NEWARK, N.J. – A federal prosecutor says a former charter jet company whose plane crashed on takeoff at a New Jersey airport in 2005 routinely sacrificed safety for profit.
He told jurors in New Jersey Thursday that the culmination of Florida-based Platinum Jet Management's illegal activities was the February 2005 crash at Teterboro Airport that injured 20 people.
A federal indictment charges Platinum co-founders Michael and Paul Brassington and another man with fraud conspiracy, lying to investigators and endangering the safety of an aircraft.
During opening statements, a defense attorney told jurors rapper Jay-Z and Beyonce had flown from Las Vegas to Teterboro on the plane a day before it crashed.
Among Platinum's clients were Luciano Pavarotti, Bon Jovi and film producer Harvey Weinstein.
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