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Charges have been filed against two men suspected of theft and illegal purchase of construction tools at UCLA.

James Ott and Robert Kann were each charged with one felony count of embezzlement by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office on Monday, said Richard Elias, the university police detective who headed the investigation when the two were arrested last May.

Both Ott and Kann are scheduled to appear for their arraignment on Feb. 24 when they will be expected to enter pleas, Elias said.

Ott, former manager of the facilities management tool crib, was arrested May 11 after police said he used university funds to purchase and then resell tools to university workers for his own profit, in addition to stealing other tools.

University police said he took advantage of his position as manager in committing the crimes. The tool crib is the central depository for all construction tools and equipment on campus.

During the course of a UCPD investigation, over $10,000 in stolen or lost goods came to the attention of police in possible connection with Ott’s alleged crimes, Elias said.

But Elias added that definitive evidence collected by police links Ott to less than the $10,000 he is suspected of being connected to.

Both definitive and circumstantial evidence for Ott’s connection to the entire $10,000 will be presented for the case, Elias said.

Authorities suspected that the beginning of Ott’s alleged crimes could have begun over five years prior to his arrest.

Employees who purchased goods from Ott said they were not aware of the illegality of the situation.

Kann, who was an employee of the tool store Scotty’s and Sons, was also arrested last May for conspiracy to commit grand theft, as well as helping facilitate Ott’s alleged crimes.

Elias said, as far as he knew, there had been an internal examination of facilities management after the arrests were made, though he did not know any specifics regarding the evaluation.

Ott had worked at UCLA for about a decade.

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