three years, with possible parole after 18 months. However, Musulin is also accused of false insurance claim. A few months prior to the van theft, Toni Musulin indeed had declared that his red Ferrari F340 had been stolen. In fact, it was discovered that he had simply left it in Serbia.
Trial and verdict
On 12 May 2010, a court in Lyon sentenced Musulin to three years in prison. The Epoch Time reported that he accepted the verdict with a smile and was not planning to appeal. The prosecutor said: "We will do everything so that it does not end up like this. Toni Musulin will not enjoy in peace the 2.5 million euros he has hidden somewhere in Eastern Europe." On 3 November 2010, the sentence was extended to five years for the Ferrari F340 insurance fraud.External links
- How a Bank Robber Became an Antihero in France - TIMETime (magazine)Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
- 16 November 2009 - Security van driver leaps to celebrity after speeding off with £10m - The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
- 7 November 2009