Two half-brothers from the U.S. state of Ohio, who falsely claimed to be members of the royal family of the United Arab Emirates, have been sentenced to 24 and 23 years in prison on charges of bribery and multimillion-dollar fraud.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced that 43-year-old Zubair Al-Zubair was sentenced to 24 years, and 33-year-old Mazmil Al-Zubair was sentenced to 23 years in prison. The two brothers had used fake identities to deceive their victims across several U.S. states and some other countries.
Additionally, Michael Leon Esmedley, a former official of East Cleveland, was sentenced to 97 months in prison, which is slightly over eight years.
The three were found guilty after a trial that lasted more than two weeks. During the trial, 35 witnesses testified, and 324 pieces of evidence were examined.
The charges against them included conspiracy to commit bribery, fraud, money laundering, theft of government funds, and aiding in the preparation of false tax returns.
Prosecutors stated that from 2020 to 2023, the two brothers used various fraudulent schemes to obtain money from their victims. These cases involved investment fraud, misuse of COVID-19 emergency loans, cryptocurrency mining investments, and fake real estate transactions.
One of the largest cases involved a Chinese investor. According to court documents, the brothers received $17.8 million from him, claiming to own a large, vacant industrial complex in East Cleveland.
In another case, the two brothers were involved in a cryptocurrency scheme worth $9 million. Prosecutors said that in July 2021, they received money from a Chinese woman active in cryptocurrency mining.
According to prosecutors, Zubair Al-Zubair falsely claimed to be married to an Emirati prince, while Mazmil Al-Zubair presented himself as the manager of a hedge fund.
Court documents show that the brothers used the money obtained from victims to live a lavish and expensive lifestyle. They purchased jewelry, expensive watches, luxury cars, more than 80 firearms, and a gold-plated AK-47-style rifle.
According to published reports, the brothers traveled domestically and internationally on a private jet to cities such as Miami, London, Bucharest, and Madrid. They stayed in luxury hotels and made high-end purchases.
The U.S. Department of Justice stated that the brothers had close ties with Michael Esmedley, the former chief of staff to the mayor of East Cleveland, to further their schemes.
Prosecutors also said that to gain Esmedley’s cooperation, they provided him with special tickets to Cleveland Browns games, cigarettes, expensive Japanese Wagyu beef, meals at luxury restaurants, and promises of future employment. Evidence was also presented in court showing that cash payments were made to Esmedley.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
