Norman man accused of embezzling more than $100,000

A Norman man has been charged with three counts of felony embezzlement for allegedly stealing high-grade aluminum from his employer and selling it over the course of more than four years.

Michael Angelo Fabri, 56, is accused of stealing more than $100,000 in aluminum from MD Building Products in Oklahoma City and selling the material to Metal Check, a scrap recycling center also based in Oklahoma City.

More than 420 such transactions took place from September 2014 to December 2018, police reported in a court affidavit. Police got involved when the owner of Metal Check grew suspicious.

Fabri earned $14 an hour as an aluminum welder in the MD Building Products welding shop, according to the affidavit. Investigators said they discovered Fabri worked alone in the shop and had access to a forklift as well as a key to a large gate that fed into the employee parking area.

MD Building Products typically hauls leftover billet aluminum to a recycler, or melts the unused product and turns it into new billet aluminum, police said. The company doesn't inventory the leftover aluminum and had no idea it was missing, authorities said.

Video surveillance in the plant was not working, and there was no security camera monitoring the welding shop, according to the affidavit.

Fabri admitted to stealing the aluminum, using the forklift to load it on his truck and selling it, police said.

He told authorities he used the money to support his household and buy drugs. He also admitted to being a convicted felon for drug possession and serving a suspended sentence out of Cleveland County. Fabri could not be reached for comment.