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Conman who posed as Emirati prince to steal millions sentenced to jail for 20 years

He pleaded guilty to one count in July, and alongside his prison sentence, he was ordered to repay $2.2 million to his victims

Published: Fri 8 Nov 2024, 8:10 AM

Updated: Wed 13 Nov 2024, 2:28 PM

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A Lebanese man who posed as an Emirati prince was sentenced on Thursday to 20 years in prison by a US federal court in San Antonio for wire fraud. Alex Tannous, 39, who falsely claimed to be a high-profile businessman and diplomat from the UAE with close ties to Emirati royalty, has been exposed as a con artist who tricked victims worldwide out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

According to court documents, Tannous' schemes involved promises of lucrative investment returns, claiming his victims needed to pay an initial sum to release millions supposedly available for ventures. Instead, the funds he received went to support his own lavish lifestyle and that of his family.

Investigations by Khaleej Times earlier revealed that Tannous’s fraudulent activities extended far beyond the US, impacting victims across the globe.

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One of these victims, Marc De Spiegelerie from Belgium, messaged Khaleej Times shortly after leaving the courtroom, expressing relief at the sentence. “He got 20 years in federal prison here in the States,” De Spiegelerie wrote, adding that Tannous would serve three years of supervised custody and be required to complete over 2,000 hours of community service, with orders to pay restitution to US victims. “It may not bring back the 700,000 euros (Dh2.77 million) or the 10 years of my life, but the possibility of him spending the next two decades behind bars brings solace to me and all other victims,” he added.

De Spiegelerie recalled transferring funds to a Dubai bank after Tannous lured him into investing in a project purportedly based in Doha, Qatar. “This was in 2012. He hosted us in his Palm Jumeirah house and claimed he was friends with the royals,” De Spiegelerie said.

Similarly, Omar Y Abouhalala from Libya reported that he lost Dh1.15 million and also sought legal recourse in Dubai Courts.

One of Tannous’s entities, Equico Enterprises Inc., was central to his schemes. According to the FBI, Tannous presented himself as an Emirati official responsible for selecting US firms for UAE projects. He even pitched a joint venture with a software company owner to establish ghost kitchens, claiming millions from an Emirati development fund were available. Tannous secured $70,000 in four payments between June and August 2021, though the projects never materialised.

Despite being portrayed online as a 'World Peace Ambassador for the UAE' and the chairman of a Dubai-based conglomerate, court records reveal Tannous’s reliance on his parents and his ex-wife’s earnings. In early 2021, he filed for bankruptcy to avoid repaying his investors.

Tannous was arrested on February 9 this year and faced six counts of wire fraud. He pleaded guilty to one count in July, and alongside his prison sentence, he was ordered to repay $2.2 million to his victims, the US Attorney's Office, said in a press release yesterday.

“Alex Tannous was a serial con-artist who betrayed dozens of hard-working Americans in San Antonio and elsewhere, capitalising on the trust he’d developed with them over years,” said US Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas.

“Tannous convinced his victims that he was offering legitimate business opportunities, when in reality, he was simply lining his own pockets,” added Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp of the FBI’s San Antonio field office. “Many of his victims were small business owners trying to live the American dream, only to find themselves in a financial nightmare.”

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