A man, 33, faces up to 20 years in prison after allegedly posing as a pilot and flight attendant to obtain hundreds of free flights across four years, US prosecutors said.

Toronto native Dallas Pokornik, was arrested in Panama and extradited to United States on wire fraud charges. He allegedly created counterfeit employee identification cards to secure complimentary airline tickets reserved for aviation staff between January 2020 to October 2024.

US Department of Justice told media, Pokornik worked legitimately as a flight attendant for a Canadian airline from 2017 to 2019. After leaving that position, he allegedly began the fraudulent scheme targeting three US airlines headquartered in Honolulu, Chicago and Fort Worth, Texas.

Court documents reveal Pokornik requested access to a cockpit jump seat during one flight, a privilege reserved exclusively for off-duty pilots. He possessed neither pilot credentials nor an airman's certificate at the time, prosecutors allege. Whether he actually sat in the cockpit remains unclear from available evidence.

According to media reports, prosecutors said that the fake badges allowed Pokornik to board numerous flights without payment over the four-year period. Current indictment covers January through October 2024, though Justice Department spokesperson confirmed investigators are aware of misconduct dating back to January 2020.

Case bears striking resemblance to 2002 Hollywood film ‘Catch Me If You Can’, where Leonardo DiCaprio portrayed a teenager who impersonated a pilot to travel worldwide while evading FBI. Real-life scheme allegedly netted Pokornik hundreds of free flights before his arrest.

If convicted, Pokornik faces maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and fines reaching USD 2 lakh 50 thousand (nearly TK 3 crore 6 lakh). Wire fraud carries severe penalties under US law due to interstate commerce violations.

3 targeted airlines remain unnamed in court filings. Prosecutors did not disclose total number of fraudulent flights or estimated financial losses suffered by carriers during the alleged four-year operation.

Media contacted Pokornik's legal representative for comment but received no response. Case highlights significant security vulnerabilities in airline employee verification systems, particularly for cockpit access privileges that could pose safety risks.

Investigation continues as authorities examine whether additional incidents occurred beyond currently charged timeframe. Aviation industry faces renewed scrutiny over protocols designed to prevent unauthorized personnel from obtaining employee benefits and accessing restricted aircraft areas.

Source: BBC