Trial Date Set for Platinum Jet Defendants

The six individuals who were arrested and charged earlier this year in connection with the Platinum Jet Management Challenger 600 crash at Teterboro Airport in February 2005– Andrew Budhan, Michael Brassington, Paul Brassington, Brien McKenzie, Joseph Singh and Francis Vieira–last month entered pleas of not guilty and posted bail. Their trial is scheduled to begin on May 12 in the U.S. District Court in Newark, N.J. The indictment alleges “a conspiracy to commit continuous willful violations of regulatory requirements for the operation of commercial charter aircraft” and charges the “conspirators” with operating Platinum Jet as an “on-demand commercial jet charter company without having a Part 135 certificate.” The single conspiracy count and 21 counts of making false statements each carry a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.