[ad_1]
The Irvine man, convicted of adjusting a scheme to steal a valuable violin, was convicted of stealing a bank when federal agents realized he was closed and sentenced to four years in prison.
Mark Meng, 58, was sentenced to 46 months this week in federal prison. He will face a return hearing in June, according to the US Department of Justice.
Last September, Meng admitted to one count of one wire fraud and one bank robbery after being arrested in connection with theft of multiple high-value violins and subsequent robbery.
The scheme involved Meng, who pretended to be a collector, contacted violin shops across the country in search of valuable violins.
After receiving the violin, Meng sends a personal check to the original owner that he knew would bounce, repeatedly asks for the extension, and a new check that he knew would bouncing too.
However, Men held the instruments and eventually sold them to violin dealers in Los Angeles.
Among the stolen violins were the 1823 Lorenzo Bentapan violin worth $175,000 and the 1870 Gundo & Bernardel violin worth $60,000. The other two violins and a bow worth a total of $100,000 were among those who were stolen and sold to dealers, DOJ said.
Male suspect (Irvine Police Station) was later identified as Mark Men seen on surveillance cameras stealing a bank in Irvine on April 2, 2024.
The theft eventually attracted the attention of the FBI and began investigating Meng’s transactions.
After realising he was under investigation, Meng wore a hat, sunglasses, bandana and latex gloves at Irvine’s bank and stated, “$18,000. – withdraw. Please. Stay cool! thx.”
Terror was unable to access the amount he requested and ended up only $446 from the withdrawal. The robber then fled the bank in a white minivan.
The potential prints left in the robbery memo later date back to Meng, where the escape vehicle was found at his home. He was arrested a few days later and has been in custody ever since.
The incident was investigated by the FBI’s Arts Crime Team with support from local governments.
He spends nearly four years in prison, but at the time of his conviction, DOJ officials said they could face a maximum sentence of 20 years.
[ad_2]Source link
