with two serious fraud cases. One involves cheating Medicare during the COVID-19 pandemic by billing for unnecessary lab tests. The other involves stealing money from customers of his private jet company, AeroVanti Inc. These charges reveal a pattern of deceit and greed, harming both public health programs and private customers.
Fraud Against Medicare During COVID-19
According to the first indictment, Britton-Harr offered COVID-19 screening tests to nursing home patients nationwide through his company, Provista Health. He then billed Medicare for costly respiratory pathogen panel (RPP) tests that were not medically needed, were never ordered by doctors, and in many cases, never actually done—even for patients who had already died. More than $15 million in false claims were sent to Medicare, which paid out over $5 million for these fake tests.
Fraud Involving AeroVanti Private Jet Company
The second indictment reveals Britton-Harr’s scheme with AeroVanti, a private air club offering jet access to members. He promised “Top Gun” members they could pay $150,000 upfront to buy flight hours and that their money would be used to buy aircraft. Nearly 100 members paid almost $15 million for five planes. Instead of purchasing the planes, Britton-Harr used the money to buy yachts, jewelry, pay for personal living costs, and rent property in Florida. To hide his fraud, he took a $1.5 million loan to buy a plane he already claimed to have purchased with members’ funds, lying to the lender.
Official Statements on the Fraud Cases
Leaders from the Department of Justice, FBI, U.S. Attorney’s Office, and other federal agencies have condemned Britton-Harr’s actions. They highlighted how he took advantage of a public health crisis and defrauded government programs and private customers purely for personal gain. These officials stressed their commitment to finding and prosecuting people who misuse taxpayer money or cheat others.
Charges and Possible Penalties
Britton-Harr faces five counts of healthcare fraud and one count of money laundering for the Medicare case. For the AeroVanti case, he faces six counts of wire fraud. Each wire fraud charge could lead to up to 20 years in prison, while healthcare fraud and money laundering charges could bring up to 10 years each. The final sentence will be decided by a federal judge.
Investigation and Prosecution
The FBI, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (DOT-OIG) are investigating these cases. Prosecutors from the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the District of Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office are handling the trial.
Patrick Britton-Harr’s actions show how greed can lead to serious crimes that harm both public systems and private individuals. His fake Medicare claims wasted millions of taxpayer dollars, while his AeroVanti scam cheated nearly 100 customers out of millions meant for aircraft purchases. This case reminds us how important it is for authorities to carefully investigate fraud, especially when it affects health care and consumer trust. Holding criminals accountable protects not only public funds but also the confidence people have in important services like Medicare and private businesses.
