Maryland Man Found Guilty of $15 Million Private Jet Customer Fraud Scheme

A Maryland man has been convicted by a federal jury of defrauding customers of his private jet company out of approximately $15 million. Patrick Britton-Harr, 43, of Annapolis, was found guilty of six counts of wire fraud for orchestrating a scheme that involved making false promises to clients regarding the use of their funds. The verdict was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, in conjunction with the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, the FBI Baltimore Field Office, and the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (DOT-OIG).

Britton-Harr operated AeroVanti, Inc., a company that offered private jet charter services. The fraudulent scheme targeted “Top Gun” members, who were invited to pay 150,000 upfront for the opportunity to help the company acquire a private aircraft. In exchange for this substantial investment, members were promised a block of discounted flight hours. Britton-Harr assured these customers that their money would be used to purchase specific aircraft and that the titles to these planes would be held in escrow for their protection. Collectively, these “Top Gun” members paid out roughly 15 million for five aircraft.

However, evidence presented during the trial revealed that Britton-Harr did not use the funds as promised. Instead, he allegedly misappropriated the members’ money for his personal enrichment. These expenditures included the purchase of yachts, expensive jewelry, and covering his general living expenses, such as renting a home for $10,000 per month near Tampa, Florida. Further details emerged during the trial indicating that Britton-Harr attempted to cover up his fraudulent activities. He secured a $1.5 million loan to purchase one of the aircraft, despite having already claimed to have bought it using the funds from his defrauded clients. This loan was reportedly obtained by withholding crucial information from the lender.

For each of the six counts of wire fraud, Britton-Harr faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. The final sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge, who will consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other relevant statutory factors. In addition to these charges, Britton-Harr is also facing separate indictments from May 2025, which include multiple counts of health care fraud and one count of money laundering. These charges stem from an alleged scheme to fraudulently bill Medicare for expensive respiratory tests. A trial for these health care fraud charges is scheduled for October 2026.

The investigation and prosecution of this case were acknowledged by U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes, who praised the efforts of the FBI and DOT-OIG. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ari D. Evans and Fraud Section Attorney Ariel Glasner, with significant assistance from Fraud Section Trial Attorney Tara Shinnick, were responsible for prosecuting the federal wire fraud case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland encourages individuals to visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud for more information about their priorities and resources available for reporting fraud.

Article by Mel Anara, based upon information from U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland

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