Stradivarius Violin Cases
Between 1666 and 1737, Antonio Stradivari created over 1,000 instruments, including approximately 400 violins that are known to exist today. Stradivari's "Stradivarius" violins are widely considered to be of the highest quality of craftsmanship. Unfortunately, their notoriety has made them a target in multiple theft cases. A few of these cases—and how the FBI helped in the recovery—are described below.
Stradivarius (Lipinski) violin case
In 2014, a 300-year-old Stradivarius violin valued at more than $5 million at the time was stolen from Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Frank Almond.
When Almond emerged from a back door of a concert hall at Wisconsin Lutheran College, where he had just performed, he was carrying the "Lipinski Strad"—made by Antonio Stradivari in 1715 and later named for the Polish violinist Karol Lipinski who played it.
As Almond walked to his car, a man approached, pulled a Taser from his coat, and fired. With Almond temporarily incapacitated by the stun gun, the thief grabbed the Lipinski and fled to a waiting vehicle. Hours later, Milwaukee Police Department officers found the violin case discarded by the side of the road.
Aware of the cultural significance of the violin—and that time was of the essence—the Milwaukee Police Department swiftly marshaled its forces and requested the FBI’s assistance tracking down possible leads outside Wisconsin.
The Lipinski Stradivarius, shown here shortly after recovery, was 300 years old at the time it was stolen.
Using evidence found at the crime scene, agents quickly traced the weapon from the manufacturer to the purchaser—a Milwaukee barber named Universal Knowledge Allah.
At the same time, with the investigation in high gear and a $100,000 reward available, police received a tip regarding Milwaukee resident Salah Salahaydn. A week after the robbery, Allah and Salahaydn were arrested and charged locally in connection with the crime, but the violin and two valuable bows were still missing.
Nine days after the robbery, Salahaydn led investigators to a Milwaukee home. With a borrowed ladder from the SWAT team, a special agent on the FBI's Art Crime Team climbed through a crawl space into the attic and retrieved the violin and the bows wrapped in a baby blanket inside an old suitcase.
The stolen violin was recovered in excellent condition.
The FBI Art Crime Team suspects that the motive behind the robbery was to claim the reward money and that there was no intention to sell the violin. Investigators also discovered that Salahaydn had conducted extensive surveillance on Almond and knew where he and his family lived. The crime was clearly premeditated.
In May 2014, Allah pleaded guilty to felony robbery for his role in providing the stun gun to Salahaydn and was sentenced to more than three years in prison. In November 2014, Salahaydn was sentenced to seven years in prison after earlier pleading guilty to the theft.
Almond, who had been playing the Lipinski since 2008—on loan from an anonymous donor—was thrilled to get the violin back ... just in time to celebrate the instrument's 300th birthday in 2015.
The stolen violin was recovered in excellent condition.
Stradivarius (Ames) violin case
In May 1980, the Ames Stradivarius violin and two antique bows were stolen from Roman Totenberg following a concern at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The "Ames" Stradivarius was made by Antonio Stradivari in 1734, and later named for George Ames, the owner of the violin in the late 19th century.
The Ames Stradivarius shortly after it entered FBI custody in 2015 after 35 years.
View of the words “Antonius Stradivarius Cremona” inside the left F-hole.
Totenberg, a Polish-born violinist who immigrated to the U.S. in 1938, enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a performer and a teacher. He was chair of the strings department at Boston University from 1961 to 1978; the director of the Longy School of Music from 1978 to 1985; an instructor at various conservatories across the country; and co-chairman of the Boston University strings department for a second time beginning in 1994. Mr. Totenberg passed away in 2012.
On June 26, 2015, after having been missing for over 35 years, the Ames Stradivarius surfaced at a hotel in Manhattan, where it was being presented for appraisal by an individual who had received the violin from a former spouse. After being contacted by the appraiser, the FBI approached the individual, who voluntarily relinquished the Ames Stradivarius to a special agent assigned to the FBI’s Art Crime Team.
After contacting the heirs of Roman Totenberg, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI arranged for the return of the Ames Stradivarius to the Totenberg family.
From left: Jill, Nina, and Amy Totenberg celebrate the return of their father’s Stradivarius violin.
