A 57-year-old man from Irvine has been accused of stealing valuable violins and then robbing a bank when he felt the pressure was on.
The man, Mark Meng, faced charges for bank robbery and wire fraud on May 7, according to prosecutors.
Meng is alleged to have devised a scheme from August 2020 through April last year, with the aim of stealing high-end violins and reselling them for his personal gain.
This information comes from an FBI affidavit.
The authorities have accused Meng of stealing various valuable violins, including an 1823 Lorenzo Ventapane violin worth $175,000; a 1903 Guilio Degani violin valued at $55,000; a 1913 Caressa & Francais violin worth $40,000; an 1870 Gand & Bernardel violin priced at $60,000; and a Francais Lott violin bow costing $7,500.
Investigators have stated that Meng allegedly reached out to violin shops across the country under the guise of being a collector.
He requested instruments on loan for trial periods but then kept them longer than agreed upon.
After getting the violins temporarily, he reportedly used checks from banks that had insufficient funds and would then re-send more checks that bounced or claimed he tried to return the instruments but they were lost in transit.
According to the FBI, Meng allegedly sold the stolen violins to a dealer located in Los Angeles.
When authorities started investigating his activities, Meng reportedly robbed a U.S.
Bank branch at 4180 Barranca Parkway in Irvine on April 2.
Meng handed over a note demanding $18,000 and added “Please.
Stay Cool!
No harm.
Thx,” but the bank only gave him $446 in response.
Video surveillance captured images of the suspect, who was disguised with a bandana and sunglasses and wearing latex gloves.
The footage showed the individual dashing to a white minivan that matched a Toyota Sienna officers from Irvine had seen at Meng’s home on April 11.
This vehicle was registered to his girlfriend, according to federal officials.