THE DAILY BEAST
After nearly half a billion dollars in legal judgments against him this year, Donald Trump’s company opted to offload one of his private jets this month, public filings show. And the buyer is a Republican megadonor who poured nearly $250,000 into a political committee tied to Trump’s 2020 campaign.
The plane, a 1997 Cessna jet, is worth in the range of $10 million, according to evoJets, though terms of the transaction couldn’t be confirmed.
Federal Aviation Administration records show that on May 13, the aircraft’s registration changed from the Trump Organization’s DT Air Corp to a Texas entity called MM Fleet Holdings LLC. State records tie that company to Mehrdad Moayedi, an Iranian-American construction and development tycoon who lives near Dallas and runs Centurion American Custom Homes.
According to his biography, Moayedi founded his company in 1990 and has since built thousands of homes. Centurion says it partners with both public and private entities.
Moayedi is also a Trump donor. Federal campaign finance data show that in 2019 and 2020, he gave a combined $245,000 to Trump Victory—a committee that raised money for the Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee, and state GOP parties—sending the maximum allowable $5,600 contribution to the campaign.
Moayedi has also given hundreds of thousands of dollars in support of other GOP candidates and committees, including the RNC, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Nikki Haley. In 2022, the developer made a maximum primary donation of $2,900 to Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, an Arizona independent who has raked in big bucks from the real estate industry and is accused by some Democrats of being overly accommodating to Republicans.
Business Insider previously reported that the plane had been sold, though the outlet did not include details about the buyer.
Trump has boasted about the Cessna on the Trump Aviation website, writing that the aircraft is a “very special feature within the Trump Aviation fleet.”
“This high speed jet is often referred to as a ‘rocket in the sky,’ flying at speeds up to Mach .92 and altitudes as high as 51,000 feet. It is one of the fastest in the world and allows for entry into smaller airports,” the site claims. The site further boasts that the craft is outfitted with “top of the line interiors” that can comfortably seat nine passengers, and that “the signature Trump Crest” on the exterior bestows “an even higher level of luxury and beauty to this magnificent aircraft.”
Moayedi could not immediately be reached for comment.
THIS STORY FIRST APPEARED IN THE DAILY BEAST
