A former flight attendant from Toronto, who posed as a commercial pilot to get hundreds of free flights on three separate airlines, has pleaded guilty to fraud.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii, the 34-year-old man was in Panama and extradited to the United States to face charges in Hawaii after his indictment in October. Dallas Pokornik admitted to falsely posing as a pilot to get hundreds of free flights on three separate airlines.
Pokornik was a flight attendant for a Toronto-based airline from 2017 to 2019, which allowed him to use fraudulent identification from that airline to acquire tickets reserved for pilots and flight attendants on three other airlines.
Pokornik had also requested to sit in the cockpit’s jump seat, which is typically reserved for off-duty pilots, according to prosecutors.
As part of a plea agreement, Pokornik agreed to pay restitution to the three U.S.-based airlines.
“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.
“We thank our law enforcement partners at Homeland Security Investigations and abroad for helping us hold this fraudster accountable.”
The release said that Pokornik’s sentencing hearing is set for Dec. 8, 2026, before the U.S. District Judge Shanlyn A.S. Park. Pokornik faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release.
