CANDLEMASS Guitarist Sentenced To Two Years In Prison - Mar. 20, 2008
CANDLEMASS guitarist Mats "Mappe" Björkman has been sentenced to two years in a Swedish prison for grand theft, reports Realtid.se.
He was convicted of stealing CDs with a retail value of SEK 3 million (approximately $490,000).
According to prosecutor Mats Jansson, Björkman and and his accomplice Stefan Håkansson skimmed CDs from Entertainment Network Scandinavia AB (ENS), where they both worked at the warehouse. ENS handles product distribution to retail outlets and wholesalers throughout Sweden for the four major labels.
Over a period of several years, Björkman and Håkansson shipped the stolen merchandise to two Stockholm retail outlets who were also allegedly involved in the scheme.
In November 2005, a music company contacted ENS regarding a discrepancy in Björkman's reported sales. ENS investigated the matter and discovered that someone had manipulated the company computer on 301 occasions.
By checking Mats' employee/entry card, ENS determined that the musician's log-in information had been used to access the company's computer system in 279 of these instances.
Mats Björkman denies the allegations and claims that someone else must have used his entry card. But his accomplice Stefan Håkansson has admitted his rôle in the theft and has implicated his colleague.
The scheme was uncovered after a tip was received that the record stores in Stockholm were selling CDs that were shipped from the Borås-based warehouse for a much lower price than those sold by their competitors.
The information about the weight on orders had been manipulated to conceal how much merchandise had been delivered. A package that according to the computer system contained 8 CDs in reality turned out to include more than 100 CDs plus a few box sets and DVDs.
According to the prosecutor, Björkman was the one that was in contact with the retailers and that received the money for the transactions.
The agreement between Mats and his accomplice was that they were to split the profits — which were estimated to be SEK 1.3 million (approximately $213,000) — equally.
Mats stated in court that he doesn't undertand why Stefan would lie about him being involved in the theft scheme but he thinks it might be because Håkansson was trying to protect other people who might have been responsible for stealing the merchandise.
Before he went to court, Mats told the local paper Borås Tidning, "I'm innocent, no question about it."
During the court proceedings, he continued to deny his involvement in the theft while the other man confessed.
Based on the evidence, the court concluded that Håkansson had no reason to lie about Björkman's rôle in the scheme and determined that prison was the appropriate punishment for both men.
Björkman's accomplice received a sentence of one year and nine months.
Le G@SP a écrit :j'ai pas tout compris non plus mais l'important c'est que ce soit dans les fesses!
Malgré la condamnation de son guitariste, Mats Mappe Björkman, CANDLEMASS ne changera pas ses plans pour 2008 2009 et enregistrera en avril un EP nommé "LUCIFER RISING" puis fera une tournée aux USA en mai/juin. Les enregistrements du successeur de "King Of The Grey Islands" commenceront eux en automne et avec Mappe.
Source VS... en tout cas bonne nouvelle que ce EP!
"Ma mère ?! Vous voulez dire que j’aurais un ticket avec ma mère ?! Oh, dur, c’est pas le pied !
- Encore ? Mais qu'est-ce que c’est que ces histoires de pieds ? Les pieds seraient-ils le point sensible des hommes du futur ? C’est peut-être dû à un accroissement de l'apesanteur...
- Quoi ???"
L'intéressé se défend et donne sa version dans cette interview :
Sweden Rock: Why did your former co-worker accuse you of being an accomplice?
Mats: "He's on trial in three different cases and this is the one that has received the biggest amount of publicity, mostly because I apparently am a 'famous rock musician.' He's, among other things, been busted for selling large amounts of alcohol illegally, which is something I think he has done through contact with serious criminals. All the money that he has made from that is something he has 'transferred' to the CD sales because he can't rat those people out.
"I am not a criminal, but sure, just like I've sold some CDs, I've helped him sell CDs. But these are CDs that I've been given or gotten through my dealings within the music business. It's not a secret that record label people in Stockholm sell boxes of CDs to different stores, but it's nothing people like to talk about."
Sweden Rock: Have you discussed how it would affect the band if your conviction was upheld on appeal?
Mats: "No. With CANDLEMASS we've never planned far ahead, but concentrated on the here and now. I've learned a lot through this trial and in the court of appeals, any evidence must be a lot stronger, and we will be able to counter the prosecutor's arguments in a much better way when we're there."
Sweden Rock: Won't you have trouble getting a working visa for the planned tour in the USA [which kicks off in May]?
Mats: "It'll actually not be a problem. That's the tragic thing about the papers claiming that 'Mats Björkman from CANDLEMASS will be spending the next two years in prison.' The court of appeals will hear the case sometime in the fall, so even if I have been convicted in the district court, that verdict has not become legally binding because I've appealed. The district court's verdict has no meaning at all as far as the band's plans are concerned.
"I'm really looking forward to touring the USA and recording the next CANDLEMASS EP. The material is great and Leffe (Leif Edling, CANDLEMASS' bass player and main songwriter) is a genius!"
I'm the lost one chasing colors to the sun
Colors bleed but never fade
Je ne le plains pas mais en tant que fan de Candlemass, j'espère qu'il fera du sursis 
C'est en effet confirmé sur le site du groupe