Three Ohio men — two brothers who impersonated foreign royalty to defraud victims out of millions of dollars and a city official they corrupted — were sentenced to federal prison May 5 in Cleveland, capping a sprawling bribery and fraud conspiracy that crossed multiple states and countries.
Zubair Al Zubair, 43, recently of Bratenahl, Ohio, received 24 years in prison. His brother Muzzamil Al Zubair, 33, recently of Pepper Pike, Ohio, was sentenced to 23 years. Michael Leon Smedley, 57, of Cleveland, who served as chief of staff for the City of East Cleveland, received just over eight years, according to the Justice Department.
A federal jury convicted all three men in January following a trial lasting more than two weeks that included 35 witnesses and 324 exhibits. The defendants were found guilty of conspiracy to commit bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds, conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and Hobbs Act conspiracy. The Al Zubair brothers were also convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, multiple counts of wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy, several counts of money laundering, theft of government funds and aiding in the preparation of a false tax return, prosecutors said. Zubair was additionally convicted of willful failure to file tax returns.
The brothers were ordered to pay more than $19.2 million in joint restitution to victims, prosecutors said. Zubair was also ordered to pay approximately $1.75 million in back taxes and interest to the IRS, while Muzzamil owed the IRS roughly $308,000 in unpaid taxes and interest. The brothers were also ordered to forfeit 70 firearms and a motorcycle purchased with fraud proceeds.
Court evidence showed the pair used fabricated personas impersonating wealthy foreign royalty to project an image of success and lure victims into fraudulent investment schemes, a cryptocurrency mining venture, commercial and residential real estate transactions, and fraudulently obtained Small Business Administration emergency loans during the COVID-19 pandemic, prosecutors said. Proceeds funded a lavish lifestyle that included luxury automobiles, designer clothing, expensive dinners, first-class international travel and an arsenal of firearms.
Smedley received and solicited thousands of dollars in current and future benefits in exchange for performing, and attempting to perform, official actions on the brothers’ behalf, according to prosecutors.
U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio said the sentences “serve as a warning to others that we will not tolerate actions resulting from greed.” The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and the FBI’s Cleveland Division.
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