The American pilot turned social media influencer and his brother – sentenced to prison in Dubai last month after claiming they were lured and drugged at a yacht party – were released from prison on Tuesday, ending the four-month ‘ nightmare’ of the siblings. .”
Joseph and Joshua Lopez arrived home in their native Ohio to Detained in Dubai, an organization dedicated to helping people facing legal challenges in the United Arab Emirates, they announced late Tuesday.
“I am pleased to announce that veteran Joseph Lopez and his brother Joshua have arrived safely in Ohio after a short vacation in Dubai turned into a terrifying nightmare,” Detained in Dubai crisis manager and CEO Radha Stirling wrote in a statement. statement.
Joseph Lopez was all smiles as he landed at Los Angeles International Airport, recalling his first moments of freedom.
“Somehow he was taken out of a prison in the Middle East, spent hours in deportation, flown halfway around the world and now in Los Angeles. And all that without sleeping. What a strange day this was,” he wrote.
In a separate one after On Wednesday, the Air Force vet announced that he and his brother had been released from prison and thanked “everyone who fought” for his freedom.
“You tried to steal my future, took my entire savings and got me into debt, drugged my family through this mess, jailed me, imprisoned me,” Lopez wrote in a post alongside a video captioned: “Dear Dubai .”
“I have just experienced something that will sound like a movie to many, and now I will share with you my experience with the world, and the experience of others who do not deserve such things.”
The Lopezes’ terrifying ordeal abroad began when they traveled to the UAE on May 25, hoping to generate luxury content in the City of Gold.
However, on June 2, the brothers spent the night at Bla Bla nightclub before an Uber driver approached them and offered to take them to an “after party” at a nearby hotel.
Joseph Lopez reluctantly agreed to pay the bill, Detained in Dubai reported.
The organization claimed that the brothers were then preparing to end things when they were approached by a man who invited them to a hunting party.
Joseph Lopez – who left the Air Force less than a year ago – explained that he “didn’t have to spend another night,” but the man insisted that they were “American guests” and didn’t have to worry about spending money.
On board, the brothers were given more drinks by staff, who later charged them $2,722, before a woman offered them another refreshment.
“This girl brought me a drink, and after she brought me this drink, I can’t remember anything,” Joseph Lopez previously said told Fox 19 Now.
“They were given one drink on board the yacht, and the next thing they remember is being taken away by plainclothes police officers in an unmarked vehicle,” Stirling previously wrote.
The brothers and Stirling claimed the pair thought they were being kidnapped on foreign soil but were instead taken to Al Barsha police station, where they stayed from June 3 to June 12.
“Police did not test their blood for the presence of drugs or tranquilizers, despite the boys’ request to do so,” Stirling wrote.
Police accused the brothers of assaulting an officer, resisting arrest, damaging a patrol vehicle and consuming alcohol.
They had built a bond, but were hit with a travel ban that prevented them from returning to the US.
Late last month, the Lopez brothers were both sentenced to a month in prison for consuming alcohol during a “tourist visit to the Emirates” and fought charges of damaging government property and assaulting an officer before being released.
The Dubai inmate thanked Ohio Senator and Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance for his “help and support” in ensuring the brothers’ safe return.
“I thank Senator JD Vance, who was very supportive of his constituents and wanted to bring them home as quickly as possible,” the nonprofit’s CEO wrote.
“With the combined support of Senator Vance and a strong campaign, the Lopez brothers managed to escape the prison sentences they had served.”
Vance had been in “continuous communication with the Department of State, the United Arab Emirates Embassy in the United States and voters’ families” and was “closely monitoring the outstanding legal proceedings,” according to a spokesperson for former president Donald Trump. Trump’s 2024 running mate told it Fox News in August.
Stirling pointed out that the Lopez brothers incident “should serve as a warning to tourists who wrongly believe that the UAE is completely safe.”
“Joseph and Joshua were targeted, lured and drugged as they tried to enjoy an innocent holiday. These types of crimes are only talked about when they are raised by the victims. It will not feature in Dubai’s annual crime statistics,” she claimed.
