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 Toni Musuli is only sentenced to three years in prison with 2.5 million euro missing.
Summary of the stories:
- Toni Musuli is only sentenced to three years in prison.
- Toni Musuli planned a heist that netted him euro11.6 million (now worth $14.7 million) because he was angry at his boss
- Toni Musulin, 39, captured attention across France for the November heist, conducted without weapons.
- He used his own armored car, and turned himself in a few days later after a massive manhunt.
- He is seen a heroic outlaw for taking on the banking establishment in times of economic crisis.
- The most important question is: what happened to the euro2.5 million (now worth $3.2 million) in cash that is still missing? Is this part of his plan?
Toni Musulin, born 1970, is a French man of Serbo-Croatian origins, and a former security van driver for the Loomis security firm. Musulin had worked for 10 years for Loomis France, the No. 1 French company specializing in transporting money and valuables, according to the company. Musulin never had any trouble there before the theft, the company said.
Musulin's explanation at the opening of the one-day trial was simple. "I am someone normal," he testified. "I had a problem with my boss and I made him pay this way." He did not explain the root of the "problem." "I'm no Robin Hood," "I respect the law, but at a certain point I passed over to the other side. I managed to do what I didn't want to do."
In addition to the jail time, the court in this southeastern city fined Musulin euro45,000 ($57,150). The prosecution had sought a 5-year prison term and a ban from working as a security guard. Musulin's lawyer, Herve Banbanaste, said the decision was fair and there would be no appeal.
In Tuesday's testimony, he described planning the theft, and then stuffing the cash from the security truck into a rented Renault. "It didn't all fit, it kept falling out. The bags were slipping because they were plastic," He said he put the money — all of it — in storage and went to eat something. When he came back, there were police everywhere, so he decided to rent a motorcycle and go to Italy, he said. After visiting Turin, Rome and Naples "to eat pasta," Musulin said, he heard that police had found the money so he decided to turn himself in. "I didn't know what to do, I didn't have a choice," he said.
Musulin said he doesn't know what happened to the euro2.5 million (now worth $3.2 million) in cash that is still missing. He said he went to Monaco because he took a wrong turn, insisting that it wasn't because he wanted to avoid extradition.
Lyon prosecutor Xavier Richard said Musulin appeared to have acted alone and prepared his escape in advance. A police search revealed that the suspect's apartment was empty, there were no sheets on the bed and the refrigerator was empty.
He is known for having stolen 11.6 million euros from the Banque de France while on duty. At the time of the van theft, he had emptied his flat and bank account. His colleagues reported that he had complained about the security firm and poor working conditions.
Armored van theft
On November 5, 2009 he stole the armored van he was driving containing 11.6 million euros (Musulin picked up the money from the Banque de France branch in Lyon with two other security workers). They then stopped at another bank — and while the two other security workers were inside, Musulin fled with the cash. 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 was tipped off by witnesses and searched a garage in which they found most of the loot : 9 million euros as well as a hired van.
The abandoned vehicle was recovered several hours later in an isolated area in Lyon near railway tracks. Days later investigators said they found euro9.1 million (now worth $11.6 million) of the loot hidden in a van in a garage, not far from where the company vehicle was found.
The rest of the money has never turned up.
Surrender
Musulin was searched for by Interpol in its 185 member states, with suspicions he might have fled to Serbia. After 11 days on the run, an exhausted Musulin turned up at a police station in neighboring Monaco, riding a motorcycle rented in his name. He finally surrendered himself to a police station in Monaco on 16 November 2009. 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 at half-term (18 months). Musulin is also accused of false insurance claim. A few months prior to the van theft, he was driving a Ferrari (which his driver incomes could not possibly afford), and declared it stolen for €120,000, even though he was later seen driving it across the Serbian border.
His lawyer claims that Musulin surrendered because "he is a responsible man, he committed an offence, not a crime, and decided to face his responsibilities". Police on the other hand believes that it was a planned surrender and that Musulin has no intention to cooperate. They say that after three years maximum of prison, Musulin will be free to enjoy the remaining 2,5 millions euros, which are still nowhere to be found.
As of 3 December 2009, Toni Musulin claims that he did not know where the 2.5 millions Euros are. He said he left them in the van with the other 9.1 millions.
Hot topic today
After his escape, T-shirts for sale on the Internet bore his photo with the caption: "Best Driver 2009."
Musulin became a hot topic of conversation on social networking website, where he was praised for "the heist of the century" and for doing it without resorting to violence or guns.
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