A 57-year-old man was scheduled to make his first appearance in federal court Thursday on charges of stealing expensive violins and robbing a bank in Irvine.
Mark Meng was charged Tuesday with bank robbery and wire fraud, prosecutors said.
Meng is accused of a scheme “to steal high-end violins and resell them for his personal gain” from August 2020 through April of last year, according to an FBI affidavit.
Meng is accused of stealing an 1823 Lorenzo Ventapane violin valued at $175,000; a 1903 Guilio Degani violin valued at $55,000; a 1913 Caressa & Francais violin worth $40,000; an 1870 Gand & Bernardel violin worth $60,000; and a Francais Lott violin bow worth $7,500, according to the FBI.
He allegedly sold the stolen violins to a dealer in Los Angeles.
Meng is also accused of robbing a U.S. Bank branch at 4180 Barranca Parkway in Irvine about 1:20 p.m. April 2. Meng asked for $18,000 with a note, but was given $446, according to the FBI.
The robbery suspect, disguised by a bandana and sunglasses and with latex gloves, was seen in video surveillance making a dash after the stickup to a white minivan that matched the Toyota Sienna officers from Irvine saw at his home on April 11 that was registered to his girlfriend, federal officials said.
According to investigators, Meng allegedly contacted violin shops across the country to get an instrument on loan for a trial period, representing himself as a collector. After getting the violins on a trial basis he kept them longer than promised and then kited checks to the lenders, re-sent more checks that bounced or claimed he tried to mail the instruments back but they got lost in the mail, the FBI alleged.