The Palm Beach sugar heir who beat up his girlfriend because he was mad about sitting near a gay couple has received a shockingly light sentence for his crimes.   

Alexander Nicholas Fanjul, 39, also known as Nico, reportedly became ‘irate’ over being sat next to a gay couple in a restaurant in January. 

In a fit of rage, he lashed out on the unnamed woman, leaving her in a fetal position with her face bloodied and bruised. Aside from this attack, the socialite has previously faced accusations of domestic violence. 

The eldest son of Alexander Fanjul Sr – a director and senior vice president of major sugar producer Florida Crystals – was arrested for domestic battery, robbery, false imprisonment and cocaine possession.

But in court on Monday, despite being charged with and pleading guilty to petit theft, criminal mischief and felony battery, Fanjul was let off with four years of probation and 200 hours of community service, according to Page Six.

He was ordered to serve ‘concurrent probation terms of four years for the battery charge, and one year for each of the misdemeanor offenses’. 

His probation may even be cut down if he does not break any new laws after three years. 

Fanjul’s spokesperson said in a statement: ‘We thank all the parties for this resolution. Nico has been very clear that he has and will continue to focus on improving himself and being a positive influence in his community.’

According to Page Six, Fanjul went to a rehab in March and continued treatment at a different location in April. 

He was subjected to regular drug screenings and breathalyzer testing.

According to a police report from the January incident,  officers arrived at his home at 11pm after neighbors called 911 over a woman screaming.

Officers at the scene reported that they heard a woman scream ‘get off me’, and that Fanjul was standing over the woman who was ‘in a defensive fetal position.’

The officers say that the woman’s face was bleeding, and she later told police she had bee physically assaulted by Fanjul and ‘thought she was going to die.’

According to the woman, the pair had dined at the swanky Flagler Steakhouse at the Breakers Hotel when Fanjul ‘became irate because the two were sat by a homosexual couple.’

After dinner, she said that Fanjul ‘became increasingly irate and continued to speak about his frustration with the restaurant’.

When outside his home, the woman allegedly told ‘Fanjul to drop the subject and that is when he began to punch her in the face.’

The attack is said to have caused her ‘bruising, bleeding and swelling of the facial area.’

Fanjul is also accused of ripping her purse from her shoulder after she threatened to call for help and then smashed her hand and phone.

After she began screaming he ‘forcibly dragged her inside the residence to prevent her from receiving aid or escaping.’

The officer noted redness and bruising on the woman’s neck and a ‘trail of blood’, when he allegedly dragged her.

Fanjul was let free on a $180,000 bond following his arrest.

During a hearing on Tuesday, an attorney representing Fanjul told the outlet that he denies the allegations.

Circuit Judge Donald Hafele ordered that he refrain from using nonprescribed drugs and contacting his accuser and that he surrender his firearms.

Fanjul previously had brushes with the law when he dated socialite Tinsley Mortimer, 49, who later went on to join ‘The Real Housewives of New York City.’

Police were called multiple times due to bust ups between the couple, which on one occasion left Mortimer needing hospital treatment. 

On another occasion, police were called for domestic violence to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Fort Lauderdale in 2014. 

Mortimer did not press charges. 

In 2016, she was then arrested for trespassing on his property, and reflected on the relationship in an interview with DailyMail.com.

She said: ‘Once you’re caught up in that sort of cycle, it’s really hard to break out of it. I definitely was not myself during that time and it wasn’t until the arrest that I was able to break free from it – the cycle was broken, thank God.’

In November of last year, Mortimer and businessman Robert Bovard tied the knot in Palm Beach.

In 2023, another unnamed ex-girlfriend claimed Fanjul ‘charged at her and tackled her to the ground, causing her to land on her back and told her, “You’re not f–king going anywhere,”‘ according to Page Six.

The woman told police he had ‘a history of unreported physical violence against her, often times physically restraining her’.