Michael Fabozzi: A Detective Finding Himself
By:
Eleanor Thomas
After months of sleepless
UPS delivery outfit and one nights and hair pulled out, the fluid motion, Michael Fabozzi detective sprints down a back finally catches Abraham Abdallah and closes a 300 street in Brooklyn, gun in million dollar fraud case. All hand. Using the butt end of in a day’s work. the weapon, he slams it into the window of the criminal’s Working with the car, creating no damage; so New York Police Department he opts for another solution. (NYPD) for twenty two years, Instead of looking for a way Michael has solved many to reach the perp through a cases just as high action and car door, he jumps through high profile as the Abraham the open sunroof, slaps a pair Abdallah case of 1999. of handcuffs onto the man, Working up the ranks of new and stops the car. Done in a cop to investigator at 1 Police
Plaza within just two years is practically unheard of, yet Michael does indeed have that checked on his resume. With his focus on fraud cases, Michael was always interested in the “next new thing”. This led to his career focusing on ID theft in the 90’s, then online fraud, credit card fraud, online banking fraud, and now rapid DNA technology. He is considered one of the earliest people to meld IT groups with 1
investigators, leading to more advanced computer work and technology development for security and law enforcement. He is currently combining his experience as a detective and business man with his technological aspirations, and continues to explore new technology in the most perfect location: The Silicon Valley. Since Michael’s career has followed the growth of technology, he understands its influence and potential. However, because of his undercover work, he has strayed from having too much of a presence on communicative technology. Just before my first interview with him, I received a call from a blocked number and answered it, finding out that it was in fact Michael. His blocked number, separate mailing addresses, and constantly changing signature are all ways that
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he outsmarts hackers and other criminals to protect his own identity. Even in his LinkedIn profile he is wearing sunglasses, and he only recently joined Facebook. This is all because he knows how little information it takes nowadays for someone to steal an identity. Abraham Abdallah, the man that Michael literally chased, was able to access birth dates, social security numbers, and other private identifying information just from finding names off the Forbes 500 Wealthiest People List. He then was able to create fictitious accounts in those peoples’ names and transfer money over to the fake accounts that he controlled. Since the late 1990’s when this case happened, identity theft has become even simpler in certain ways because of synthetic identity theft, which requires just a social security number, driver’s license, and an employee identification number to create a completely fake identity and but be 100% real (Pribish). This is a perfect example of how technologychanges the game.
Michael believes that “Technology is always a double-edged sword...The anonymity of the internet on global criminal activity is what I think is the biggest threat to corporations, to banks, to brokerages, online transactions”. The power of anonymity on the internet has also led to illegal activities and trades through the Dark Web, creating black market trading sites like the Silk Road, which was shut down in 2013 (Ross). Fortunately for Michael, he has always been most interested the newest technology and has been a leader in the field of investigative technology. In 2012 he became the Director of Law Enforcement Programs at IntergenX a company that produces rapid DNA identifying technology, which shortens the testing time to several hours rather than several days or weeks. Even though there will always be bad guys, it is nice to know that there will also always be good guys, like Michael, working hard to meet the future’s demands. And ‘good guys’ are exactly what Michael seems to miss most, because his smile broadens while recounting stories about work with his old pals on the job and the camaraderie that went on.
“People say what
do you miss about it? And the thing you don’t miss is the bureaucracy. But you miss your buddies, you miss working full time, you miss just messing around.
”
Born and raised
in Staten Island, New York, Michael grew up surrounded by cops, but never actually planned to be one. Instead he grew up with his heart set on Wall Street, and attended SUNY Albany to study business and play basketball, but dropped out during his sophomore year to help with his family’s financial struggles. After passing a test he had taken a year or so earlier, Michael joined the NYPD and knew it was the job for him immediately. “As soon as I got my gun and
accomplished businesswoman from Palo Alto, CA, at a ski resort badge, I thought it was just a in Utah. Both agree it was great job. I loved it”. He let not the most romantic way to his competitiveness and intelmeet since it was at a breakfast ligence come out on the job, that a grumpy Michael and worked his way up the technically crashed, but the ranks to become a two continued to meet each detective within just two years, other. One decade later, they and caught one of the biggest were married, and moved identity thieves of all time to Palo Alto so that Melinda within one decade of could come back to her most receiving that high rank. A familiar environment and few years later, he met Michael could adapt to a new Melinda Thomas, an one. Since then, Michael has proven how well he can adapt.
Living in a white
house with a sunny backyard of flowers and citrus fruits, Michael is no longer just across the river from the Statue of Liberty, but is instead just a few blocks away from a busy downtown street lined 3
with outdoor eating areas, and great wifi. Being in the exact right place for a startup company advisor, the only thing that Michael is missing is a pair of black-rimmed “hipster” glasses. Having adjusted quickly to his new lifestyle and career in the Silicon Valley, Melinda confirms that Michael is like a chameleon. He adapts to new situations and blends in quickly, maybe having gained this skill back in New York. This ability to adapt and think quickly helps him on the basketball court, in the city on a case, and even in the fast paced computer technology industry. Michael’s intelligence and passion for computers has always been present and helped him in the NYPD and differentiated him from everyone else. His old partner and mentor, John Ryan, admits that Michael’s “computer literacy” was a skill he always admired. However,
Michael’s advanced computer knowledge put him in several difficult situations:
I met with the security departments at the largest banks and brokerages in the United States, the security department had no idea what I was talking about. I was asking for the IP address, or where the incoming address was made, and they were looking at me like I was speaking another language at that time.
Michael is now using his extensive knowledge of computer programming, network security, and street logic to
work as an advisor for a phone app called Sketch Factor. This app uses crowd sourcing to rate the “sketchiness” of communities, which basically means that users can report sketchy spots their neighborhoods as a warning to other pedestrians. Since it uses crowd sourcing, the more users, the more accurate the reports. This app is another hugely successful project of Michael’s, but definitely not the last. When I asked Michael about what his future holds, his answer made him seem uncertain and even a bit overwhelmed. But when I asked him what the biggest difference between New York and Palo Alto was, his aspirations became clear to me. His face lit up with excitement as he answered:
In NYC a bank and a brokerage firm, an insurance company or a real estate company, they make tons of money, but they’re not changing the world. They make money with money, that’s what they’re really good at...In Palo Alto, Silicon Valley, there’s a little bit of ‘I can make something that can change the world’.
There is a myriad of paths that Michael can take, because his work ethic, intelligence, and passion are skills that will always be up to date. You could call Michael Fabozzi a cop, a tech wiz, or a chameleon. You could call him a guy who loves pizza, basketball, and his family. Michael Fabozzi hopes to be remembered as a good guy, like his father, but I think he will be remembered as more than that.
Having saved so many lives, put so many criminals away, brought so much happiness into the world and to his family, Michael will be remembered as a hero. The only time I ever disagreed with him was when he said that he wasn’t a hero, but just a guy doing his job. We came to a compromise,however, and Michael is much more experienced at solving identities, so I trust his judgement:
Who was Michael Fabozzi? He was a good guy, he was a hard worker, he was honest, he cared for others, he cares for his family, he’s a giver...
...You know that was the legacy that I learned from my dad. No matter who I ran into throughout his life or my life, that ‘Oh he was a good
guy, he was a gentleman.’ I think that that says so much. 5