The 38-year-old son of Florida sugar magnate Alexander Fanjul Sr. was arrested last week on domestic violence charges after a Palm Beach police officer responding to a noise complaint found him standing over a woman curled in a fetal position and bleeding from the face.
Alexander Nicholas Fanjul, who goes by “Nico,” was charged with domestic battery by strangulation, robbery, false imprisonment, and cocaine possession, the Palm Beach Post reported.
Fanjul’s father is a director a senior vice president of Florida Crystals, which owns and operates subsidiaries s Domino Sugar, C&H Sugar, Redpath Sugar, and American Sugar Refining. He is one of four brothers who own the parent company.
The victim told police that she had been dating Nico Fanjul for several months and were having dinner at the Flagler Steakhouse when Fanjul became angry that they were seated near a gay couple. She said he continued to complain throughout dinner, becoming increasingly irate. When they returned to his home, she said she told him to drop the subject, which prompted him to punch her in the face and forcibly take away her purse and cell phone so she could not call for help.
She said he repeatedly kneed her in the face.
The police officer who responded to the noise complaint heard a woman screaming and saw the gate and front door open when he arrived. When he approached the house, he saw Fanjul standing over the women, who had injuries to her head, face, neck, hands, wrists, and back.
The officer also found an envelope in Fanjul’s wallet containing suspected cocaine.
Fanjuly bonded out of jail on the same day he was arrested, and his attorney said he was not guilty of the allegations.
The judge ordered him to stay away from nonprescribed drugs and not to contact the victim. He was also ordered to surrender firearms to Palm Beach police.
Fanjul does not work for Florida Crystals.
