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Investigations

Date

Co-founders of Luxury Air Charter Company Sentenced for Operating Illegal Charter Flights and Causing Plane Crash in New Jersey

On September 20, 2011, Michael and Paul Brassington, co-founders of the now-defunct Platinum Jet Management (PJM), a luxury air charter service based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, were sentenced in U.S. District Court, Newark, New Jersey.  Michael Brassington was sentenced to serve 30 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release.  Paul Brassington was sentenced to serve 18 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release.  Michael Brassington is also expected to face deportation to Guyana after his term of incarceration. 

On November 15, 2010, following a four-week trial, Michael and Paul Brassington were convicted by a federal jury on a series of charges stemming from a February 2005 airplane crash in Teterboro, New Jersey.  The PJM jet over ran the runway at Teterboro Airport, struck two cars as it crossed a roadway and crashed into a warehouse, resulting in injuries. The National Transportation Safety Board investigation concluded that the aircraft's incorrect center of gravity contributed to the crash.  The DOT-OIG investigation revealed that the flight's first officer relied on Michael Brassington's representations concerning the weight of the aircraft, which caused the plane to be over-fueled; causing an imbalance in the center of gravity.