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Ex-Flight Attendant Pleads Not Guilty in U.S. Case Over Alleged Staff-Travel Impersonation Scheme

Extradited from Panama, the Toronto resident faces allegations of nearly four years of staff-travel abuse across three U.S. airlines.

Overview

  • Dallas Pokornik, 33, entered a not-guilty plea in federal court in Honolulu after being brought to the United States on a wire-fraud case.
  • Prosecutors allege he used a forged employee badge and false credentials to pose as airline crew and book hundreds of discounted or free standby flights.
  • Court filings say he at times requested access to a cockpit jump seat despite not holding a pilot’s certificate.
  • The indictment focuses on incidents in 2024, and investigators say similar conduct stretched back to early 2020 across three U.S. carriers.
  • If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, with Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Marshals Service leading the ongoing probe.