Pittsburgh violin maker helps FBI recover Stradivarius stolen 35 years ago

A Pittsburgh violin maker had good news and bad news for a widow and the violin she wanted to have appraised.

Yes, the violin she found inside a locked case in her ex-husband's Los Angeles home is a Stradivarius, a prize of the stringed-instrument world that could fetch millions of dollars at auction, Phillip Injeian told the woman in June inside a Manhattan hotel.

But it was stolen.

Within an hour, agents from the FBI's Art Crime Team arrived, and the widow, a Vietnamese refugee who knew nothing about the instrument she held, voluntarily turned over the violin.

The 35-year search for Roman Totenberg's Ames Stradivarius was over.

“It's like finding lost gold,” said Injeian, a master violin maker with a shop Downtown.

On Thursday, the FBI returned the violin to Totenberg's three daughters, NPR legal affairs reporter Nina Totenberg, U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg and Jill Totenberg, head of New York-based marketing and communications firm The Totenberg Group, during a ceremony Thursday at the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office.

The violin vanished after a concert in May 1980 from the office of Roman Totenberg, director of the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Mass. Totenberg, who died in 2012, suspected Phillip J. Johnson, an aspiring violinist seen around his office at the time of the theft, but there was never enough evidence to pursue him.

Johnson died in 2011. As his ex-wife cleaned his Los Angeles house, she broke open a locked violin case and found a violin bearing the Stradivarius imprint.

Made by Antonio Stradivari between 1666 and 1737, the instruments are like masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci or Rembrandt, Injeian said. More than 1,000 were made, but only about 550 remain. They sell for $5 million to $15 million at auctions, said Injeian, who said he personally has held about 100 Stradivarius violins. A Stradivarius fetched a record $15.9 million in 2011.

A child prodigy in his native Poland, Totenberg bought the Stradivarius in 1943 for $15,000 — more than $200,000 in today's dollars. It was the only instrument he performed with until it was stolen. He kept performing into his 90s and taught at Boston University until he died.

The widow, who married Johnson in 1995 and was soon divorced, showed the violin to a cellist in Los Angeles. The cellist called Injeian.

“He knew enough to know that the violin was more than just a typical Stradivarius copy,” Injeian said.

Injeian compared photographs from the widow with those of Stradivarius violins and determined it could be the missing Ames Stradivarius, named for George Ames, who owned the violin in the late 19th century. He said the violin has characteristic markings on the wood grain that are “like a fingerprint.”

Injeian and the widow agreed to meet in New York. He informed the FBI before the meeting.

“She was a little dumbstruck, and I felt bad for her. It was not her fault,” Injeian said. “She had no idea what he had been playing on.”

Johnson's obituary described him as “a noted violinist of 40 years” but did not detail where or for whom he played.

Injeian said the violin was in relatively good condition, without any serious damage. It was worn from centuries of playing and had not been professionally maintained. Johnson likely played it little and didn't have it properly cared for out of fear someone would recognize it, he said.

The widow wanted to return the violin to Totenberg's family. The U.S. Attorney's Office has indicated it will not press charges.

The Totenbergs plan to sell the violin, but not to a collector, Nina Totenberg told The Associated Press.

“I'm just glad that the violin, once it's restored to its full potential again, will eventually be in the hands of another great artist,” she said, “and its gorgeous voice will be heard in concert halls around the country.”

Aaron Aupperlee is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-320-7986 or aaupperlee@tribweb.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.