Anthony Gignac, 48, posed as a Saudi prince and stole eight million dollars over the last three decades. He swindled potential investors around the world and made off with jewelry, international travel, works of art, private jets and luxury cars.
He was sentenced in Miami in 2019, where he resided, by Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga. He had already pleaded guilty to impersonating a foreign diplomat, aggravated identity theft and wire fraud, among others. The judge said in imposing his sentence that GignAC's life of crime as a thief and fraudster was "truly extraordinary" He was caught because he ate pork in a restaurant, which should be rejected by a devout Muslim prince, according to the prosecutor. He served his last probation sentence in 2017 and moved to Miami in 2017 to try to convince a real estate developer who was interested in buying a hotel, the prosecutor's affidavit said. The accused has been arrested or convicted on eleven different occasions for plans related to impersonation the prince, the Prosecutor's Office indicated.