Hundreds of Free Flights: Toronto Man Accused of Faking Pilot Badge
US prosecutors say a Toronto man used a fake pilot badge to take hundreds of free flights over four years, in a wire fraud case shocking US airlines.
If Leonardo DiCaprio's film "Catch Me If You Can" ever got a sequel, prosecutors say real life may have already written the script.
US authorities say a Canadian man, Dallas Pokornik, is accused of impersonating both a pilot and a flight attendant, and allegedly took advantage of hundreds of free flights over four years.
Prosecutors allege the 33-year-old Toronto resident created a fake employee ID to obtain free flights on US airlines – and even once requested to sit in the cockpit.
Pokornik was arrested in Panama and extradited to the US, where he now faces wire fraud charges.
The scheme, detailed in court documents, bears a striking resemblance to the 2002 DiCaprio film, in which a charming teenager on the run from the FBI impersonates a pilot to travel the world.
Prosecutors say Pokornik previously worked legitimately as a flight attendant for a Canadian airline from 2017 to 2019, but was not employed by any airline at the time of the alleged fraud.
In the years following Pokornik's employment with that airline, prosecutors allege Pokornik used a fake badge to defraud three US airlines into providing him with reserved flights for pilots and flight attendants.
Court documents allege that on one occasion, Pokornik requested to sit in the "jump seat" in the plane's cockpit, which is reserved for off-duty pilots, despite not being a pilot or possessing an airman's certificate. However, it is unclear whether Pokornik actually traveled on flights with the pilots.
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The airlines are not named in the indictment, but they are identified as airlines headquartered in Honolulu, Chicago, and Fort Worth, Texas.
Although the indictment currently only covers the period from January to October 2024, a Justice Department spokesperson told that prosecutors are aware of Pokornik's alleged misconduct over a four-year period, from January 2020 to October 2024.
The Justice Department said that if convicted, Pokornik could face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
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