An Irvine man pled guilty Monday to orchestrating a scheme to steal and resell more than $525,000 worth of high-value violins – and then robbing a bank when he realized he was under investigation.
The Department of Justice reported Mark Meng, 58, posed as a musical instrument collector from August 2020 to April 2023 and convinced violin shops across the country to loan him violins for a trial period.
During these trial periods, he often either sold or schemed to sell the instruments. In some instances, he bought violin bows before asking for a trial loan.
After receiving each violin, Meng negotiated prices ranging from $6,500 to $175,000, kept the instruments beyond the trial period, and then provided the shops with checks that he knew would bounce due to insufficient funds.
When Meng was confronted by these shops, he either sent more fraudulent checks or would lie and say he’d sent back the instrument, but that it was lost in the mail.