Toronto Man Allegedly Posed as Pilot for Years in ‘Fraudulent Scheme’: US Officials

Toronto Man Allegedly Posed as Pilot for Years in ‘Fraudulent Scheme’: US Officials
A pilot taxis a Boeing 737-700 aircraft to the runway for departure from Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., on May 19, 2023. The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck
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U.S. authorities say a 33-year-old Toronto man pretended to be a commercial pilot for four years in order to take free flights.

Dallas Pokornik was indicted last October on wire fraud charges in federal court in Hawaii and subsequently arrested in Panama earlier this month, according to a Jan. 20 release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of Hawaii. The suspect pleaded not guilty to the charges Tuesday after being extradited to the United States.