The verdict was handed down this Tuesday for Zubair and Muzzammil Al Zubair, two brothers from Ohio in the United States, aged 42 and 31. According to information reported by the New York Post, they were sentenced to 24 and 23 years in prison respectively for orchestrating a series of massive scams totaling approximately $21 million.

The duo stopped at nothing to maintain their brand image. The brothers impersonated Middle Eastern royalty to deceive their victims. Zubair claimed to be married to a princess from the United Arab Emirates, while his younger brother, Muzzammil, presented himself as a hedge fund manager, an expertise he claimed to have acquired simply by watching videos on YouTube.

Their lifestyle, financed by crime, was outrageously opulent. As the New York Post points out, the two convicts traveled by private jet to luxury destinations such as Aspen, Miami, and Madrid for international shopping sprees. Adding to this were a fleet of luxury cars, expensive watches, and a collection of weapons that included a gold-plated AK-47 rifle.

To carry out their schemes between 2020 and 2023, the Al Zubair brothers benefited from the complicity of Michael Smedley, former chief of staff for the mayor of East Cleveland. The 56-year-old was sentenced to eight years in prison. Prosecutors revealed that he had been bribed with lavish gifts: suite seats for Cleveland Browns games, gourmet meals, cigars, and even Japanese Wagyu beef. In exchange, he used his official position to cover up the duo's fraudulent activities.

Among the notable victims, the New York Post cites a former girlfriend of Zubair, swindled out of $737,000, as well as a Chinese investor who lost nearly $18 million in a fictitious cryptocurrency-related industrial complex project.

During sentencing, Judge Donald Nugent condemned the brothers' attitude, accusing them of stealing colossal sums to show off in a Rolls-Royce while permanently tarnishing the image of the city of East Cleveland.