Strad Heist Gets Vanity Fair Treatment

The Lipinski Stradivarius robbery crossed one more notoriety threshold this month thanks to a feature article via November issue of Vanity Fair in an article by Buzz Bissinger. According to an inside source close to the story, it is one of the most thorough accounts to date and you can access the article by picking up a print copy or online subscription.

In addition to Bissinger’s article, NPR’s Daniel Hajek published a segment on 10/12/2014 that includes an interview with Frank Almond, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra concertmaster who plays the Lipinski and was the victim of a brutal attack at the hands of the robbers back in January. It’s a good listen if for no other reason than to hear the phrase “unusual Scooby-Doo-looking van” cross paths with the life of a Stradivarius violin.

Rounding out the coverage is a 10/3/2014 article in the Journal Sentinel by Gina Barton that reports on the second robber’s long awaited guilty plea to felony robbery. Salah Salahadyn will be sentenced on November 10, 2014 while his accomplice, Universal K. Allah has already plead guilty and is serving a 3.5 year sentence.