French Foil Philharmonic Violin Villain

This didn’t gather the same kind of attention of a Stradivarius theft, but in late December, two rare violins were burgled from the home of Mark Kashper, a violinist for the LA Philharmonic.

The instruments, one made by Carlo Tononi, and one by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume together were valued around two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Today, French authorities announced they had recovered the instruments, and nabbed an American in Paris who was trying to sell them for a mere sixty-five grand.

The suspect denies any involvement in the crime, but appears to be a suspiciously bad violin peddlar. He is currently facing possible extradition.

Photo by viewerblur