A Canadian ex-flight attendant has admitted guilt in a U.S. federal court for engaging in a scam reminiscent of the 2002 movie, “Catch Me If You Can.” Dallas Pokornik, 34, utilized counterfeit identification to impersonate a pilot and secure numerous complimentary flights across various airlines from January 2020 to October 2024. Pokornik’s online presence highlighted his extensive global travels, showcasing destinations like London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, and Phuket, Thailand.
His fraudulent activities were uncovered when an employee of one of the U.S.-based airlines captured a picture of the forged identification and reported it to Pokornik’s former employer, who confirmed the deceitful nature of the badge. Pokornik, who had previously worked as a flight attendant for a Toronto-based airline, faces a potential prison term of up to 20 years and a fine of $250,000 US after pleading guilty to wire fraud in a U.S. district court in Honolulu.
Experts in the aviation industry expressed surprise at the audacity of Pokornik’s actions, emphasizing the importance of heightened vigilance among pilots regarding security protocols. Pokornik’s sentencing is scheduled for December 8, with U.S. authorities having confiscated his Canadian passport earlier this year as part of the ongoing legal proceedings.
This case is distinct from “Project Icarus,” an investigation led by Ontario’s Peel Regional Police, which recently led to the arrest of a former Air Canada pilot accused of flying hundreds of flights over nearly 17 years without the required license.
