Maryland Man Convicted of $15M Private Jet Fraud, Bought Yachts with Client Funds
Patrick Britton-Harr, 43, of Annapolis was convicted on six counts of wire fraud for stealing $15M from AeroVanti members. Sentencing has not yet been scheduled.
AeroVanti Founder Found Guilty of Defrauding Private Jet Club Members Out of $15 Million
A federal jury in the District of Maryland convicted Patrick Britton-Harr, 43, of Annapolis on six counts of wire fraud, DOJ Justice News reports. Britton-Harr owned and operated AeroVanti, a private air club that promised members access to charter flights on private jets.
Britton-Harr solicited so-called "Top Gun" memberships at $150,000 apiece, telling clients their upfront payments would fund the purchase of specific aircraft. In exchange, members were promised a block of discounted flight hours and assurances that their money would be held securely, with aircraft titles delivered to escrow.
Collectively, Top Gun members paid approximately $15 million to finance the purchase of five aircraft. No aircraft were purchased with those funds. Instead, court documents and trial evidence show, Britton-Harr diverted the money for personal use — buying yachts and jewelry, covering living expenses, and renting a home near Tampa, Florida, for $10,000 per month.
To conceal the scheme, Britton-Harr obtained a $1.5 million loan to purchase one of the planes he had already falsely claimed to have bought with member funds, withholding material information from the lender in the process.
"Patrick Britton-Harr stole millions of dollars from his customers by lying to them about how he would use and protect their money," said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "He used his business as a front to fraudulently induce his clients to make down payments for services never provided."
U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland said the conviction "sends a strong message that if you scam and defraud others, we're coming after you with the full weight of the law."
Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul of the FBI Baltimore Field Office said the verdict "holds Patrick Britton-Harr accountable for the lies he told and the millions of dollars he stole from customers to bankroll his extravagant lifestyle."
A sentencing date has not been set. Britton-Harr faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison per count. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
In May 2025, Britton-Harr was separately indicted on multiple counts of health care fraud and one count of money laundering, related to an alleged scheme to fraudulently bill Medicare for expensive respiratory tests. Trial on that indictment is scheduled for October 2026.
The case was investigated by the FBI Baltimore Field Office and the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General. Trial Attorney Ariel Glasner of the Criminal Division's Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ariel Evans for the District of Maryland are prosecuting the matter.
Source: DOJ Justice News