Federal investigators are busy this Christmas season looking for a “grin” who stole a white Tesla that had an old 18th-century violin that is said to be worth up to $ 900,000 inside the vehicle that was left behind. unlocked by its owner.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is seeking public assistance in locating the vehicle and a 1710 Amati violin that was taken by a thief in the Los Feliz section of Los Angeles on December 8th.
The tool, which is made of maple and alpine spruce, was said to be in excellent condition at the time of the theft, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Auction records indicate that the violin was sold in 2013 for just over half a million dollars. If it were put up for auction today, it would probably fetch between $ 700,000 and $ 900,000.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is seeking public assistance in locating the 1710 Amati vehicle and a violin that was taken by a thief in the Los Feliz section of Los Angeles on December 8.
The tool, made of maple and alpine spruce, was said to be in excellent condition at the time of theft.
The violin was made by Girolamo (Hieronymus) Amati II, the great-grandson of Andrea Amati, who is considered the inventor of the modern violin
The violin was made by Girolamo (Hieronymus) Amati II, the great-grandson of Andreea Amati, who is considered the inventor of the modern violin.
It belongs to Rowland Weinstein, an art dealer and gallery owner who divides his time between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Weinstein allowed his musician friends and professional violinists to play the instrument.
On December 8, he left the violin in his white Tesla sedan, which was parked outside his home and on his Los Feliz property.
Then someone opened the door, took the violin and ran.
The owner of the violin, art dealer Rowland Weinstein, said he left it in the Tesla parked just outside his home in the Los Feliz section of Los Angeles. Weinstein is seen above in New York in September 2014
Weinstein told the LA Times that his car key accidentally slipped out of his pocket and landed behind the driver’s seat.
The automatic locking mechanism only works when the driver takes the key and leaves the vehicle.
Since the key fell, the doors to Tesla have been unlocked.
According to the Times, Weinstein carried the violin because he believed that the previous location where it was stored was not safe enough.
He had only planned to leave the violin in the car for the time being. When he returned, he noticed that the car had disappeared and then called the police.
FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said authorities had so far failed to detect either the vehicle or the violin.
Eimiller said there may be a car thief in the area and the instrument was not the desired target.
“According to the LAPD, it is believed that a car thief was in the area,” Eimiller said.
“It is possible that the person who stole it did not know the value and discovered it [later] and may try to pawn it or sell it abroad.
“Therefore, it is essential that you provide the information to the public so that, hopefully, someone who has received or is offered it can identify it and return it to the rightful owner.”
Weinstein offers a $ 25,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to the safe return of the violin.
He told the Times that he was “heartbroken” by the theft.
“I’m responsible for a piece of history, and that piece of history got rid of me,” Weinstein said.
This is the second time Weinstein has been targeted by thieves. In 2011, Mark Lugo of Hoboken, New Jersey left Weinstein’s gallery in San Francisco, taking a 1965 Pablo Picasso pencil drawing, “Tete de Femme.”
– It’s so fragile. My biggest fear is that someone who doesn’t know what he has will put it in the wrong environment and it will be damaged or destroyed.
In October 2013, Weinstein paid $ 507,436 for the violin after it was auctioned off for sale at Tarisio, an online auction house.
Tarisio’s director Jason Price told the Times that rare instruments are appreciated annually.
If Amati from 1710 were put up for auction today, it could fetch up to $ 900,000, according to Price.
Two years ago, another Amati violin that was made somewhere around 1700 was sold at the Ingles & Hayday auction house in London for $ 917,453.
The Amati family of Cremona, Italy, is known as the inventors of the modern violin.
This special violin was created during the “golden age” in the manufacture of the violin.
Although Weinstein is not a musician, he feels a sense of historical responsibility for the artifact, given the role of the family in its creation.
“I’m her caretaker,” Weinstein said.
Lugo, pictured above, served 16 months in prison for theft
“I feel extremely close because it is a part of history that has touched so many lives.
“Not only the lives of people who were lucky enough to play it, but also of those who have heard it for over 300 years.”
This is the second time Weinstein has been targeted by thieves.
In 2011, Mark Lugo of Hoboken, New Jersey, known as the “Thomas Crown of Art Thieves,” came out of Weinstein’s gallery, taking a 1965 Pablo Picasso pencil drawing, “Tete de Femme.”
The works were recovered by the authorities shortly afterwards, and Lugo was arrested. He was sentenced to 16 months in prison.
Weinstein said he was amazed that he had been targeted by thieves twice.
“It’s beyond anything I would have ever anticipated,” he said.
“I just hope the violin has the same happy ending as Picasso.”
The FBI continues to investigate the case, Eimiller said, and requests that anyone with information call (310) 477-6565.