German jailed for blackmailing food firms
A German has been sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison for blackmailing Austrian food companies.Markus Rewinski sent threatening e-mails to confectionery company Manner and delicatessen producer Wojnar’s last year. He also laced products of the Viennese firms and placed them on shelves in shops in Tyrol. Police stressed after arresting Rewinski last October that no one was harmed, as they managed to seize the affected chocolate Mozart balls and tuna spreads.The 28-year-old from Aachen was tracked down and arrested after he agreed to being provided with a credit card to receive the demanded 170,000 Euros. Investigators caught Rewinski at a cash machine in Zirl, Tyrol, as he tried to withdraw money with the bank card.Judges in Vienna heard yesterday (Weds) that the defendant had a criminal record in his home country. Rewinski was sentenced to six years in jail for blackmailing German food producers. He evaded a spell in prison by claiming he would like to pass a final test to finish his university studies before going to jail. The criminal then fled to Austria, where he started to blackmail Manner and Wojnar’s after his girlfriend broke up with him.Manner is one of Austrias biggest confectionery producers. The tradition-rich family business is best known for its ‘Manner Schnitten’ hazelnut cream wafers. The delicacy had “cameos” in films like 2003 action film “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” starring Austrian-born Arnold Schwarzenegger.Wojnar’s is one of the countrys leading producers of spreads and a wide range of ready-to-eat salads.