JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Former JEA CEO Aaron Zahn, who was convicted on charges of conspiracy and wire fraud, was booked into a federal prison in South Carolina, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website.
Zahn, 45, had been scheduled to begin his four-year sentence on Oct. 28, but he requested and was granted a delay by a federal judge, giving him until Jan. 27 to report for his sentence.
The delay was requested after Zahn’s Tampa-area home sustained damage during hurricanes Helene and Milton. In the motion requesting the delay, Zahn’s attorneys outlined the process ahead for Zahn to start his insurance claim and get the work started on his home.
In November 2024, a federal judge denied a request from Zahn to remain free while he appeals his federal conviction. Prosecutors opposed that request, saying the basis of his appeal doesn’t meet the standards for remaining on release pending appeal.
A federal judge wrote that the court was “not convinced” that Zahn is likely to succeed on appeal, stating he relies on arguments the court has previously considered in denying his motions to dismiss, for acquittal, and for a new trial.
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Zahn was convicted in March following a trial that lasted roughly three weeks. He had been accused of trying to take millions in personal profits from a proposed sale of the city-owned utility through a controversial bonus plan that had been proposed. The sale was being explored in 2019, but the process was ended at the end of the year after additional details about the proposed bonus plan came to light.
In July, a federal judge sentenced him to four years in prison.