Ohio brothers Zubair and Muzzammil Al Zubair jailed for $21m fraud schemes

2 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 5

A federal judge in Cleveland gave them 24 and 23 years, while former East Cleveland chief of staff Michael Smedley received just over eight years.
Prosecutors said the brothers posed as wealthy royals, bribed Smedley for city backing and police credentials, and used the façade to defraud victims including a Chinese investor of nearly $18 million.
After a two-week trial, all three were convicted of bribery and honest-services conspiracy; the brothers were also found guilty of wire fraud, money laundering and theft, with Zubair additionally convicted on tax charges.

How did two YouTube-taught fraudsters manage to corrupt an entire city administration for years?

With global crackdowns on crypto scams, why do elaborate schemes like this one still succeed?