Museum Cashier in Switzerland Convicted of Stealing Almost $1.1 Million
In a shocking case of museum theft, a court in Switzerland has convicted a museum cashier of stealing nearly a million Swiss francs from the prestigious Beyeler Foundation. The 54-year-old woman, whose identity has not been disclosed for privacy reasons, was found guilty of pocketing entry fees paid by visitors to the art museum over a period of 11 years.
The court heard that the cashier employed various tricks to skim 986,000 Swiss francs, equivalent to more than $1.1 million, from the ticket office between 2008 and 2019, when she was finally caught and dismissed. “Most likely, you would have continued like this if you hadn’t been found out,” the presiding judge, Marcia Stucki, commented while announcing the verdict.
The woman has been sentenced to three years and seven months in prison, along with a $3,600 fine. She is also required to repay the museum the amount she stole, although it remains uncertain how much money can be recovered.
The cashier devised several schemes to bypass internal controls and avoid suspicion. One method involved selling emergency tickets, reserved for system failures, for cash, which she would then keep for herself. Additionally, she would sell a single ticket twice by handing out the actual ticket to one visitor and passing the receipt to another, falsely claiming that the ticket printer was faulty, allowing her to pocket the price difference.
Her most audacious maneuver, which ultimately led to her apprehension in 2019, was canceling tickets sold by her colleagues and retaining the refunds. During the trial, a colleague testified that he recognized the cashier’s handwriting on a significant number of canceled tickets, leading the museum to focus on her during an internal review.
According to the Basel public attorney’s office, an analysis of the woman’s bank account revealed that she was taking as much as $170,000 annually. The authorities believe she began pilfering funds shortly after her employment in August 2008 and continued even after being promoted to oversee the museum’s cashiers in 2012.
Tickets at the Beyeler Foundation, known as one of Switzerland’s most popular museums, cost nearly $29 for a regular adult entry. Last year, the museum attracted 364,000 visitors. The stolen funds accounted for approximately 1 percent of the museum’s total income from ticket sales.
During the trial, the cashier displayed no remorse, as noted by Judge Stucki. “A high level of criminal energy” was evident in the substantial amount of money she stole, the judge remarked, along with her insolence and indifference throughout the proceedings.
Dorothee Dines, a spokesperson for the museum, expressed relief at the court’s verdict and stated, “We welcome the fact that the court has now issued a verdict, thereby providing clarification.” Ms. Dines also confirmed that the museum has implemented additional safeguards in its ticketing procedures and considers the matter closed.