Two Ohio brothers who pretended to be Middle Eastern royalty were found guilty on multiple charges of money laundering and bribery. They were sentenced to over two decades in prison on Tuesday for a multi-year fraud scheme scamming over $21 million.
Identified as Zubair and Muzzammil Al Zubair, the duo had help from a former East Cleveland mayoral aide. Zubair, 42, was sentenced to 24 years in prison, and Muzzammil, 31, was sentenced to 23 years in prison. The two were able to carry out money laundering for years by bribing the 56-year-old mayoral chief of staff, Michael Smedley.
According to local outlet Cleveland, he was sentenced to over eight years for being involved in the crime between 2020 and 2023. The authorities revealed that the two brothers forged their relationship with the royalty and elite people who have a lot of wealth. Zubair pretended to be married to a United Arab Emirates princess.
Ohio brothers who posed as Middle Eastern royalty receive lengthy sentence for $21M fraud scheme "You basically flaunted it by driving around in a Rolls Royce and taking private planes." https://t.co/pMcfkqYF9y pic.twitter.com/FG4pxt2GOG
— UnfilteredAmerica (@NahBabyNahNah) May 6, 2026
Meanwhile, Muzzammil posed as a hedge fund manager. They were also able to mimic a lavish lifestyle to keep up with the lie. They have custom-made gold-plated AK-47 rifles, expensive vehicles, and chartered private jets for their travels.
One of their fraud victims was Zubair’s former girlfriend from the UAE. They stole over $737,000US from her. They also scammed a Chinese investor for $18 million over a fake cryptocurrency business plan.
The two brothers and their aide were sentenced after a two-week trial. They used to bribe Smedley with hopes for future employment, expensive dining, gifts, cash, and Cleveland Browns suite tickets.
Homeboys pose as Emirati princes, who was dumb enough to believe they were from UAE?
Besides the white women they Axed to marry them https://t.co/1F1XilvZxz
— Love Majewski✝️🇺🇸 (@lovemajewski1) May 6, 2026
In return, Smedley ensured they were able to get documents such as police credentials and formal appointment letters for posing as an International Economic Advisor. District Judge Donald Nugent said, “You stole a lot of money, defrauded people, and put East Cleveland in a terrible light. You basically flaunted it by driving around in a Rolls-Royce and taking private planes.”
Apart from wire fraud and money laundering, the two were also charged with theft of government funds. In addition, Zubair was charged and convicted for failing to file tax returns.
Netizens are in disbelief, learning about the case. Many questioned how anyone believed them to be royalty without any background check. One X user joked, “When you order royalty from Temu.” Another one added, “Damn!! People are getting creative now.” The third one posted, “This is a case of fake wealth, real prison time.”
