Florida sugar scion allegedly beat woman because the two were seated next to a gay couple

The son of a Florida sugar company executive was arrested and charged with beating a female companion because he was upset at being seated next to a gay couple at a swanky steakhouse earlier that evening.

Alexander Nicholas Fanjul, 38, was arrested on charges including domestic battery by strangulation, tampering with or harassing a victim, robbery, and false imprisonment for the incident that took place late in the evening of January 29. Police responded to reports of a woman screaming at Fanjul’s home in Palm Beach just after 11 p.m., as first reported by the Palm Beach Post. The gate and front door were open when police arrived, and inside officers found Fanjul standing over the woman, who was curled into a fetal position on the floor, according to arrest records.

The woman told police that she and Fanjul, (who goes by ‘Nico’) dined at the Flagler Steakhouse in Palm Beach earlier that evening. She said Fanjul was angered they were seated next to a gay couple and that he became “increasingly irate” as the dinner progressed, to the point that other guests reportedly took note. The woman said the dispute continued after the couple left the restaurant and returned home. Once inside the property on the front lawn, the woman said she told Fanjul to drop the matter.

At this point, the woman said Fanjul repeatedly punched and kneed her in the face. She said when she threatened to call the police, Fanjul reportedly grabbed the phone and the woman’s hand holding it within his own hand and drove them into the ground with such force that it shattered the phone. She further alleged that when she screamed for help, he dragged her inside the residence, where he tried to choke her.

The assault stopped when police arrived.

Police also filed a drug possession charge against Fanjul, alleging they found a small amount of what they believe to be cocaine in his possession during a search of his wallet.

Fanjul was also arrested on April 22, 2023, for allegedly assaulting a woman at his residence following a round of drinking and insults at the Echo sushi restaurant. In an eerily similar scenario, Fanjul was accused of making “vulgar statements about prior incidents between them," according to official court documents seen by Page Six.

The argument escalated after the couple arrived at Fanjul’s residence, and he allegedly tackled her to the ground when she tried to leave. She accused him of slamming her phone when she threatened to call the police and claimed she escaped after she elbowed and kneed him, and ran screaming into the yard. She allegedly told police Fanjul had a history of such abusive and controlling behavior.

Fanjul made national headlines in 2017 when he was dating Tinsely Mortimer of the Bravo TV show Real Housewives of New York City. Mortimer was arrested for trespassing at Fanjul’s home, but the charges were later dropped.

Fanjul is the son of Alexander Fanjul, Sr., an executive at Florida Crystals, one of the largest producers of sugar in the region. The younger Fanjul is not an employee of the company according to a spokesperson.

Fanjul was released on $180,000 bond.