How a former flight attendant posing as a pilot got free flights for years — and finally got caught
Dallas Pokornik worked for unspecified Toronto-based airline from 2017 to 2019
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Pokornik → pose → 2019
A former flight attendant from Toronto has pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court in connection with a fraud scheme reminiscent of the 2002 Steven Spielberg film, Catch Me If You Can.
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You → plead → Me
Dallas Pokornik used fake identification to pose as a pilot and get hundreds of free flights on multiple airlines from January 2020 to October 2024, the U.S. Attorney's Office for Hawaii said in a statement released Friday.
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Office → use → statement
Pokornik, 34, boasted online for years about his global travels, according to a social media account reviewed by CBC News.
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Pokornik → boast → News
Until 2024, the account regularly shared photos and videos from destinations such as London, England; Los Angeles; Mexico City and Phuket, Thailand.
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account → share → London
Many of my friends are having kids," a caption reads for a selfie video that appears to show Pokornik rolling a carry-on suitcase through London's Heathrow Airport in December 2023.
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Pokornik → have → December
"I'm over here trying to avoid checking my bag and hoping for a window seat."
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I → try → seat
He was arrested in Panama and extradited to the U.S. in January.
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He → arrest → January
Pokornik faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 US after pleading guilty last week in U.S. district court in Honolulu to one count of wire fraud.
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Pokornik → face → fraud
Pokornik also agreed to pay restitution to three unnamed U.S.-based "victim airlines," including one in Hawaii.
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Pokornik → agree → Hawaii
"This individual took advantage of travel security protocols for his own benefit and he will now face the consequences of his actions," said CJ Ammons, the acting special agent in charge of the U.S. Homeland Security investigations office in Honolulu.
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Ammons → take → Honolulu
U.S. prosecutors said Pokornik had worked as a flight attendant for an unspecified Toronto-based airline from July 2017 until October 2019.
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Pokornik → say → October
A plea agreement seen by CBC News says Pokornik later showed a "false and fictitious" identification badge — claiming he was still employed by the Canadian airline — to obtain "travel benefits, including airline tickets that are reserved for pilots," from the companies identified only as airlines 1, 2 and 3.
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that → see → airlines
Prosecutors said Pokornik even requested a cockpit seat reserved for pilots, known as a jump seat.
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Pokornik → say → seat
His fraudulent scheme came to a halt after an employee of one of the U.S.-based airlines took a picture of the forged identification.
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employee → come → identification
The photo was passed on to Pokornik's former employer, who confirmed the badge was fraudulent "because, among other things, it listed an expiration date in the year 2027," the plea agreement states.
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agreement → pass → year
Dan Bubb, a former pilot who flew for a regional airline in Las Vegas for about five years, starting in the late 1990s, said the case is surprising and "very unfortunate."
"But given a world of artificial intelligence and advanced technology, I think it's kind of a wake-up call to all of us that people can manufacture authentic-looking IDs, which seems to be the case here," Bubb, now a professor in residence at the University of Nevada, told CBC News.
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Bubb → fly → News
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He noted that anyone strapping in to a jump seat needs to show the captain their pilot's licence and company ID.
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anyone → plead → licence
"I think, moving forward, pilots are going to be a lot more vigilant about this, so I don't see this happening again," Bubb said.
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Bubb → think → this
John Gradek, a faculty lecturer in aviation management at McGill University's School of Continuing Studies, said Pokornik's experience in the industry also likely made it more difficult for authorities to uncover what was happening.
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what → say → industry
"This is not somebody off the street who doesn't understand the business.
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who → understand → business
This is somebody within the business," Gradek said.
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Gradek → say → business
"But even with all of that knowledge, at the end of the day, he still got caught."
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he → catch → day
The case has drawn comparisons to the hit 2002 movie Catch Me If You Can, in which Leonardo DiCaprio plays Frank Abagnale Jr., a cheque-forging con artist.
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DiCaprio → draw → Jr.
Abagnale Jr. claimed in a book that he had posed as a Pan American World Airways pilot, among other roles, in a multimillion-dollar fraud.
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he → claim → fraud
Likewise, Pokornik never worked as a pilot for a Toronto-based airline, according to a Hawaii federal grand jury indictment.
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Pokornik → work → indictment
Among major Canadian carriers, only Porter Airlines is headquartered in Toronto.
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Airlines → headquarter → Toronto
A Porter spokesperson told CBC News on Monday the company is "unable to verify any details related to this story."
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company → tell → story
The Montreal-based Air Canada and WestJet, which has its headquarters in Calgary, both said they have no record of Pokornik ever having been an employee.
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Pokornik → base → record
Pokornik's sentencing hearing is scheduled for Dec. 8.
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hearing → schedule → Dec.
Court records show he remains out of jail — with conditions — as he awaits his sentencing.
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he → show → sentencing
U.S. authorities seized his Canadian passport in January.
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authorities → seize → January
Pokornik's case is separate from Project Icarus, led by Ontario's Peel Regional Police.
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case → lead → Police
In June, the investigation prompted the high-profile arrest of a former Air Canada pilot accused of operating hundreds of flights over nearly 17 years without a necessary licence.
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investigation → prompt → licence
Geoffrey Wall, 59, was charged with several offences, including fraud, public mischief and uttering forged documents.
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Wall → charge → documents
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