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Dozens of pianos discovered at storage facility
West Allis Police are investigating the discovery of dozens of pianos at a storage facility. They're trying to return the pianos to customers of a business that's run into legal trouble.
WEST ALLIS, Wis. - West Allis Police are investigating the discovery of dozens of pianos at a storage facility. They're trying to return the pianos to customers of a long-time business that's run into legal trouble in recent years.
Legal trouble for piano repair business
The backstory:
Repairing antique pianos is a dying art. Since 1957, people have trusted Neuhaus Piano Workshop on Greenfield Avenue.
Over the last decade, customers have come forward saying they have no idea what happened to their pianos after sending them to the workshop.
Some spent thousands of dollars upfront and have waited years for their instrument's return.
What they're saying:
Cassie Kaminski sent her piano to Neuhaus Piano workshop for repairs in 2023. She says the business stopped responding to calls and emails about its return.
"This is not how you run a business. This is not how you treat people," Kaminski told Contact 6.
The Discovery
What we know:
Some of the workshop's customers may finally get the answers they seek, thanks to a discovery in a nearby storage facility.
In February, West Allis Deputy Chief Bob Fletcher says they learned of storage units possibly connected to the workshop.
"We were contacted by a citizen; they came into possession of three different storage lockers," said Fletcher. "They realized that the storage locker had numerous pianos in it."
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The lockers are at Storage Rentals of America on Lapham Street.
Fletcher says the units had 29 pianos inside, or "large portions of pianos." He says evidence points to Neuhaus Piano Workshop renting the lockers.
Rent on the units was unpaid, which is how the person acquired them.
Fletcher says the person saw Contact 6's reporting and worried some of the pianos "may have been stolen."
"Kind of put two and two together that there had been some stories about the issues going on," said Fletcher.
The investigation
Dig deeper:
West Allis detectives are working to catalogue who the pianos belong to. They've tracked down four of the instruments' owners, who confirmed turning them over to Neuhaus Piano Workshop.
"That's going slowly because there are some (pianos) that don't have paperwork," said Fletcher.
He says customers with missing pianos can call the department and ask for the detective assigned to the case.
The criminal case
What we know:
The workshop's owner, Tom Neuhaus, is facing a felony charge in Milwaukee County Circuit Court for the theft of Kaminski's piano.
"I would rather have gotten my piano back," said Kaminski of the criminal case.
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Neuhaus has been running the workshop for at least a decade, following the death of his dad, Arnold Neuhaus, who founded the business.
Before the criminal case moves forward, the court must decide whether Neuhaus can afford a lawyer. A hearing is scheduled for April 9th.
Dig deeper:
West Allis Police have investigated more than just Neuhaus' business practices.
Police body camera footage from last year shows them trying to contact him about allegations he was living at his shop. Neuhaus isn't allowed to live there because he's a registered sex offender.
"This is his address," said an officer standing outside the workshop. "It shouldn't be his address with the SORT (State Sex Offender Registry), so he's gotta move."
Twenty years ago, Neuhaus was convicted of sexually assaulting three students at Cedarburg High School between 1996 and 2003. A criminal complaint says Neuhaus was a stage director at the school supervising drama activities.
"Officers have been trying to make contact with him for several years (about his residency), really, and have not been able to," said Fletcher. "He was issued a citation for being in violation."
Neuhaus made his initial appearance in Milwaukee County Circuit Court in February, after police say he was arrested on a warrant during a traffic stop for a non-registered vehicle.
Neuhaus also has a history in civil court with four unpaid judgments. One of them is for $78,000.
Dozens of complaints
What's next:
Fletcher says West Allis Police "probably had about a dozen complaints" about Neuhaus Pianos since 2022. He says some lacked proof of a crime; others are a better fit for civil court.
It's unclear whether the owners of the pianos discovered in the storage lockers will fare any different.
"We aren't certain there was a crime that even occurred there," said Fletcher. "We have to still do more investigation."
Positive outcome
What we know:
Last month, Contact 6 reported on a family that got an heirloom player piano back from Neuhaus Piano Workshop in working order. The piano's renovations were supposed to be completed in 2022. Neuhaus returned the piano in late December 2025.
The family said Neuhaus had been to their home three times for additional repairs and tuning.
Neuhaus did not respond to Contact 6's requests for comment on this story.
Family gets piano returned years later; business owner criminally charged
After years of discord with a West Allis business, one family finally got their antique piano back.
The Source: Information for this report comes from the West Allis Police Department, Milwaukee County Circuit Court records and prior Contact 6 reporting.