A Lebanese man pretending to be an Emirati prince has been sentenced to 20 years in prison by a US court. Alex Tannous, 39, used his fake identity to scam people globally, promising them investments and stealing millions of dollars.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Texas stated that Alex deceived victims into believing he could facilitate lucrative business deals in Dubai. He claimed to have millions of dollars available but required upfront payments from victims to kick off the process. In reality, the funds were used to finance his lifestyle. According to court documents, Tannous defrauded his victims of approximately $2.5 million.
Tannous’ victims included individuals from the United States, Belgium, and Libya. One victim, Marc De Spiegelerie from Belgium, lost over €700,000 after falling for this investment scheme. Another victim, Omar Y Abouhalala from Libya, lost AED1.15 million. US Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas stated that fraudsters who target the United States and its citizens will face the full force of the law.
Marc from Belgium confirmed to Khaleej Times that Tannous would serve three years of supervised release and 2,000 hours of community service, and would also be required to pay restitution to US victims.
