Steak Dinners & Vodka on a Yacht: Lubbock Man Admits to Fraud
A Lubbock man has admitted to defrauding several charter flight companies to pay for various things like a flight to Miami and steak dinners on a yacht.
KAMC News reports that 26-year-old J. Nicholas Bryant had negotiated with a private charter flight company in November of 2021, saying he wanted a "demo flight" to make his final choice on buying an airplane. Reports say that Bryant manipulated a payment platform, tricking the charter company into believing the invoice was paid.
It wasn't until Bryant was in Miami when the charter company learned the first invoice failed. Bryant promised to pay the full amount to the company, but after sailing on a 90-foot yacht, demanding steak dinners, champagne and vodka, he did not. Court documents also say that Bryant defrauded a driver in Miami, convincing him to pay for hotel rooms.
This apparently wasn't the only time Bryant had defrauded a charter flight company. It's said that he attempted to defraud 17 companies total, succeeding with more than half of them.
Court documents say that nearly every time Bryant defrauded one of these flight companies, he would demand a limousine for transportation and that his planes be stocked with vodka. He also apparently acquired multiple expensive vehicles, totaling a value of over $500,000.
On top of this, it's said Bryant at one point convinced a builder to build a home with a pool and workshop. A substantial amount of labor had already gone into the project by the time the nearly $1 million payment failed to go through.
Overall, Bryant admitted to defrauding at least 50 victims, totaling an estimated $1.5 million loss to those victimized. He was arrested in December of 2021.
Bryant remains in the Lubbock County Detention Center with no set bond.