Harry Sargeant III
Harry Sargeant III | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 30, 1957 |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, former United States Marine Corps officer and fighter pilot |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
| Known for | Head of Sargeant Trading and International Oil Trading Company (IOTC) |
Harry Sargeant III (born December 30, 1957) is a prominent figure in the energy and maritime shipping sectors based in Florida. Formerly serving as an officer and fighter pilot in the United States Marine Corps, Sargeant now heads a vast global conglomerate spanning aviation, oil refineries, oil trading, development of alternative fuels, and the transportation of oil and asphalt. His family enterprise, Sargeant Trading, commands the world's largest fleet dedicated to asphalt tankers and barges. Additionally, he owns International Oil Trading Company (IOTC), a leading provider of aviation fuel to the U.S. Military operating in Iraq, generating multibillion-dollar revenues annually.
Education and military service
Sargeant earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business from Florida State University in 1979. Following graduation, he enlisted in the Marine Corps, completing Basic School and Naval flight training at Kingsville, Texas in 1981. Assigned to the Black Sheep squadron, Marine Attack Squadron 214 (VMA-214), he piloted the A-4M Skyhawk, conducting offensive air missions and reconnaissance operations. While continuing his service in the Marine Corps Reserves, he graduated from the elite Top Gun course and achieved the rank of Major before transitioning to inactive status after a combined eleven years of active and reserve duty.
Early shipping years and Sargeant Marine
Upon concluding his active duty with the Marine Corps in 1987, Sargeant briefly worked as a pilot for Delta Air Lines before assuming leadership of Sargeant Marine Inc., a shipping firm established by his father, Harry Sargeant Jr., in 1983. Initially, the company concentrated on transporting asphalt products utilizing chartered vessels. In 1989, Sargeant pioneered the introduction of ISO bitumen containers into international markets, facilitating deliveries to remote global locations.
By 1992, he embarked on an aggressive expansion of the asphalt tanker fleet, acquiring six tankers, one ocean tugboat, three ocean barges, and hundreds of bulk containers within four years. He acquired and retrofitted the Asphalt Commander, which at 35,000 dead-weight tons was then the largest asphalt tanker worldwide. Throughout the 1990s into the early 2000s, his acquisitions continued until reaching a fleet of twelve ships by the time of the Iraq War. Among these vessels was the 108.5-meter-long Asphalt Seminole, named in honor of his alma mater, FSU.
IOTC contracts and Iraq War troop surge
In 2004, Sargeant’s newly formed International Oil Trading Company (IOTC) won a Pentagon contract to supply petroleum products to U.S. military and coalition forces in Iraq after the initial contractor defaulted. Over five years, IOTC secured Pentagon contracts totaling more than $2.66 billion to deliver fuel within Iraq. Due to security threats along southern fuel supply routes from Kuwait to Baghdad, the Department of Defense required rerouting through Jordan into Iraq's Al Anbar Province. Utilizing diplomatic negotiations, Sargeant obtained essential approval from Jordanian officials for IOTC’s transit operations.
Contracts awarded by the DoD increased each year as demand escalated, particularly during the 2007 troop surge. However, a subsequent Pentagon audit revealed that Harry Sargeant III was overcompensated by up to $204 million on nearly $2.7 billion worth of contracts. The review highlighted that contracts were granted under limited competition conditions, enabling Sargeant—despite submitting higher bids—to maintain dominance over critical supply routes. Representative Henry A. Waxman accused him of engaging in price gouging and described it as "the worst form of war profiteering."
Political involvement
Since the mid-1990s, Sargeant has been a prominent fundraiser for the Republican Party, fostering a strong connection with former Florida governor Charlie Crist, with whom he shared fraternity ties at Florida State University. Following Crist's election as governor, Sargeant was named the Finance Chairman of the state Republican Party, a voluntary position he maintained until early 2009. He stepped down shortly before an employee of Sargeant Marine faced indictment related to unlawful campaign contributions connected to Crist and John McCain.
During the 2008 presidential election cycle, Sargeant contributed financially to Republican contenders Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, and the eventual nominee John McCain. At one point, Crist was considered as a potential vice-presidential candidate alongside McCain before launching an Independent Senate campaign in 2010.
Sargeant provided loans to Lev Parnas, an associate of Giuliani who was involved in political pressure tactics targeting Ukraine during the Trump administration. WhatsApp communications that were made public indicated that Sargeant financed some of Parnas' travel expenses and supported efforts aimed at removing U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch.
Personal details
Harry Sargeant III is married to Deborah Sargeant, and together they have two children.
His brother Daniel is the father of racing drivers Dalton and Logan Sargeant.