Five arrested and $147,000 worth of stolen copper recovered

SOUTH SALT LAKE — A business owner was arrested for allegedly purchasing thousands of dollars of stolen copper from four men.

According to the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office, the investigation began Sept. 6 when deputies responded to a report of a $55,000 copper mold stolen from the Rio Tinto Kennecott mining facility.

In the police affidavits, on Sept. 10, security cameras caught Duc Mai Bui, 35, and Finaulahi George Vailala, 35, driving an F350 with a flatbed trailer and actively breaking into the Rio Tinto Kennecott property by bypassing a locked security gate.

Police reported that the two were seen driving around until Bui found a Kennecott flatbed truck and drove it to a scrap metal area.

“Bui then utilizes a fork lift to load the flatbed truck which 5-6 large scale plates of scrap metal,” the affidavit stated. Kennecott employees later told officers that these plates were worth $25,000.

According to the affidavit, several police officers set up at the property’s entrance to apprehend Bui and Vailala as they left.

Officers reported Bui passing them in the flatbed truck on a dirt-access road. When Bui noticed police, he exited the truck and fled on foot. Bui was eventually taken into custody without further incident.

“Vailala then left the Kennecott property and was stopped by other law enforcement,” the affidavit stated. “Vailala was taken into custody as well.”

The sheriff’s office reported that Hea Mahe, 36. was also arrested in this incident on Sept. 10.

According to the jail documents and the affidavits, all three were arrested on felony charges of burglary and theft valued over $5,000. Mahe and Bui were arrested for felony receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle, and Vailala was arrested for a misdemeanor charge of criminal trespasses of a mine to remove articles.

According to police, after the arrests, detectives learned that Ortiz Metal Processing in Salt Lake City attempted to sell Rio Tinto Kennecott one of the stolen copper molds.

Searching processing business

On Thursday, police executed a search warrant at Ortiz Metal Processing and recovered over 10,000 pounds of stolen copper. This included an “8,600-pound copper mold, valued at $55,000, as well as a 6,000-pound copper ‘button’ valued at $30,000 and multiple copper plates worth $62,500,” according to the sheriff’s office press release.

During the search, police arrested JL Sateki Fakalata, 35, a fourth man involved in the thefts, and Fabian Antonio Oritz, 49, the owner of Ortiz Metal Processing, for purchasing the stolen items.

According to police affidavits, employees at Ortiz Metal Processing employees told detectives that Oritz was the only person allowed to purchase large amounts of metal.

According to jail records, Fakalata was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on felony charges of possession or use of a firearm, theft valuing over $5,000 and theft valuing between $1,500 to $5,000, and misdemeanor charges of criminal trespasses of a mine to remove articles and possession or use of a controlled substance.

Oritz was booked for felony charges of purchasing stolen property.

“Recovering this stolen property reflects the dedication and persistence of our detectives,” said Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera in the press release. “Their commitment to solving this case and keeping our community safe is something I’m incredibly proud of.”