Published22. August 2024, 18:50
Dubai: Prison sentence for an American influencer and his brother
The two men are said to have attacked police officers. They were allegedly set up by crooks, an NGO claims.
Joseph and Joshua Lopez. The first is Mister Louisiana and has over 100,000 followers on Instagram.
An American influencer and his brother have been sentenced to three months in prison in Dubai for attacking police officers during a drunken party, authorities in the Gulf emirate said Thursday.
Joseph Lopez, a former Air Force officer and Mister USA beauty pageant contestant, was arrested along with his brother Joshua for “assaulting Dubai police officers, resisting arrest and damaging public property,” Dubai’s official media office told AFP in a statement.
The two tourists, who were “intoxicated” according to the authorities, were sentenced to three months in prison followed by deportation, as well as a fine of 1,428 dollars (about 1,285 euros) for causing public disturbance, injuring police officers and damaging a police vehicle while trying to flee the scene, the same source added.
Drugged to be robbed?
“Detained in Dubai”, an NGO that denounces judicial abuses in the United Arab Emirates against foreigners, claims that the two men were arrested last June after being “drugged” during a party on a yacht during their vacation.
“It’s clear they were targeted by crooks who wanted to rob them,” said Radha Stirling, the NGO’s director. “They were given a drink on board the yacht and the next thing they remember is being taken away by plainclothes police officers.”
Mr Lopez “did not realise the men were plainclothes police officers,” she added, explaining that they thought they were being kidnapped. Emirati authorities have not commented on the details of the arrest.
Mister USA in November
Joseph Lopez, 24, won the Mister Louisiana title and was set to compete in the national competition, Mister USA, in November. He has more than 100,000 followers on Instagram.
Dubai, one of the seven emirates of the federation, has a zero-tolerance policy on drugs and alcohol consumption outside designated areas.
(afp)
