Couple sentenced for embezzling 1.9 million euros from parking meters in Kempten

A 40-year-old former municipal employee and his 39-year-old wife have been sentenced to five and a half years in prison each by a court in Kempten, Germany. The couple was convicted of embezzling approximately 1.9 million euros from municipal parking meters over a ten-year period in the Allgäu region. The court established that the husband, who was responsible for collecting coins, stole the money with his wife's assistance, who acted as the logistics coordinator by depositing the funds into bank accounts or converting them into supermarket vouchers. While the pair admitted to 335 counts of theft between 2020 and 2025 involving 1.34 million euros, over 500 earlier cases dating back to 2015 have expired due to the statute of limitations. Authorities are still seeking to seize 584,000 euros related to the expired cases. The defendants confessed that the stolen money was spent on a luxury lifestyle, including horses, vehicles, and expensive clothing. Presiding Judge Christoph Schwimbeck noted that municipal collection procedures facilitated the theft. The couple must repay the full amount, and the court ordered the seizure of their assets over the next 30 years.