A Lebanese man who posed as a Dubai prince has been sentenced to 20 years in prison by a United States (US) federal court in San Antonio for wire fraud.
Alex Georges Tannous, a 39-year-old United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based businessman and diplomat, falsely claimed to be wealthy and connected to Emirati royalty.
According to court documents, Tannous promised victims lucrative investment opportunities, requiring an initial payment from them to initiate the flow of funds.
“Once the funds were secured, he used the money to support his lavish lifestyle and the lifestyles of multiple family members,” the US Department of Justice said in a news release on Thursday, November 7.
In total, Tannous stole approximately 2.5 million dollars from his victims.
Tannous was arrested on February 9 this year and charged with six counts of wire fraud. He pleaded guilty on July 25 and was ordered to pay 2.2 million dollars in restitution.
“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,” said 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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