STORY CONTINUES BELOW THESE SALTWIRE VIDEOSMADRID, Spain - Spain's High Court on Tuesday acquitted a German national accused of heading a crime ring linked to the Hells Angels motorcycle club following a collective trial of 45 of its alleged members over their activities on the resort island of Mallorca almost a decade ago.
Frank Hanebuth, who rose through the Hells Angels ranks in the German city of Hanover before allegedly leading the club's Mallorca branch, was cleared of all charges. The prosecution had requested a prison sentence of up to 13 years and a 4.2 million euro fine. Of the 45 people originally indicted for a trial that kicked off in January, 35 had already entered into plea deals with prosecutors, receiving maximum prison sentences of two years. Mitigating factors such as the trial's undue delay also led to lighter penalties.
His brother Abdelghani Youssafi, however, did not bargain with the prosecution and was sentenced to two years in prison on a prostitution felony but acquitted of all other charges.