HARTFORD, CT – Kyle J. Wine, 42, of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, is headed to federal prison for eleven years after being sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams for a brazen $7 million fraud scheme. Wine, the operator of multiple commercial aircraft supply businesses – JetPro International, LLC (“JetPro”), Nexus Aviation, and Turbotech Partners – systematically ripped off investors, diverting funds for personal gain and leaving a trail of financial ruin.
According to court documents, Wine’s scam spanned from at least 2018 through 2021. He preyed on investors in aircraft-related transactions, purchasing airframes and engines with their money, then selling them off the books. Instead of sharing the profits, Wine pocketed the cash and continued to bleed his victims dry. The scheme involved elaborate deception, including the creation of fake domain names and email accounts to fabricate correspondence and maintain the illusion of legitimate sales.
One particularly egregious act involved a $4.5 million investment from a Darien, Connecticut firm, lured in with the promise of profits from an Airbus A320-231 airframe and two engines. Wine sent bogus updates, claiming to negotiate sales with buyers – all while having *already* sold the engine for $2.45 million and the airframe for $1.3 million. He never disclosed these sales, nor did he share a dime with the Connecticut investors. He even used more of their money to buy *another* engine, again without their knowledge.
The total damage inflicted by Wine’s operation reached $7,152,666.67, impacting 13 separate victims. Judge Williams will determine the amount of restitution owed, factoring in any assets recovered through forfeiture. This isn’t Wine’s first brush with the law. In 2010, he received probation for a similar fraud and money laundering scheme in Missouri, involving approximately $4.4 million in fraudulent mortgage loans on 86 properties – a clear pattern of predatory behavior.
The audacity didn’t stop there. Even after pleading guilty to wire fraud and money laundering in July 2022, Wine attempted to defraud *another* lender. While released on bond pending sentencing, he submitted counterfeit bank statements in a bid to secure a loan for a Cadillac Escalade from a Kansas dealership. This blatant disregard for the law led to the revocation of his bond and his detention in December 2022.
The investigation was a joint effort by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan N. Francis prosecuted the case, bringing Wine’s long-running scheme to a decisive end. The 132-month sentence, followed by three years of supervised release, sends a message: defrauding investors and laundering illicit profits will not be tolerated.
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Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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