Schuhbeck sentenced to four years and three months in prison

The verdict in the trial against celebrity chef Alfons Schuhbeck was handed down on Monday: The Munich I Regional Court sentenced him to a total of four years and three months in prison for, among other things, delaying the filing of insolvency proceedings and fraud involving coronavirus aid. Before the verdict was announced, Schuhbeck apologized to "everyone who has experienced problems because of me." He emphasized: "This will burden me for the rest of my life, and I am very sorry."

"Ultimately, you've grown too big," Judge Uwe Habereder told the 76-year-old. Schuhbeck had run his "companies in a manner that is, at least, unbecoming of a businessman." The sentence already includes the sentence for tax evasion, which Schuhbeck should currently be serving in prison. In 2022, the Munich I Regional Court sentenced Schuhbeck to three years and two months in prison for tax evasion .

Previously, the public prosecutor had demanded a total prison sentence of four years and seven months for the 76-year-old. The prosecutor stated in her plea that his corporate empire had "unfortunately grown beyond his control," but that he had also acted "out of gross self-interest." It was particularly reprehensible that Schuhbeck had exploited the "unprecedented national emergency during the pandemic." Schuhbeck had tried for far too long to "maintain his life's work and appearances."

Schuhbeck had admitted the allegations in the new trial against him and admitted that he had known about his companies' massive financial problems long before the official insolvency and yet had illegally applied for coronavirus aid . His confession was part of a deal between the prosecution, the defense, and the court, in which a sentence of between four years and four years and eight months was agreed upon.

Schuhbeck's defense attorney, Norbert Scharf, did not file a motion on Monday, but emphasized the defendant's cooperation. His second attorney, Joachim Eckert, emphasized Schuhbeck's "iron will" and "willingness to always work": "For years, he has given people happy hours with his cooking, his shows in the tent, and on television—and I think that will continue."

The prison sentence Schuhbeck is currently serving has been suspended for health reasons . According to his lawyers, he has terminal cancer and is currently receiving treatment outside of prison. It is unclear when he will be able to return to prison.

According to his own statement before the Munich I Regional Court, insolvency administrator Max Liebig assumes that the creditors of Schuhbeck's network of companies can only be repaid a fraction of the amount demanded. He speaks of a rate in the low double-digit range. For years, there had been no significant accounting – and most of the companies had already gone bankrupt in 2015, long before the bankruptcy was filed.

At that time, Schuhbeck was still a Michelin-starred chef and considered the top dog of Munich's Platzl, a good-natured and successful patriarch in a network of companies, most of which bore his name. "The only real value was the Alfons Schuhbeck brand," says insolvency administrator Liebig. Because, first and foremost, this brand was at the heart of all the companies: "The interesting and exciting thing, of course, was the name and the aura that was built around it."

Not much of that aura remains today. Schuhbeck is now in court for the second time in three years; in 2022, he was sentenced to prison for tax evasion. According to his statements in court, Schuhbeck receives a pension of €1,138.76 : "I live off of that." His brother pays his health insurance, and he's behind on his rent for his apartment, which costs €4,800 a month. Friends give him money for it, but it's not enough. "Overall, I need to reorganize my personal circumstances."