Milwaukee man suspected in theft of $5 million Stradivarius violin pleads not guilty
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Milwaukee man accused in last month's theft of a $5 million violin has pleaded not guilty.
Online court records say Salah (suh-LAH') Salahadyn (suh-LAH'-ha-deen) entered the plea Monday after waiving his preliminary hearing.
The 41-year-old is charged with being a party to robbery. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $50,000 fine.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Public defender Alejandro Lockwood declined to comment afterward.
Salahadyn and 36-year-old Universal K. Allah are both charged in the theft. A 300-year-old Stradivarius was stolen from a Milwaukee concertmaster in a stun-gun attack Jan. 27 but police recovered the instrument in good condition nine days later.
Salahadyn served five years for a previous conviction for art theft. Prosecutors say he'd been plotting for a while to steal a Stradivarius.