LOS ANGELES
An Irvine man has been charged in a federal criminal complaint for allegedly orchestrating a scheme to steal high-value violins and then allegedly robbing a bank in Orange County, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.
Mark Meng, 57, is charged with bank robbery and wire fraud in a complaint filed on May 7. He has been in state custody since April 11, officials stated.
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, Meng used a scheme to steal high-end violins and resell them for his own gain.
The stolen violins included:
- one Lorenzo Ventapane violin, dated 1823, and valued at $175,000
- one Guilio Degani violin, dated 1903, and valued at $55,000
- one Caressa & Francais violin, dated 1913, and valued at $40,000
- one Gand & Bernardel violin, dated 1870, and valued at $60,000
- one Francais Lott violin bow, stamped “Lupot,” and valued at $7,500
Meng allegedly contacted violin shops nationwide to express interest in receiving violins on loan for a trial period to determine if he wished to purchase the instruments.
He allegedly gained the trust of these stores by representing himself as a collector, and in some cases, he purchased violin bows before asking for violin trial periods, officials stated.
After receiving each violin on a trial-period basis, Meng kept the violins and ultimately sold them to a violin dealer in Los Angeles who was unaware of their stolen origin.
After Meng knew he was under investigation by the FBI for the stolen violins, he allegedly entered a bank branch in Irvine on April 1, wearing a hat, sunglasses, a bandana covering his face, and blue latex gloves. Meng allegedly gave the bank teller a note stating, “$18,000. – Withdraw. Please. Stay Cool! No harm. Thx.”
According to the complaint, Meng fled the bank in his white minivan after obtaining money from the bank teller.
Law enforcement personnel determined that a latent print from the robbery note was identified as belonging to Meng, the affidavit states.
Officers ultimately tracked the minivan back to Meng’s house, where Meng was arrested several days later.
Meng is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
If convicted, Meng faces up to 20 years in federal prison for both the bank robbery and wire fraud counts.
The FBI’s Art Crime Team investigated this matter.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura Alexander and Mark A. Williams, both of the Environmental Crimes and Consumer Protection Section, are prosecuting this case.