A man accused of drowning two of his sons and trying to kill his former wife by driving them off a Los Angeles wharf to collect an insurance payout was sentenced on Thursday to 212 years in federal prison for fraud.
Ali Elmezayen, 45, received the maximum sentence from a judge who denounced the “evil and diabolical scheme”.
“He is the ultimate phoney and a skilful liar ... and is nothing more than a greedy and brutal killer,” US District Judge John R Walter said.
“The only regret that the defendant has is that he got caught.”
In 2019, a federal jury convicted him of mail fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering.
The judge also ordered Elmezayen to pay $261,751 in restitution to the insurance companies.
Judge Walter was especially troubled by the fact Elmezayen had spent years planning the killings.
“In my view, this demonstrates the vicious and callous nature of his crimes."
Elmezayen, of suburban Hawthorne, California, bought life and accidental death policies worth more than $3 million on himself and his family from eight insurance companies between July 2012 and March 2013, according to federal prosecutors.
He paid more than $6,000 a year in premiums for the policies while reporting income of less than $30,000 a year on his tax returns, prosecutors said, noting that he began buying the policies the same year he exited a Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Prosecutors said Elmezayen repeatedly called the companies to verify the policies were active and that they would pay benefits if his former wife died in an accident as well as confirm with at least two insurers that they would not investigate claims made two years after the purchases.
Elmezayen drove a car carrying Rabab Diab, and their two youngest children, both of whom had autism, off a commercial fishermen's wharf in the San Pedro area of the Port of Los Angeles on April 9, 2015.
It was 12 days after the two-year contestability period on the last of his insurance policies expired, prosecutors said.
Elmezayen escaped through the open driver's side window and his former wife, who could not swim, was rescued when she got out and a fisherman threw her a flotation device. The boys, 8 and 13 at the time, were strapped in and could not escape the vehicle.
The couple's third son, Elhussein Elmezayen, 20, who survived because he was away at camp at the time, spoke at the sentencing trial.
He accused his father of leaving them in "misery and poverty", and squandering his savings on his "low-life family" in Egypt.
"We wish my brothers didn’t die for your financial gain," he said.
"I hope you know I don’t want anything to do with you any more ... don’t call me, don’t write me," he said.
Elmezayen received more than $260,000 in insurance proceeds from two companies on the policies he had taken out on the children's lives and used some of the money to buy properties in Egypt and a boat, prosecutors said.
After the car plunged into the water in 2015, Elmezayen was charged in the federal fraud case and accused by local prosecutors of murder, attempted murder and a special circumstance that the killings were for financial gain.
The murder charges were listed to be prosecuted after the federal case.
"A bench warrant has been issued and our office is evaluating the next step," Greg Risling, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County district attorney, told the Associated Press.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Your Guide to the Home
- Level 1 has a valet service if you choose not to park in the basement level. This level houses all the kitchenware, including covetable brand French Bull, along with a wide array of outdoor furnishings, lamps and lighting solutions, textiles like curtains, towels, cushions and bedding, and plenty of other home accessories.
- Level 2 features curated inspiration zones and solutions for bedrooms, living rooms and dining spaces. This is also where you’d go to customise your sofas and beds, and pick and choose from more than a dozen mattress options.
- Level 3 features The Home’s “man cave” set-up and a display of industrial and rustic furnishings. This level also has a mother’s room, a play area for children with staff to watch over the kids, furniture for nurseries and children’s rooms, and the store’s design studio.
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Results for Stage 2
Stage 2 Yas Island to Abu Dhabi, 184 km, Road race
Overall leader: Primoz Roglic SLO (Team Jumbo - Visma)
Stage winners: 1. Fernando Gaviria COL (UAE Team Emirates) 2. Elia Viviani ITA (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) 3. Caleb Ewan AUS (Lotto - Soudal)
1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List
James Mustich, Workman
South Africa World Cup squad
South Africa: Faf du Plessis (c), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (w), JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dale Steyn, Rassie van der Dussen.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Young women have more “financial grit”, but fall behind on investing
In an October survey of young adults aged 16 to 25, Charles Schwab found young women are more driven to reach financial independence than young men (67 per cent versus. 58 per cent). They are more likely to take on extra work to make ends meet and see more value than men in creating a plan to achieve their financial goals. Yet, despite all these good ‘first’ measures, they are investing and saving less than young men – falling early into the financial gender gap.
While the women surveyed report spending 36 per cent less than men, they have far less savings than men ($1,267 versus $2,000) – a nearly 60 per cent difference.
In addition, twice as many young men as women say they would invest spare cash, and almost twice as many young men as women report having investment accounts (though most young adults do not invest at all).
“Despite their good intentions, young women start to fall behind their male counterparts in savings and investing early on in life,” said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, senior vice president, Charles Schwab. “They start off showing a strong financial planning mindset, but there is still room for further education when it comes to managing their day-to-day finances.”
Ms Schwab-Pomerantz says parents should be conveying the same messages to boys and girls about money, but should tailor those conversations based on the individual and gender.
"Our study shows that while boys are spending more than girls, they also are saving more. Have open and honest conversations with your daughters about the wage and savings gap," she said. "Teach kids about the importance of investing – especially girls, who as we see in this study, aren’t investing as much. Part of being financially prepared is learning to make the most of your money, and that means investing early and consistently."
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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