German 'James Bond' sentenced for 14-million-euro tax evasion





Bochum, Germany - One of Germany's most prolific secret agents - dubbed the German "James Bond" by local media - was sentenced on Thursday for evading 14 million euros (16.5 million dollars) in taxes under assumed names.



 
Werner Mauss has been involved in countless covert operations since the 1970s, including the arrest of a member of the left-wing extremist Baader Meinhof gang in Athens and negotiations with Shiite movement Hezbollah over kidnappings in Lebanon.
Known in secret service circles as "the man with nine fingers" because of a missing finger on his left hand, Mauss also entrapped diamond smugglers, burglars and drug dealers and assumed countless aliases.
He was sentenced to two years on parole after a court in Bochum found him guilty of hiding large sums of money in foreign accounts.
Prosecutors had demanded a sentence of six years and three months, with chief prosecutor Marie-Luise Eckermann-Meier arguing that Mauss had "enriched himself significantly in order to fund his high standard of living, which included horses and expensive cars."
Mauss' lawyers had pushed for an acquittal, arguing that his foreign bank accounts had belonged to international organizations funding his covert activities.

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Thursday, October 5th 2017
(dpa)
           


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