The future of Central Jet Charter, which sells on-demand private jet charters and 25-hour jet cards, is in the spotlight. Its founder and CEO, Paul Alexander, was arrested last week on sex crimes charges. The incident is being widely reported.
According to a press release issued by New York State’s Attorney General, “The initial investigation began in March after a female minor reported Alexander to the NYPD, alleging that Alexander sexually abused her and other underage girls, and promoted them for prostitution to other men. An undercover police officer met with Alexander, who charged him a total of $300 for sexual intercourse with a 12-year-old victim and a 14-year-old victim — and encouraged the undercover officer to use alcohol and marijuana to make the victims more cooperative.”
The release described Alexander as a Level 3 sex offender, the highest level. The rating carries a warning, “The risk of repeat offense is high. The degree of danger posed to the public is such that a substantial public safety interest is served by active dissemination.”
The statement from the AG continues that Alexander was “charged with multiple counts of Sex Trafficking of a Child, Attempted Sex Trafficking of a Child, related counts of First and Second Degrees of Promoting Prostitution, and two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child.”
He faces up to 50 years in prison if convicted of the top counts. Additionally, he was remanded and ordered to return to court on December 8, 2020. Sex Trafficking of a Child and First Degree Promoting Prostitution are class B felonies. Sex Trafficking of a Child is a violent felony offense.
According to the New York State Division of Corporations, Central Jet Charter, Inc., was registered in January 2013. It also appears to be an active member of the National Business Aviation Association. Its description reads, “We are a full-service Private Jet Charter Company, available any time; please give us a call.”
Alexander’s LinkedIn profile shows him as owner/CEO starting from 2012.
Robert Amabile and Chris Keosseian are both listed as managing directors at Central Jet Charter. They did not respond to a request about the company’s plans for the future and the status of any deposits they are holding on behalf of customers.
Keosseian’s LinkedIn profile shows his tenure with the charter broker dating to 2010. It reads, “Manage Private Jet charter brokerage for over 100 different clients. Built company from the ground up.” Since 2016, he concurrently lists himself as Co-owner of a self-employed financial management business.
On its website, Central Jet Charter promotes 25-hour jet cards ranging from $25,000 to $ 1million. It promises, “We have a great Jet Charter Card Program because we are the most flexible and have no type of restrictions or expiration dates. We hope you will sign up with us because we offer a lot of great benefits.”
There is no mention of whether or not Central Jet provided an escrow account to protect client funds. Failures at a ZettaJet, ImagineAir, and most recently JetSuite have cost private flyers over $50 million in lost money. Outgoing Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin lost over $200,000 when JetCard Plus closed last year.
