Read to the end of the article at the link. I don't like the sound of that last sentence.
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 ...
Read to the end of the article at the link. I don't like the sound of that last sentence.
Well, they need to quit fiddlin’ around and string up the players that stole it. (Sorry, couldn’t help myself)
Update on the theft of the Lipinski violin.
FReep Mail me if you want on, or off, this Wisconsin interest ping list.
Well, it’s not a laughing matter, but your post has me LOL!
Link doesn’t work.
I’d be looking closely at Frank Almond. Just how would any thief know where the violin would be at that time without inside knowledge?
I tried to go to the link but that didn’t work. I was just wondering what price they put on the priceless violin. And what’s all this talk about gun violins anyway? :>}
Try the above. Sorry.
I’m sure this theft was orchestrated by more than one individual. I hope the police conduct a thorough investigation.
Sean Michaels stole it to play sweet chin music.
See #9. Sorry about the bad link.
The violin is estimated to be worth $3.5 million.
Everybody in town would know where that violin would be. He’d just played a public concert!
Maybe they and the local sheriff will work on concert with each other to come to a harmonious crescendo. Okay. I gotta stop now.
:: just completed a performance at Wisconsin Lutheran College ::
ELKer?
I'd say more "irreplaceable" than "priceless".
I recall seeing something about the wood that Stradivarius used. It grew during one of the colder spells of the last "little ice age" (LIA), among other traits.
While worth potentially millions, selling a stolen Strad would I think be rather hard. There are only a few dozen known Strads in the world so any open sale would be impossible. That would leave selling it to a private collector who didn’t care about the source. I would guess this theft was well planned with a buyer already identified.
You have a $3.5 million intrument and you park “behind the school”?
That, all by itself, is suspicious. And just who described the getaway vehicle? If it was Frank Almond, that might make one suspicious.
Still think it might be an inside job; and I bet the FBI and cops are looking into that possibility.
Wouldn’t someone walking in a ghetto parking lot with something valued a $3.5 million have a guard? Does that even make sense?
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