Albert Spaggiari
Albert Spaggiari (14th December 1932 - 8th June 1989) was a French criminal who burgled the bank Société Générale in Nice. He is best known for his subsequent escape from custody during his trial.
Robbery edit
In 1976, Spaggiari, Jacques Cassandri and several others dug a tunnel into the bank Société Générale in Nice, where they broke into the vault and stole 30-100 million francs and wrote the message sans armes, ni haine, ni violence (without weapons, hatred, or violence) on the wall before leaving. They then bought wine and pâté with the money.
Arrest and escape from custody edit
The French police managed to catch one of Spaggiari' s accomplices in October after his former girlfriend sold him out, and Spaggiari himself was later arrested after the accomplice implicated him. However, during his trial, Spaggiari managed to forge a document which he then claimed as evidence. When the document was handed over, it was revealed to be coded, so that the judge had to decipher it. While he was distracted, Spaggiari suddenly jumped out the window into a waiting car, which sped off with Spaggiari inside.
Following his escape, Spaggiari was sentenced to life imprisonment In Absentia, and lived the rest of his life in hiding until his death from throat cancer in 1989.
Trivia edit
He is reputed to have been a Neo-Nazi, as he allegedly had pictures of Adolf Hitler and the Schutzstaffel symbol in his house.