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Grandpa'S Got A Gone
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» basdini replied on Wed May 4, 2005 @ 12:33pm |
 Coolness: 146145 | HAGEN, Germany (AP) - Three aging men who have been dubbed the Grandpa Gang went on trial Tuesday, accused of robbing 14 German banks and getting away with the equivalent of more than $1.3 million US over the course of 16 years.
As the trial opened in the western German city of Hagen, Rudolf Richter, 74, and Wilfried Ackermann, 73, admitted to taking part in the robberies. The third defendant, Lothar Ackermann, 64, who is not related to Wilfried, remained silent. The three could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of armed robbery. They are accused of robbing their first bank in December 1988 in Leopoldshoehe, bagging 111,000 marks ($77,700). They are alleged to have later robbed banks in other cities in northern and western Germany, armed with loaded weapons and sometimes with fake hand grenades. Wilfried Ackermann testified that the group would wait until shortly before closing time to enter the banks, because there were likely to be fewer customers. Richter acknowledged that he took part, but denied leading the group. He said that because business was going well at his shop where he produced motor parts, he had little reason to initiate the robberies. "I was an idiot. I always let myself be talked into things," he said. The men were arrested last year at a parking lot in the town of Wimbern, 30 kilometres east of Dortmund, where they allegedly were preparing another bank robbery. Because defendants do not enter formal pleas, testimony continues despite the fact that two acknowledged taking part in robberies. A verdict is expected this month. |
Grandpa'S Got A Gone
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