PALM BEACH, Fla. (Court TV) — The heir to a sugar dynasty who was arrested last week for allegedly assaulting a woman was also arrested last April on charges related to another domestic violence incident.
Alexander Nicholas “Nico” Fanjul, whose family owns the sugar conglomerate Florida Crystals, reportedly become enraged on the evening of Jan. 28 when he and a date were seated next to a gay couple at Flagler Steakhouse in Palm Beach, according to The Palm Beach Post.
Alexander Nicholas “Nico” Fanjul (Palm Beach Police Dept.)
Fanjul reportedly threw a fit, letting his disgust be known to everyone in the restaurant. His date told him to drop the matter, and he proceeded to strike her repeatedly upon returning to his home.
Fanjul also allegedly attempted to take away the victim’s purse when she tried to call an Uber. When she tried to retrieve her handbag and call police, Fanjul reportedly grabbed her phone, smashing the device. He then allegedly pushed her to the ground and dragged her into the home when she tried to escape, and attempted to choke her.
A neighbor who heard the woman scream called police, who arrived to find a trail of blood. The victim told cops she was having trouble breathing and that she feared for her life because Fanjul had “a history of unreported physical violence against her, often times physically restraining her.” She refused medical attention at the scene.
Fanjul told responding officers that he had become upset because the woman called their relationship “boring,” and that he grabbed the Louis Vuitton bag hanging from her shoulder when she announced she was leaving. He also told cops that he snatched the phone because she had taken “incriminating” videos of him.
According to documents obtained by Court TV, Fanjul was taken into custody on charges of false imprisonment, robbery, battery, witness intimidation, cocaine possession, evidence tampering, and criminal mischief. Before taking him to jail, the patrol car brought him to an area hospital because, according to the Palm Beach Police Incident report, he requested medical attention for breathing difficulties.
Fanjul was later released on a $180,000 bond. He has denied the assault allegations.
According to Palm Beach Police, Fanjul’s April 2023 arrest was also related to domestic violence. He was taken into custody after his girlfriend called police to report that Fanjul had tackled her to the ground. According to the Palm Beach County Domestic Violence Probable Cause Affidavit, the couple had been at a sushi restaurant when Fanjul reportedly began making “vulgar statements about prior incidents between them.”
Additionally, there are police reports from 2013 and 2014 regarding incidents that took place when Fanjul was dating socialite Tinsley Mortimer. Mortimer, who later joined the cast of “The Real Housewives of New York City,” had accused Fanjul of domestic violence on a number of occasions, but she never pressed charges. In one incident that was reported to police, Mortimer accused Fanjul of smothering her with a pillow and pushing her head to the pavement.
