Ohio wrongdoer pretends to be Emirati prince, stole $10 million - Feds

According to federal prosecutors, an Ohio man allegedly pretended to be an Emirati prince and stole $10 million dollars from his victims over the course of three years.

Fox 8 Cleveland WJW reports Zubair Abdur Razzaq Al Zubair is facing federal fraud and money laundering charges after he allegedly made millions of dollars posing as a prince married to a princess from the royal family of the United Arab Emirates.

Another person was also charged

Muzammil Mohammad Al Zubair, who allegedly posed as a hedge fund manager. According to Fox 8, the brothers allegedly worked together running various schemes in real estate, investments, COVID-19 relief fund and cryptocurrency from June 2020 to August 2023.

Federal prosecutors said the suspects used several women to invest under false pretenses to enrich themselves and obtain money for personal use. The funds they obtained illegally, the suspects allegedly used on private jets, luxury travel, hotels, shopping, entertainment, jewelry and weapons, Fox 8 reported.

Court documents claim one of the Al Zubair brothers' schemes was allegedly signed in the office of the mayor of a local community.

Another scheme is believed to have defrauded the victim of more than $3 million in cryptocurrency, with the suspects claiming to control GE Lighting's East Cleveland headquarters from July 2021 through May 2022.

Although the suspect referred to himself as "His Excellency" in email correspondence, Zubair Abdur Razzaq's closest connection to the Emirati royal family is that he lived in the United Arab Emirates from 2008 to 2020, Fox 8 reported. According to the prosecution, Muzammil Mohammad got his only knowledge of hedge funds from a YouTube video.