A federal judge has sentenced two Ohio brothers who posed as Middle Eastern royalty in a series of multimillion-dollar fraud schemes to more than twenty years in federal prison.
U.S. District Judge Donald Nugent sentenced Zubair and Muzzammil Al Zubair, ages 42 and 31, to 24 years and 23 years in prison respectively, as well as $21 million in restitution, in schemes that also involved an East Cleveland official in the mayor’s office.
“You stole a lot of money, defrauded people and put East Cleveland in a terrible light,” Nugent told the brothers during their Tuesday sentencing. “You basically flaunted it by driving around in a Rolls Royce and taking private planes.”
Former mayoral chief of staff Michael Smedley, 56, provided cover they used to carry out several schemes, including one in which they bilked a Chinese investor out of about $17.8 million by telling her that they owned the vacant Nela Park industrial complex,” according to federal authorities.
Smedley was sentenced to eight years in prison.
Prosecutors said the brothers, who lived in Ohio, built the illusion of extreme wealth and elite connections that included Zubair falsely claiming to be married to a United Arab Emirates princess. Muzzammil claimed to be a hedge fund manager, a façade he cultivated from watching YouTube videos.
According to an Internal Revenue Service statement on their conviction in February:
The Al Zubair brothers’ ill-gotten proceeds allowed them to acquire a trove of jewelry, luxury timepieces and vehicles, as well as more than 80 firearms including a custom made, gold-plated AK-47 style rifle. Luxury vehicles they acquired with the proceeds of their illegal activity included Rolls Royce, Lamborghini, Porsche, Mercedes, and Range Rover. Domestic and international travel to multiple places—such as Aspen, Miami, London, Bucharest, and Madrid—included the use of private jets, staying at high-end hotels, and going on shopping sprees.
Prosecutors said from 2020 to 2023, the brothers carried out multiple schemes to steal money and property from victims. They included investment fraud, a fraudulent Small Business Administration COVID emergency business loan, cryptocurrency mining investments, and commercial and residential real estate transactions.
Prosecutors said the pair initially bribed the city official Smedley with “suite tickets to Cleveland Browns games, cigars, prized Japanese wagyu beef, and meals at high-end restaurants, as well as offers of future employment.”
According to the IRS statement:
In return, Smedley helped the Al Zubair brothers by attempting to secure state funding for their business; securing official letters on the city’s letterhead; having Zubair Al Zubair appointed as an International Economic Advisor to the city and obtaining business cards in his name; and providing the brothers with official police badges from the city of East Cleveland.
All three men were convicted by a federal jury 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 multiple counts of wire fraud, money laundering, and theft of government funds.
Zubair was additionally convicted of willful failure to file tax returns.
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of the Los Angeles crime novel Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
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