Ohio Brothers Fake Middle Eastern Royalty, Sentenced to 24 & 23 Years for $21M Fraud Scheme
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Two brothers from East Cleveland, Ohio — Zubair Al Zubair (43) and Muzzammil Al Zubair (33) — were sentenced on Tuesday, May 5, 2026 in federal court for orchestrating a massive $21 million fraud and bribery scheme.
They posed as wealthy Middle Eastern royalty (claiming ties to UAE royal family, with one even pretending to be married to a princess) and a high-level hedge fund manager. Using fake luxury lifestyles — private jets, Rolls-Royces, Lamborghinis, designer clothes, and gold-plated rifles — they tricked investors, including a Chinese investor they scammed out of ~$17.8 million by claiming they owned Nela Park.
The brothers worked with former East Cleveland chief of staff Michael Smedley, whom they bribed for political cover. Their crimes included wire fraud, money laundering, bribery, theft of government funds, and tax violations.
After a two-week trial in January 2026 with 35 witnesses and 324 exhibits, they were convicted. On May 5:
• Zubair → 24 years in prison + $21.2M restitution
• Muzzammil → 23 years in prison + $21.2M restitution
U.S. District Judge Donald Nugent told them: “You stole a lot of money, defrauded people…”
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