Daniel Wolcott last Thursday pled guilty to a federal charge of interstate transportation of a stolen aircraft, specifically a Citation twinjet. He has already spent nearly two years in jail awaiting the outcome of this case and now faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. It was October 9, 2005, when (then) 22-year-old Wolcott, according to authorities, stole a Pinnacle Air Cessna Citation from the St. Augustine/St. Johns County Airport in Florida and flew it to Gwinnett County (Ga.) Airport with five others aboard … after a touch and go at Winder (Ga.) Airport. He landed with approximately 500 pounds of fuel aboard, according to reports published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution at the time. Wolcott’s day at St. Augustine began earlier as the copilot of a charter flight and, after landing and inviting some friends along for the Citation joyride to Georgia, he hopped a commercial flight back to Jacksonville, found his way to St. Augustine and claimed his right seat on the charter for the return trip. He was a licensed commercial pilot at the time, but was not rated to fly the Citation. County District Attorney Danny Porter told the Associated Press that Wolcott’s plea agreement has already resulted in several dropped charges, including grand theft and reckless conduct, and Wolcott may receive “credit” for time already served.
Paying For The Citation Joyride
Key Takeaways:
- Daniel Wolcott pled guilty to a federal charge of interstate transportation of a stolen aircraft, specifically a Cessna Citation twinjet.
- In October 2005, Wolcott, then 22, stole the Citation from Florida, flew it to Georgia with five others aboard, and later returned to his scheduled charter flight duties, despite not being rated for the Citation.
- He faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, though a plea agreement resulted in dropped charges and credit for nearly two years already served.
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