A Lebanese man who acted like an Emirati sovereign was condemned on Thursday to 20 years in jail by a US government court in San Antonio for wire extortion. Alex Tannous, 39, who erroneously professed to be a high-profile financial specialist and negotiator from the UAE with close connections to Emirati eminence, has been uncovered as an extortionist who deceived casualties overall out of countless dollars.
As per court records, Tannous’ plans included commitments of rewarding speculation returns, guaranteeing his casualties expected to pay an underlying aggregate to deliver millions probably accessible for adventures. All things considered, the assets he got went to help his own rich way of life and that of his loved ones.
One of these casualties, Marc De Spiegelerie from Belgium, informed Khaleej Times soon after leaving the court, communicating help at the sentence. “He got 20 years in government jail here in the States,” De Spiegelerie composed, adding that Tannous would serve three years of regulated care and be expected to finish north of 2,000 hours of local area administration, with orders to pay compensation to US casualties. “It may not bring back the 700,000 euros (Dh2.77 million) or the 10 years of my life, yet the chance of him spending the following twenty years in jail carries comfort to me and any remaining casualties,” he added.
De Spiegelerie moved assets to a Dubai bank after Tannous baited him into putting resources into a venture purportedly situated in Doha, Qatar. “This was in 2012. He facilitated us in his Palm Jumeirah house and guaranteed he was companions with the royals,” De Spiegelerie said.
Essentially, Omar Y Abouhalala from Libya detailed that he lost Dh1.15 million and furthermore looked for lawful plan of action in Dubai Courts.
One of Tannous’ elements, Equico Endeavors Inc., was key to his plans. As per the FBI, Tannous introduced himself as an Emirati official liable for choosing US firms for UAE projects. He even pitched a joint endeavor with a product organization proprietor to lay out phantom kitchens, guaranteeing millions from an Emirati improvement store were accessible. Tannous got $70,000 in four installments among June and August 2021, however the activities won’t ever emerge.
In spite of being depicted online as a ‘World Harmony Envoy for the UAE’ and the director of a Dubai-based combination, court records uncover Tannous’ dependence on his folks and his ex’s profit. In mid 2021, he sought financial protection to try not to reimburse his financial backers.
Tannous was captured on February 9 this year and confronted six counts of wire misrepresentation. He conceded to one include in July, and close by his jail sentence, he was requested to reimburse $2.2 million to his casualties, the US Lawyer’s Office, said in an official statement yesterday.
“Alex Tannous was a sequential extortionist who sold out many dedicated Americans in San Antonio and somewhere else, exploiting the trust he’d created with them over years,” said US Lawyer Jaime Esparza for the Western Locale of Texas.
“Tannous persuaded his casualties that he was offering genuine business open doors, when truly, he was essentially covering his own pockets,” added Specialist in Control Aaron Tapp of the FBI’s San Antonio field office. “A considerable lot of his casualties were entrepreneurs attempting to experience the Pursuit of happiness, just to wind up in a monetary bad dream.”