Austrian Criminals Trick Refugees Into Stealing Kitchen

It's something of a cliché to say that a person steals everything but the kitchen sink, but this week some men were sentenced to prison for actually stealing the literal kitchen sink out of a refugee home in Austria.

According to The Local, the two men were working at a refugee home in Austria, and when they wanted some extra cash, they decided that a good way to get it would be to remove an entire kitchen from the house and sell it. Pulling all the cabinets and appliances out of an apartment does not sound like a very efficient way to make money, but the two reportedly made off with more than 60,000 euros worth of kitchen equipment and cabinets, and also several laptops and projectors from the house.

Police say the two men actually hired several of the refugees living in the home to help them dismantle the kitchen and carry the appliances down into the thieves' waiting van. The criminals worked at the home, so the refugees had no reason to suspect that there was anything amiss when the staff members asked them to help remove the old kitchen. They had no idea the kitchen was actually being stolen.

When police caught the two alleged perpetrators, one attempted to say that the kitchen had been dismantled for scrap, but that ruse did not last long and he eventually confessed. His partner in crime admitted to the theft and said he did it to pay for an addiction.

Both men were sentenced to 18 months in prison. The refugees hired to help carry the kitchen were not charged with anything.