Grammy nominee Philippe Quint performs for Mohammed Khalil and other Newark
taxi drivers in gratitude for returning his estimated 4 million U.S. dollar
"Ex-Keisewetter" violin

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, UNITED STATES (MAY 6, 2008) REUTERS -

Mohammed Khalil, a taxi driver in Newark, New Jersey, received a
special performance Tuesday (May 6) from Grammy nominee Philippe Quint, all
thanks to being an honest citizen.
    Quint, long hailed as a brilliant and admired violinist, wanted to
thank the cab driver for returning his 4 million U.S. dollar violin, which he
accidentally left in the back of Khalil's cab.
    "I certainly wasn't planning on leaving it in the cab," Quint
said. " I was retrieving my bags from the trunk and I put them off the
road. When I turned back I already saw the cab very much in the
distance."
    Quint frantically called Newark's taxi department, and after 5
painstaking hours discovered that Mohammed had found the instrument. Khalil
told reporters about Quint's reaction to retrieving the valuable instrument:
"He told me, 'You know, Mohammed, I was thinking about if I didn't find
it I have to commit suicide because nobody would believe that I lost it.
They're gonna believe that I stole it.' Because he knows that it's very
valuable, he knows that it means a lot, a lot of money."
    The violin, which is privately owned, is estimated at a worth of 4
million U.S. dollars. Created by craftsman Antonio Stradivari in 1723, the
"Ex-Keisewetter" was crafted during Stradivari's "Golden
Period," when the artist was known for creating his best stringed musical
instruments because of their almost perfect shape and sound. There are
estimated to be only a few of the "Golden Period" pieces left in
existence.
    As a thanks to returning such a valuable item, Quint performed for
Mohammed and his fellow cab drivers at Newark International Airport, the
location where Quint had misplaced it. Fellow taxi drivers joined in clapping,
and even dancing to the performance, which included a few songs with fellow
musician Michael Bacon.
    Ebenezer Sarpeh, an eight-year veteran taxi driver originally from
Ghana in West Africa, applauded Mohammed's honesty, citing his encouragement
to other drivers.
    "Mohammed is very enticing and very encouraging. You know things
like this encourage drivers to be honest as they do all the time, from time to
time," he said.