MOSCOW, June 5 (RAPSI) – The Moscow District Military Court on Thursday convicted three former Federal Security Service's (FSB) officers for stealing the Gutenberg Bible, a rare 15th century book, from the Moscow State University, the court told RAPSI.

Two volumes of the Bible were stolen from the University’s safe in 2009. The defendants reportedly tried to sell the books to a famous collector.

The court sentenced Colonel Sergei Vedischev to 3.5 years in a general security penal colony. Major Mikhail Lepkov was sentenced to 1 year and 2 months in a penal colony settlement. Captain Viktor Puchok got a 1-year sentence. The court released Puchok after the verdict was read because he had been held in custody for a year during the investigation stage.

The Gutenberg Bible (also known as the 42-line Bible or the Mazarin Bible) was the first major work printed in Europe. One of its copies was taken from the Leipzig University in 1945 and housed in the Moscow State University’s Research Library.