The Whole Story
This page fills in many of the details that the documents don’t cover, including talking about the Dromedary Club, everything that happened in my life and others lives afterwards.
Public Service Announcement: Because I am still in Qatar, and based on the advice of my legal advisor there are certain things I cannot talk about or say here. I’m working hard to show on this website and in my campaign that my issues are with individuals, not the State of Qatar. I know this might leave some questions. I'm here to talk with anyone who wants to ask. In Qatar, court records are not public. So, if a case doesn’t involve you, you can’t access those records. This is very different from the United States. Because of this, a few statements may be very “vague” to protect myself.
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In late 2017, my "good friend" Abdulla and I launched a leather crafting business called “Dromedary Leathers.” I did the designs and set up the space in my kitchen, Abdulla provided the funding. We made a few bags, falconry gloves, belts, and other items. We attended some shows and events. Then, in 2018, we decided to open a shop. Finding funding for a leather shop was tough. Then, a friend and partner suggested merging it with a coffee shop. Suddenly, money appeared. We found a location that we thought was great, the building had lots of potential and we started to move forward. We saw a room with a black and white checker tile floor. We said, “Hey, that’s like old-fashioned barbershops!” So, we decided to add one. And on January 1st, 2019 “The Dromedary Club” opened for business. A unique industrial style venue that featured a pet-friendly coffee shop, a leather workshop, and a barbershop all in one location. We also provided T-shirt printing, embroidery, and laser engraving. Plus, we teamed up with a coffee roastery and a pet treat stand. This is where it all started.
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The company grew by an average of 23% each month for the first 10 months. We were slowly making progress. I managed the business, while Abdulla handled banking, legal issues, and investors. Now let me be clear, it was a rocky start, and I made many mistakes—almost every mistake an entrepreneur can make. I had never run a coffee shop or barbershop before. I bought equipment we didn’t need and hired too many staff, keeping them longer than necessary. I also micromanaged the coffee bar manager, who was better at his job than I was. Still, I was improving, and the business was growing. Most importantly, I never did anything illegal. I lived with the rest of the staff. I worked seven days a week. My salary was less than our baristas'. I only wanted our amazing place to succeed. Setting up a new business is tough. My mistakes made it harder, and Qatar can be very “challenging.” So, everything cost more than we expected. We were always looking for extra funding to keep the business running and growing. In October, we had our best month ever. We were 20,000 QAR (approx. $5,500) from breaking even. Then, the bank showed up. They took all our credit card machines, and our bank account got frozen. All I can say about what caused this is that Abdulla handled our banking. Our business struggled because we couldn’t take credit cards. Also, our planned marketing push fell through since all our money was frozen. I spent the next few months keeping things afloat. I managed late staff salaries and overdue payments to suppliers. I also negotiated with landlords for the shop and staff housing. Then, a friend offered us his credit card machines. I started cutting expenses that I should have cut earlier. Slowly, things began to balance.
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By January 2020, I was drained and ready to go. I told Abdulla I wanted to leave. I offered to stay for a couple of months to help the assistant manager plan for my exit. In March, COVID-19 arrived. The business closed temporarily, and we all stayed home. Money was tight, but I decided to stay and help us get through this. I had to ask my parents for money to buy food for the staff. The company was broke, and the partners wouldn’t help. In July I was separated from the company, not by choice although I was fine with it. To explain, my Qatar Resident Permit expired. Abdulla was supposed to fix it. One evening, my assistant manager called. He said the CID (Criminal Investigation Division) had been at the shop looking for me because of my expired ID. I called Abdulla right away. He said to stay home, and he would take care of things. A few days later, his advisor visited me. He told me it was best not to return to the company. Fine, moving on…
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In August 2020, three partners and I started opening a new coffee shop in Doha called The Industrial Club. Midway through construction, our financial partner backed out. It seemed that “someone” reached out to him. They used a personal connection to convince him not to collaborate with us. Our financial partner had to back out. He felt it was necessary to respect the request. Yet, he handled it well. He assured me that the money spent so far was no problem. Then, he arranged a meeting with the landlord to help us find new financial backing. We found a new financial backer and made progress. In September, someone reached out to our new backers. They threatened legal action if the backers worked with us. As a result, they pushed us out of the business. They shortly thereafter opened the shop and named it Coffee District.
At the same time Abdulla filed the first case against me, I didn’t know about it. In Qatar, courts and the government send notifications through an app. To use the app, you need a valid Qatar Residency ID linked to your phone. Unfortunately, my ID expired, and Abdulla didn’t renew it as he promised.
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In early September 2020, I learned from The Dromedary Club staff that many were moved to a hotel. Soon after, Abdulla filed "Escape Reports" against all the staff he had relocated. In 2020, if an employer had employees who broke their contracts and "ran away," they could file a case. If the authorities find the employee guilty, they will deport them. They will also lose unpaid wages, vacation pay, and end-of-service benefits. Fortunately, the staff were all found innocent of the charges.​​​​​​​​
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In November 2020, the owners of Coffee District reached out to me. They asked if I would return as the manager. I hadn’t found work, so I agreed.
Then in March of 2021 as I was at work the Capitol Police came to the shop and brought me to the station for “Questioning.” This was the first time I ever found out about the cases he had filed against me. They released me on bail three days later. By then, I knew about the two cases against me. I had already been convicted in the first case, “In Absence.” I immediately called the U.S. Embassy to tell them what had happened and to find out what I should do. They replied, “Get a Lawyer.” I asked if they could help with that. They said, “We can’t recommend anyone, but we can send you a list of lawyers in Doha.” I said please do, and they sent it. The list looked like someone just googled "Lawyers in Doha" and printed it. Plus, it was from 2017!
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​In June of 2021 I was found Innocent in the first case on appeal and my lawyer was working on my second case. Here I want to freely admit I made a mistake. Because to me the case against me was so ridiculous and I was unemployed again, I was let go after being put in jail for 3 days, I was focused on trying to find new work and left the case to my lawyer. I assumed (this time it just made an Ass out of me) that this would be simple for the lawyer to handle. Turns out I was wrong, very, very wrong.
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In September 2021, I found new partners to open a restaurant in Souq Waqif. We started setting up, hiring staff, and bringing them to Doha. Then in December, I went to court for my second case. I felt confident that things were finally looking up for me. Then I was convicted…. I quickly hired a new lawyer for my appeal set for March 2022. This lawyer felt sure we could win since the case was absurd. My partners and I continued to move ahead on the restaurant in Souq Waqif and opened in February.
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At the appeal hearing in March, I felt uneasy right away. The judge called the two lawyers to his office. I could hear him shouting from the hallway. About 5 minutes after they went in my lawyer came out looking pretty stunned and surprised. He said, “Let’s go.” Once outside, I asked him what happened. He replied he wasn’t sure. Then he mentioned we could still appeal to the Supreme Court. That’s clearly not a good sign. He told me not to worry and he would get back to me once the judge had made his ruling, I was worried. Two weeks later, I called the lawyer since I hadn’t heard from him. He said he was busy and that I had lost the appeal—just like that. I freaked out, knowing I could go to prison at any moment. But he said they were appealing to the Supreme Court. So, they would delay my arrest and incarceration. He then said he would update me but not to worry.
​So, I went back to running my restaurant and worrying. About six weeks later, my lawyer said they filed the appeal to the Supreme Court. They also asked for a delay in carrying out my sentence. He said things were going well. But then, on August 19, 2022, the police came to my restaurant and took me to prison.
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I'm cautious—okay, honestly, I'm a bit paranoid. So, I won't discuss my time in prison. I don't want anyone to misunderstand it as a critique of Qatar. It was, without a doubt, the most unpleasant and horrific experience of my life. I've faced tough times, but nothing compares to this. I spent the first nine months in the capital police jail. Then, I spent the remaining two years and three months in Qatar Central Prison.
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On August 18th, I was released from prison. I was then taken to the Qatar Deportation Holding Center. There, I learned I couldn't be deported yet. I still owe Abdulla 1,000,000 QAR (approx. $274,000.00) and I must clear up a civil case for an old loan from 2015. I was there until August 21st, then released into Doha. Now, I sit in limbo. I can't go home, work, or get an ID. My family is spending more money to support me while we wait for a solution. We’re talking to lawyers, but their replies haven’t been good. I’m really at my wits' end. I just want to come home!