August sentencing date set for convicted Sarasota private jet service founder

A federal judge in Maryland has scheduled Patrick Britton-Harr’s sentencing for Aug. 26.

The hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. in Baltimore, according to sentencing guidelines issued by U.S. District Judge Adam B. Abelson.

Britton-Harr, who according to court records is not in custody, was convicted June 3 of six counts of wire fraud by a federal jury. The charges against the CEO of the Sarasota and Annapolis, Maryland, private jet membership firm AeroVanti stem from defrauding victims of $15 million.

He is facing a maximum of 20 years for each count as well as a second federal trial in October in a case involving Medicare fraud during the pandemic.

The guidelines lay out a game plan of sorts for the next several weeks, setting up deadlines for federal prosecutors and Britton-Harr ahead of the hearing to determine his punishment.

Among the steps mentioned in the filing are that the probation officer working the case must file the initial draft of a presentence report by July 20 and any objections to it need to be filed by Aug. 3. And prosecutors have to let the court know, and submit supporting documentation, by Aug. 12 if they plan to seek restitution.

AeroVanti was founded in 2021 selling what it called Top Gun memberships for $150,000 to groups that would share the use of private planes bought from the proceeds of the memberships. Members collectively paid approximately $15 million in upfront payments to purchase five aircraft.

Prosecutors charged — and the jury believed — that instead of buying the aircraft, Britton-Harr used the money for his own personal benefit, including buying yachts and jewelry, paying for his living expenses and renting a $10,000 per month home near Tampa.