Saudi Arabian royal family pilot arrested for theft in US

The arrest comes after a man from Florida pleaded guilty to impersonating a member of the Al-Saud dynasty in May

Marcin Urbanski was wanted for accepting $9,000 to help a Florida resident become a licensed pilot (JetSmarter/Facebook)

A pilot on a Saudi Arabian royal family jet that landed in Maine was arrested on a warrant for theft out of Florida.

Prosecutors say Marcin Urbanski was taken into custody during a stop in Bangor on Tuesday as the plane was headed to Los Angeles.

Mr Urbanski was wanted for accepting $9,000 to help a Florida resident become a licensed pilot, but never providing the services.

The Department of Homeland Security assisted local police in taking the Polish citizen into custody because he was not permitted to be in the US.

Mr Urbanski is being held in Maine awaiting extradition to Florida.

It comes after another man from Florida pleaded guilty to impersonating a member of the Saudi Arabian royal family as part of a fraud scheme that netted him millions of dollars.

Anthony Gignac, 47, admitted to a Florida court that he used various aliases to make it appear that he was a member of Saudi Arabia’s ruling Al-Saud dynasty.

He also reportedly drove a Ferrari with a Saudi diplomatic number plate, and had the nameplate “Sultan” placed on his front door and business cards.

Florida prosecutors say Mr Gignac faces a lengthy prison sentence after pleading guilty in May, with sentencing set for 7 August.

Associated Press