War Criminal - Arthur Hermann Florstedt was a war criminal who has the singular distinction of being investigated, prosecuted and executed by the SS as a war profiteer for embezzling proceeds from confiscated Jewish property. A World War One veteran, Florstedt joined the Nazi party in the 1930's, holding party number 488 573. In November, 1933 he join the SS, the growing "bodyguard" and private police of Adolf Hitler and held SS number 8660. He steadily rose in rank in the SS and in 1938 held the rank of SS-Standartenführer (captain). He did not receive any further promotions, possible due to being perpetually in debt and having a penchant for being drunk and disorderly (something not tolerated well by Heinrich Himmler, the Reichsführer SS). Florstedt was sent to the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp from 1940 to 1942. In October, 1942 he was sent to Majdanek Concentration Camp to replace Max Koegel who had been transferred to the camp at Flossenbürg. Florstedt was well acquainted with Camp Commander SS-Standartenführer Karl Koch and had been his assistant at one time. There were rumors he had an affair with Koch's wife, Ilse, known as the "Bitch of Buchenwald". In 1943 Koch and Florstedt were suspected of profiteering and Florstedt for arbitrarily murdering prisoners (verses the murdering of prisoners the "official" way). After an investigation by SS Judge Georg Konrad Morgan, both were arrested, tried and sentenced to death. Ilsa Koch, who had also been arrested, was found not guilty by the SS court but would be arrested after the war by the Allies and sentenced to prison. She committed suicide by hanging in 1967 in her cell.
Florstedt was shot on April 15, 1945. He is the only known SS officer to have been put to death for killing camp inmates by the SS.