A Royal Australian Mint employee who smuggled out half a ton of $2 coins in his boots over a 10-month span has been sentenced to three years in jail.

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William Grzeskowiac, 48, was also ordered to repay $4,000 as part of his sentence in Canberra, the Sydney Daily Telegraph reported.

At his trial prosecutors said police had recovered $135,852 in coins and bank notes which Grzeskowiac admitted stealing from the mint over a 10-month period, the newspaper said.

While prosecutors said he had stolen far more than what was recovered, the mint has no system that would show shortages.

In sentencing, Justice Terry Connolly also criticized the mint, saying security systems should have been able to detect someone walking out with as many as 150 coins in each boot.