Former Toronto flight attendant pleads guilty after posing as pilot for free flights

It’s being likened to scenes from the 2002 film Catch Me If You Can, in which actor Leonardo DiCaprio impersonates a pilot to scam an airline.

A former Toronto flight attendant has pleaded guilty to wire fraud in the United States after admitting he posed as a commercial airline pilot to secure hundreds of free flights, according to U.S. prosecutors.

In a news release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said 34-year-old Dallas Pokornik used fraudulent credentials to obtain complimentary travel on three U.S.-based airlines over a period spanning nearly five years.

Pokornik was arrested in Panama and later extradited to the United States to face charges in Hawaii following his indictment in October.

“According to court documents, Pokornik, a former flight attendant for a commercial airline in Canada, admitted to falsely posing as a commercial pilot to get hundreds of free flights on three different airlines,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Prosecutors said the scheme ran from January 2020 through Oct. 28, 2024, with Pokornik using a fraudulent employee identification card to gain access to the free flights.

As part of his plea agreement, Pokornik has agreed to pay restitution to the three U.S.-based airlines involved.

“Travel security protocols help keep our citizens and visitors safe, and anyone who breaches those protocols should expect to be brought to justice,” U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson said in a statement.

“We thank our law enforcement partners at Homeland Security Investigations and abroad for helping us hold this fraudster accountable.”

The Associated Press previously reported that Pokornik worked as a flight attendant for a Toronto-based airline between 2017 and 2019.

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