Swede sentenced to prison for Auschwitz sign theft

Man who instigated theft of the "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign from Auschwitz gets 2 years and 8 months in prison.

Auschwitz sign 248 88 AP (photo credit: )
Auschwitz sign 248 88 AP
(photo credit: )
WARSAW, Poland — A Polish court has sentenced a Swedish man to two years and eight months in prison for instigating the theft last year of the notorious "Arbeit Macht Frei" ("Work Sets You Free") sign from the former Auschwitz death camp.
Rafal Lisak, a spokesman for the regional court in the southern city of Krakow, said a judge decided Thursday to approve a settlement that Anders Hogstrom reached with Polish prosecutors. Hogstrom, who had confessed to involvement in the theft in December 2009, was convicted of instigating it.
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Lisak said Hogstrom would be transferred to Sweden in the coming weeks to serve his term.
Judge Jaroslaw Gaberle also approved plea deals for two Polish men. They were convicted of involvement in stealing the sign and given sentences of up to 2 1/2 years.