On the evening of
November 28, 2007, Joseph Tang,
twenty-something Canadian
violinist, played a concert
(featuring some of Beethoven's
most heroic music) at Beall Hall
in Eugene, Oregon. When he got
done, he was arrested backstage,
though not for playing out of
tune or playing too many wrong
notes. Tang, a sometime student
at San Francisco State
University and the University of
Oregon, was arrested on federal
fraud charges for cheating
several violin collectors and
dealers out of thousands of
dollars in the sale of violins
from April, 2002 through
December, 2006 – ten counts in
all. Each count carried a
maximum 20-year sentence – a
total of 200 years. There were
actually more victims involved
than those of record but several
dealers and buyers could not
press charges because there was
no documentation for their
transactions. Some of San
Francisco’s well-known violin
dealers were among those strung
along by Tang, as well as people
from as far away as Japan,
Germany, England, and Sweden. A
single collector (who should
remain anonymous) lost close to
$150,000, according to his own
estimate. For centuries, in the
violin trade, dealers, buyers,
and brokers, when engaged in a
potential sale, have trusted
each other implicitly and
violins have been borrowed,
lent, and played without so much
as a tiny, dated receipt
changing hands. So it went with
Tang. He accepted many
instruments on consignment
(bows, too), sold them, and ran
with the money. It took one
irate client to bring Tang
down. The instrument in
question was a cheap, $1,250
violin. The victim was a
retired police officer who
wanted the violin for his little
daughter. The officer said the
violin was not what Tang claimed
it was. He wanted his money
back but Tang ignored him then
disappeared. The officer
complained to the U.S. postal
inspector. The inspector
investigated then pressed
charges. After making a court
appearance, Tang was released on
bail. Many people claimed he
actually stole more than a
million dollars, though most of
it (of course) could not be
substantiated. A retired math
professor who invested all of
his savings in violin
acquisitions claimed Tang took
everything he had. Some time
later (2008), Tang pled guilty
and was sentenced to 37 months
in jail and ordered to pay more
than $400,000. He is due out in
November, 2011. (to be
continued)