In a stunning case of fraud and deception, two half-brothers from East Cleveland, Ohio, have received significant prison sentences for pretending to be UAE royalty and scamming millions of dollars from local government officials and business investors.

Operating under the guise of Dubai Bridge Investments and using the fake names Zubair Mehmet Abdur Razzaq Al-Zubair and Muzzammil Muhammad Al-Zubair, they committed a series of multimillion-dollar fraud schemes starting in 2020.

Their ruse was so convincing that they were able to secure support from then-East Cleveland Mayor Brandon King and his Chief of Staff Michael Smedley.

The brothers leveraged their connection to the late father who had been well-known in the community, using this familiarity to gain access to government officials.

They went as far as assuming the surname Al-Zubair, which they stole from Zubair Corp., an Omani conglomerate with 60 businesses.

Despite claiming affiliation with the UAE, their schemes unraveled, leading to lengthy prison sentences for both brothers.

Additionally, restitution of over $21 million has been ordered, reflecting the scale and impact of their fraudulent activities.