Posted on 01/29/2014 8:30:45 AM PST by afraidfortherepublic
A priceless 300-year-old Stradivarius violin that was stolen in a robbery Monday night likely is sitting in a Milwaukee home, a retired FBI expert on such cases said Wednesday.
"I doubt it'd be shipped out that quickly to some far-off place," said Robert K. Wittman, founder of the FBI's National Art Crime Team and author of "Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures."
The Stradivarius violin was on loan to Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Frank Almond, who was attacked Monday night with a stun gun and robbed of the instrument. He had just completed a performance at Wisconsin Lutheran College and was in the parking lot in the rear of the school, at 8815 W. Wisconsin Ave.
The robber fled to a nearby vehicle, described as a maroon or burgundy minivan driven by an accomplice
Milwaukee police Chief Edward Flynn described the robbery as an assault on "the artistic heritage of Milwaukee." Milwaukee police are investigating with the FBI's art crimes team based in Quantico, Va. Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organization, also was notified.
Wittman said that, although the violin theft is unusual, he expects the motive is similar to that of high-end art thefts.
"Throughout my career, what I always saw in the end is that it was always about making money," Wittman said.
(Excerpt) Read more at jsonline.com ...
Sounds like a great Sean Connery movie.
Anybody with an understanding of the string world would know how to wait outside after a concert to take the violin. Anybody with any knowledge of the hall itself would know where they musicians come out after concerts.
It is a stupid thing to steal. Violins require repairing and up keep and Strads are all well known and documented.
Only place this goes is to a private collector and even then what a waste because violins require playing.
Concert folks all dress the same. You're looking for an unknown face in fancy dress. I'm almost betting a man and woman with a very full dress.
Now how hard would it be to put a GPS finder in the case. Who knows...it may have one.
FBI says till in Milwalkee...likely red herring.
Kindling. Nothing starts a fire like some good Strad splinters. Hey, it’s cold out there...
How about a wealthy Chinaman?
Any word on why the person in possession of such a valuable thing, would be totally unprepared for a robbery of that item?
Another case of how an armed and prepared citizen could have prevented himself from being robbed.
Or if he’s not that kind of person (probably is a liberal) how about having some hired protection?
Or how about keeping it at the school in a vault?
Certainly there were a dozen better options than waltzing around totally vulnerable to theft.
Milwaukee has collapsed economically so far from what it was, that it won’t even have a symphony orchestra much longer.
George Soros!
crooks obviously knewhe had it on loan and would be playing it that night.
that area of town is not a bad one, this is not gangsta crime. this is high-target, high art, refined job.
I am not ready to be suspicious of Frank Almond. He’s a really nice guy, from all reports. BUT, I do question his walking around without a body/violin guard. I know it would be expensive to hire such a person, but I’d think that the symphany would have provided it.
See #32.
And the insurance would have required it.
Calling Neil Caffrey...
a real interesting twist would be if Frank Almond hired some guys to ‘rob’ him to steal it so that he could have it for his personal use. they used a stun gun, yes to not accidentally shoot the violin, but at the same time non-lethal to him too.
it’s heavily subsidized, the orchestra ain’ t going anywhere.
most of these people play very expensive instruments to begin with. not strads but very, very expensive,older, superior ones. it’s not abnormal. in and of itself.
plus looking at it most wouldn’t know it’s a strad. they’d have to know he had one and he’d be playing it that night.
but the same twist crossed my mind too. that he ‘theft’ might be for him.
Everybody in town who knows anything about music knows about the Strad. It was a big deal here when it was ‘found’ in a bank vault in 2008 and loaned to the MSO for Almond’s use. Almond plays it at every concert.
Prior to its discovery, the Lipinski Strad had been ‘lost’ for about 30 years. It last belonged to a lady violinist who like to vacation in Milwaukee and it had resided in a bank vault since her death. It turned out that it was the wish, either of her or her husband, that it be made available to the MSO.
I certainly hope that they get it back and that they hire an armed guard to follow it around when they do.
BTW, if Almond leaves the MSO, the Strad would stay here and would be offered to the next Concert Master. That is, if they find it.
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