Ohio Brothers Jailed Over 20 Years for $21M Fraud Posing as Middle East Royals

Two Ohio brothers were sentenced to 24 and 23 years in prison for a $21 million fraud scheme in which they posed as Middle Eastern royalty.

Ohio Brothers Sentenced to Over 20 Years for $21M Royalty Fraud

Two brothers from Ohio have been handed prison sentences exceeding 20 years each for a $21 million fraud scheme in which they impersonated Middle Eastern royalty, abcnews4.com reports.

Zubair Al Zubair, approximately 42, was sentenced to 24 years in prison, while his younger brother Muzzammil Al Zubair, roughly 31, received 23 years. The sentences were handed down on Tuesday following a two-week federal jury trial, the New York Post reported.

A third defendant, Michael Smedley, 56, a former chief of staff to the mayor of East Cleveland, was sentenced to just over eight years in prison. According to Cleveland.com, Smedley had been bribed by the brothers to provide them with the official cover required to carry out their schemes between 2020 and 2023.

All three were convicted of conspiracy to commit bribery involving programs receiving federal funds, conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, and Hobbs Act conspiracy. The brothers were additionally convicted of wire fraud, money laundering, and theft of government funds. Zubair also faced a separate conviction for wilful failure to file tax returns.

Federal authorities say the brothers constructed an elaborate illusion of wealth and elite connections. Muzzammil claimed to operate as a hedge fund manager, a role he took on based solely on watching YouTube videos. Zubair falsely represented himself as married to a princess from the United Arab Emirates. Prosecutors noted the pair drove a Rolls-Royce and chartered private jets, with one judge remarking: "You basically flaunted it by driving around in a Rolls-Royce and taking private planes."

The brothers' lifestyle included luxury watches, multiple high-end vehicles, and dozens of firearms — among them a custom-made, gold-plated AK-47-style rifle. They chartered private jets for shopping trips to Aspen, Miami, London, Bucharest, and Madrid, federal officials said.

Among their victims was Zubair's former girlfriend, a UAE national who lost $737,000. The brothers also allegedly defrauded a Chinese investor of nearly $18 million by falsely claiming ownership of an industrial complex and promising to establish a cryptocurrency business at the site.

Smedley, in exchange for expensive gifts, cash payments, Cleveland Browns suite tickets, Japanese wagyu beef, cigars, and promises of future employment, used his official position to assist the pair. According to prosecutors, he attempted to secure state funding for their businesses, provided official city letterhead, issued police credentials to the brothers, and formally appointed Zubair as an "International Economic Advisor" for the city of East Cleveland.

Source: Google News AE