The jet card client alleges OneFlight assured him of financial stability, selling him multiple programs for over $750,000.
A lawsuit filed earlier today in the United States District Court of Colorado alleges that OneFlight International was “consistent with the operation of a Ponzi scheme in which new money is used to pay old obligations.”
The Centennial, Colorado-based jet card broker paused flight activity last week.
That came after a Private Jet Card Comparisons article reported the company was addressing financial issues, after obtaining an internal memo.
Jeremy Ricks’ lawsuit names the company, its CEO Ferren Rajput, Executive Vice President of Sales Mark Dismuke, and John Crandall, a sales executive.
It alleges, “fraud, fraudulent concealment, negligent misrepresentation, civil conspiracy, breach of contract, civil theft, and unjust enrichment arising out of a scheme by defendants to induce Plaintiff and, upon information and belief, numerous other customers, to make ever-larger prepaid, non-refundable deposits for future flight hours, while defendants knew, or recklessly disregarded, that OneFlight’s prepaid-flight-hour liabilities exceeded its ability to deliver the flight time purchased, and while defendants used new customer deposits to fund existing obligations to earlier customers, vendors, and charter operators — the hallmark of a Ponzi scheme.”
Ricks alleges, “Beginning in May 2025 and continuing through at least September 2026, defendants repeatedly and affirmatively assured plaintiff — in response to plaintiff’s repeated, specific inquiries into OneFlight’s solvency — that OneFlight was financially sound and that his prepaid, non-refundable deposits were safe, at the same time defendants knew that rising operating costs and mounting prepaid-flight-hour obligations were rendering OneFlight increasingly insolvent.”
The filing claims, “(OneFlight) used a portion of the funds obtained from plaintiff and other new depositors to service and forestall exposure of OneFlight’s obligations to earlier customers and vendors, and to fund an escalating marketing and sponsorship campaign — including sponsorship of the McLaren F1 team and PGA Tour events — specifically designed to project an image of solvency and prosperity to induce further deposits by Plaintiff and other customers, all while OneFlight’s actual financial condition was deteriorating.”
The Denver Business Journal first reported the lawsuit earlier today.
Ricks is from California.
Ricks says in May 2025, he responded to a OneFlight promotion and was then contacted by Crandall.
The jet card member says he asked to speak to Dismuke so he could ask “questions about OneFlight’s solvency before committing any funds.”
He says in that conversation and subsequent conversations with Dismuke and Crandall he was assured the jet card broker was “very solvent and that plaintiff’s prepaid, non-refundable flight deposits would be safe.”
The filing alleges:
‘Dismuke told plaintiff during the call that defendant Rajput, OneFlight’s CEO, was personally “watching the deal” with Plaintiff and was personally assuring plaintiff that OneFlight was “good financially” and that “everything is good,” which plaintiff understood, and which Dismuke intended plaintiff to understand, as Rajput’s personal, direct assurance to induce plaintiff to proceed. This representation was coercive and material to plaintiff’s decision to sign a contract with OneFlight and was repeated by Defendant Crandall and/or Defendant Dismuke in each subsequent communication. In reliance on these representations, plaintiff signed a contract with OneFlight, which Dismuke executed on OneFlight’s behalf, obligating plaintiff to make a non-refundable deposit of no less than $100,000 by May 20, 2025.’
According to Ricks, before the initial deal was even finalized, “Crandall and Dismuke solicited plaintiff to make a significantly larger deposit, offering to waive OneFlight’s $15,000 annual Silver BAJ Card membership fee and offering free flight hours if plaintiff deposited at least $280,000 for prepaid jet travel.”
Ricks, after signing, learned the 72-hour callout referred to three business days’ advance notice to secure the program’s fixed hourly rates.
The filing alleges, “On the solicitation of Crandall, with representations of Crandall on behalf of Defendants Dismuke and Rajput on the special deal that was being offered to plaintiff and again assuring plaintiff that OneFlight was strong and financially sound, and in order to obtain a reduced 24-hour call-out period along with additional incentive flight hours that the defendants offered, plaintiff made a further non-refundable deposit of $100,000 with OneFlight on or about June 10, 2025 for total deposits to date of $380,000.”
The offers continued:
‘A few days prior to the Black Friday of 2025, on Wednesday, November 26, 2025 when the ‘Black Friday’ deal was released, Crandall, acting on behalf of himself and the other defendants, solicited plaintiff to make a further large deposit, again offering free flights and representing that only a limited number of such deals were available under the Black Friday deal and that plaintiff needed to act immediately and not wait until Friday (Black Friday) to secure the offer, or there would most likely not be a spot available.’
READ: Deal or No Deal: Should you buy more jet card hours?
Defendants leveraged their sponsorships and ambassadors to again convince Ricks the company was financially sound, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit states:
‘Crandall and Dismuke made significant mention to Ricks of OneFlight’s high-profile sports sponsorships in 2025 and its extensive roster of celebrity and PGA Tour brand ambassadors including becoming the co-title sponsor of the Myrtle Beach Classic and being named the official private aviation partner of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s tech-infused golf league, TGL, and that they had assurances from Rajput and personal knowledge of the high successful of OneFlight, in an effort to demonstrate OneFlight’s solvency and assure Ricks that his deposits would be safe and convince Ricks to deposit more funds. In reliance on these representations and the urgency created by Crandall, Plaintiff deposited an additional $250,000 with OneFlight on or about November 26, 2025, for a total of $630,000 in pre-paid flight deposits in 2025.’
The filing continues, “In mid-2026, OneFlight, by and through and in concert with the defendants, increased its marketing campaign specifically to attract new customer deposits in order to fund and fulfill its existing obligations on previously sold prepaid flight hours — that is, to use new depositors’ money to pay obligations owed to earlier depositors and vendors, the defining characteristic of a Ponzi scheme.”
Rick alleges that, despite financial issues, OneFlight continued to spend money on sponsorships to create an appearance of financial stability.
“OneFlight became the official private aviation partner of the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team in a multi-year collaboration, featuring branding on race cars and the race suits of drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri as well as once again being a title sponsor of the PGA TOUR Myrtle Beach Classic in May, with enhanced sponsorship that included a featured display of a McLaren F1 race car and OneFlight’s hosting of a headline performance by The Beach Boys, as well as its offering of a $250,000 flight credit to that event’s winning golfer and a five-hour flight credit to every player who made the 36-hole cut. The PGA Tour Myrtle Beach Classic sponsorship was at a time when OneFlight was, upon information and belief, struggling to pay its vendors and specifically its air charter operators,” Ricks alleges.
READ: Do separate accounts or refundability protect your jet card money?
In June, he saw a 40% off promotion.
Ricks contacted Crandall to enquire how OneFlight could offer such a deep discount.
Rick contends:
‘Crandall conveyed a false sense of urgency and scarcity, telling Plaintiff there were only a few spots left. Plaintiff aggressively questioned Defendant Crandall on the financial health of OneFlight and the safety of his deposit, as he had already deposited $630,000 to date and had approximately $400,000 remaining in his cash account at OneFlight for future travel and would not deposit further funds without the express representation of the CEO. Defendant Crandall represented to plaintiff, as on prior occasions, that he was personally aware that OneFlight was thriving and that he also had the personal assurances of Defendants Dismuke and Rajput to the same. Induced and coerced by these representations, plaintiff deposited an additional $150,000 with OneFlight on June 4, 2026, to secure 40% off all flight hours for the following two years, for lifetime deposits of $780,000.’
Ricks says he was told the promotion was limited.
A few days later, he saw an “identical promotion still being offered to other customers.”
The lawsuit claims “Crandall’s representations regarding scarcity and limited availability were false.”
Ricks doesn’t believe OneFlight will become operational again.
The lawsuit says Ricks spent about $200,000 on flights.
That leaves him with a cash balance of $580,461.42, which he is seeking to recover.
The lawsuit was filed on Sept. 20, 2026.
Neither Rajput, Dismuke, nor Crandall responded to a request for comment.
DOWNLOAD: Jeremy Ricks v. OneFlight International-USDC Colorado-1-26cv4624
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