<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A long-time fraudster posing as a Saudi prince was jailed for 18 years on </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/today-in-history" rel="" target="" title="May 31, 2019"><span>May 31, 2019</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Over the course of 30 years, Anthony Gignac carried out a series of cons, ripping investors off to the tune of millions of dollars.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>His most common scams involved posing as a member of the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/saudi-arabia" rel="" target="" title="Saudi royal family"><span>Saudi royal family</span></a><span>, in spite of the fact he was a Colombian-American.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>As a 12-year-old, he convinced a car dealer to let him test drive a Mercedes by claiming he was a Saudi royal.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>From there, he continued his scams, obtaining a credit card from American Express with a limit of US$200 million.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He would flaunt his wealth on Instagram, and would be frequently overheard speaking on the phone with </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/barack-obama" rel="" target="" title="Barack Obama"><span>Barack Obama</span></a><span> and </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/bill-clinton" rel="" target="" title="Bill Clinton"><span>Bill Clinton</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>On social media, he posted photos of himself with the king of Saudi Arabia with the caption: "My dad".</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-may-31-what-happened-on-this-day/e23e48f2-e455-410f-99d1-502a338696ed" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He travelled with security, and carried business cards describing him as His Royal Highness or Sultan.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He also insisted on enforcing a royal protocol of gift-giving, with investors unwittingly giving him expensive paintings, jewellery or memorabilia to win his favour.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But Gignac was arrested in 2017 after a menu order gave him away.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He was meeting with billionaire Jeffrey Soffer at the hotel he was pretending to be interested in investing in.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>At the time of the meeting, Soffer was married to Australian supermodel Elle Macpherson.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>While there, he ordered a pork dish off the menu.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Soffer viewed this as highly suspicious, given devout Muslims refrain from eating pork.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>His company began to investigate Gignac, and when they found he wasn't who he claimed to be, they called the US State Department.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Gignac was arrested soon after.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/today-in-history" rel="" target="" title="For more from our Today in History archive, click here."><strong><span>For more from our Today in History archive, click here</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><em><span>NEVER MISS A STORY:</span></em></strong><span> </span><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></em></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><strong><em><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank" title=""><strong><em><span>Apple</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a 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