Two Ohio Brothers Convinced the World They Were Middle Eastern Royalty, Stole $21M, and Flaunted It in a Rolls-Royce — Now a Judge Just Made Them Pay for Every Bit of It

Two Ohio brothers are set to spend the next two decades in prison after they were convicted of stealing roughly $21 million while posing as Middle Eastern royalty.

Zubair and Muzzammil Al Zubair were sentenced Tuesday to 24 and 23 years in prison, respectively, according to Cleveland.com.

The New York Post reports that the brothers built a façade of extreme wealth and connections based on lies. Authorities say Zubair claimed to be married to a United Arab Emirates princess, and his brother, Muzzammil, claimed to be a hedge fund manager.

One of the false stories they used to carry out several schemes was to tell investors they owned the vacant Nela Park industrial complex, Cleveland.com reports. In one instance, prosecutors say the brothers bilked a Chinese investor out of $17.8 million.

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The brothers weren’t shy about showing off their seemingly lavish lifestyle. From private jets and luxury watches to a fleet of high-end vehicles and dozens of firearms.

Prosecutors say the scheme was carried out with the help of former East Cleveland mayoral chief of staff Michael Smedley, who assisted the brothers in gaining access to government officials. Cleveland.com reports Smedley also gave them the title of East Cleveland International Economic Advisors, which helped them further their scams.

Prosecutors said the brothers corrupted Smedley by giving him expensive gifts, cash, Cleveland Browns suite tickets, prized Japanese wagyu beef, cigars, upscale dining, and promises of future employment.

In exchange, Smedley abused his city position to help the brothers with their scheme, according to the New York Post.

“You stole a lot of money, defrauded people, and put East Cleveland in a terrible light,” U.S. District Judge Donald Nugent said to the brothers during sentencing on May 5. “You basically flaunted it by driving around in a Rolls-Royce and taking private planes.”

Smedley was sentenced to slightly more than eight years behind bars.

The brothers were additionally convicted of multiple counts of wire fraud, money laundering, and theft of government funds.

Zubair was also convicted of failing to file his taxes.