The verdict has been made: Alfons Schuhbeck should go to prison for three years and two months. However, the judge's decision is not yet final. Until then, the star chef remains at large. But what awaits him in prison is already clear.
In the end there was no mercy for Alfons Schuhbeck, even if the verdict fell short of the demands of the public prosecutor's office: The Munich Regional Court I imposed three years and two months on the star chef because he is said to have evaded around 2.3 million euros in taxes.
However, the judgment is not yet final. Schuhbeck's defense attorneys said they had not yet made a final decision on whether to appeal. The public prosecutor, who had demanded a year longer prison sentence for Schuhbeck, was still open to taking the step. Both sides have one week to do this.
Schuhbeck is therefore still at large after his conviction. Only if the verdict should really be upheld will he get weak in the knees when going to the mailbox. He will then be informed by letter when he has to start his sentence.
From the environment of the 73-year-old, it was said that after the judge's verdict, he first looked for distraction. Where? On the stove, of course. "After the day of the trial, he went to the kitchen in the Tiroler Stuben. Cooking," the German press agency quoted an unnamed acquaintance of the cook as saying.
"The idea of prison scares me," Schuhbeck admitted openly during the trial. As a court spokesman explained, the execution of the sentence, as soon as it becomes final, would basically be in the prison in Landsberg am Lech. Another celebrity has already been imprisoned here for tax evasion: the former president of FC Bayern Munich, Uli Hoeneß.
RTL has found out some details about the prison conditions that Schuhbeck has to adapt to in Landsberg am Lech. The cell that awaits the cook is about eight square meters in size and only equipped with the bare essentials. A typical inmate's daily routine goes something like this: wake up at 5:50 am, start work at 7 am, lunch break 11 am to 12 pm, then back to work. In addition, there are usually two hours of free time in the afternoon before the "general confinement" in the cell takes place at 7 p.m.
In principle, there is an obligation to work in the JVA. A so-called entrance examination is also carried out for every newcomer. It serves to create an individual prison plan for each prisoner. For example, the detainees should be used as professionally as possible in their activities behind bars.
A job in the prison kitchen would be obvious for Schuhbeck. However, at the age of 73, he can also be released from the obligation to work. But then he would also miss out on the possibility of additional income. Hoeneß, for example, earned about 1.50 euros an hour from his job in the clothing store at the JVA. In an interview with the "Bild" newspaper, he revealed that he used the money to treat himself to a lot of wholemeal bread, jam and chocolate. "A buttered pretzel can be something very special," he stated.
Especially since the canteen food, which is served between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. in a dining room for around 220 inmates, is likely to be rather monotonous. The typical menu here consists, for example, of vegetable soup, salad and ham noodles. There is also a meatless pasta option for vegetarians.
The inmates are allowed to pick up dinner from 3.30 p.m. and take it to their cell. Rye bread, margarine and cheese are included. Tea is the drink.
Schuhbeck can at least look forward to a visit in detention. He is allowed to receive guests between 1 p.m. and 3.15 p.m. Maybe some of his prominent friends will cheer him up during this time.
