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Members of an international jewel-theft gang were sentenced on Monday by a British judge for robbing wealthy victims of gems and other valuables during a multimillion-dollar spree in 2019, the Associated Press reported.
Italian citizens Jugoslav Jovanovic, 24, Alessandro Maltese, 45, and Alessandro Donati, 44, struck three London mansions during a two-week period in December of 2019.
The biggest theft was at the London home of Formula 1 heiress Tamara Ecclestone. Police said the thieves stole jewelry, cash, diamonds and other precious stones worth $34 million. The family was not home at the time of the robbery.
Prosecutor Timothy Cray said the thefts were "the highest-value burglaries that have ever come to light" in Britain. Most of the stolen money and goods have not been recovered.
In a victim impact statement, Ecclestone said, "I'm so scared, I will not leave my daughter alone in the house at night, because I just feel like the people I am meant to trust, I don't, I'm not sure that I can trust anyone," the Daily Mail reported.
The three suspects were extradited from Italy and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle. Maltese and Donati were sentenced to eight years and nine months in prison. Jovanovic also admitted to money laundering and received an 11-year sentence.
The three will be sent to Italy to serve their sentences.
For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below.
British prosecutors say a fourth suspect, Serbian Daniel Vukovic, was "the prime mover" behind the burglaries. U.K. authorities have tried and failed to have him extradited from Serbia to face charges.
They targeted the homes of Chelsea soccer star Frank Lampard and his wife Christine, the late Leicester City soccer club owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and Ecclestone, daughter of motor racing magnate Bernie Ecclestone.
"It's buried treasure somewhere, globally," said Detective Constable Andrew Payne of London's Metropolitan Police. "The plots are comparable to what you would see in a Hollywood movie, but unfortunately this was real life, involving real victims who have suffered greatly by their actions."
