Man pleads guilty to stealing vintage violins and robbing bank

SANTA ANA, Calif.—A 57-year-old man pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in Santa Ana to a scheme to steal expensive, vintage violins and a bank robbery in Irvine.

Mark Meng pleaded guilty to fraud and bank robbery and was scheduled to be sentenced on February 24.

According to his plea agreement, the defendant defrauded violin dealers of expensive musical instruments in Orange and Los Angeles counties from August 2020 through April of last year.

Meng contacted violin dealers across the country and asked if he could borrow a violin for a trial period, under the guise of trying the violin before buying it, according to his settlement proposal.

Meng, posing as a violin collector, kept the violin after the trial period, then called to negotiate a purchase price and sent a check, knowing it would bounce, prosecutors said. When contacted about the bounced check, he sent another one or, in some cases, said he had returned the violin but it had gotten lost in the mail, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors allege that Meng sold or attempted to sell the expensive violins.

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Prosecutors said Meng stole a 1903 Guilio Degani violin worth $175,000; a 1823 Lorenzo Ventapane violin worth $175,000; a 1903 Guilio Degani violin worth $55,000; a 1913 Caressa & Francais violin worth $40,000; a 1870 Gand & Bernardel violin worth $60,000; a Francais Lott violin worth $7,500; a Charles J.B. Colin Mezin violin worth $6,500; and an E.H. Roth Guarneri violin worth $6,500.

Prosecutors said Meng sold three violins and the bow for $44,700.

Prosecutors say he robbed a U.S. bank at 4180 Barranca Parkway in Irvine on April 2 for $446.

He disguised himself with a navy bandana and handed a teller a note that read: “$18,000—withdraw. Stay calm. No harm. Thanks.”

When the cashier said she didn’t have that amount of money, he said, “Give me what you have,” prosecutors said.