Wealthy heir got so mad about sitting near a gay couple that he allegedly beat a woman up

A member of a family that runs a major sugar and real estate conglomerate in Florida was arrested and charged with a number of crimes, including domestic violence, late last month after he allegedly assaulted a woman during an argument over the fact that they had been seated near a gay couple at a restaurant.

According to The Palm Beach Post, a police officer responded to a noise complaint around 11 p.m. on January 28 at 38-year-old Alexander Nicholas “Nico” Fanjul’s Palm Beach, Florida, home. There the officer allegedly found the woman lying on the floor in a “defensive ‘fetal’ position” with Fanjul standing over her. She later said that Fanjul had assaulted her and she thought she was going to die.

Related: Florida will throw trans people in jail if they try to update the gender on their driver’s licenses

“They want to humiliate, harass, and use policy to eliminate transgender people from public life.”

The woman explained that she and Fanjul, who had known each other for several months, had been having dinner at Flagler Steakhouse in Palm Beach earlier that evening. Fanjul apparently became upset because they were seated near a gay couple at the restaurant and ranted about it throughout their dinner.

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He continued to rant when they returned to his home. While they were still in his front yard, the woman told police, she asked Fanjul to “drop the subject.” That’s when Fanjul allegedly punched her in the face with a closed fist. He allegedly continued to knee her in the face, grabbing her purse, according to People. Fanjul allegedly smashed the woman’s hand into the ground when she threatened to call the police, threw her to the ground and dragged her into his home when she began screaming for help. Once inside, he allegedly began choking her.

Police said they found drops of blood in the home and the furniture in disarray. According to the Palm Beach Post, police also found an envelope containing what they believed to be cocaine Fanjul’s wallet. He has been charged with domestic violence by strangulation, false imprisonment, robbery, harassing a victim, and cocaine possession, and was released on $180,000 bond.

According to the New York Post, Fanjul’s family owns and operates one of the largest sugar companies in the U.S., with subsidiaries like Florida Crystals and Domino Sugar. The Palm Beach Post reported that he is the eldest son of Florida Crystals director and senior vice president Alexander Fanjul, Sr., but is not an employee of Florida Crystals.

Fanjul is also known for having dated socialite and reality TV star Tinsley Mortimer before she appeared on Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New York City. In 2016, The Daily Mail reported on the couple’s volatile relationship, which included one 2014 incident in which a drunken Fanjul allegedly tried to smother Mortimer with a pillow. Police were called to Fanjul’s home again in December 2014, where a neighbor said he witnessed Fanjul tackle Mortimer and push her head into the pavement.

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