A Canadian man reportedly pretended to be a commercial airline pilot and flew for free for years, eventually leading to his indictment and extradition to the States over alleged wire fraud.
A January 20 press release from the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Hawaii, named 33-year-old Dallas Pokornik of Toronto as the defendant. The authorities alleged that, per court records, Pokornik conducted a “fraudulent scheme” masquerading as an airline pilot “over the course of four years.” While pulling off the scam, the man allegedly obtained hundreds of free flights across three U.S.-based airlines. Pokornik reportedly “presented a fictitious employee identification” to score free airline tickets and requested to sit in a jump seat in the planes’ cockpits.
Notably, a jump seat is a foldable seat on planes, usually in the cockpit or cabin, used by flight crew when the aircraft’s seat belt sign is on or during turbulence.
What Else Did The DOJ Say About The Canadian Man Charged For Wire Fraud?
Pokornik was indicted in October 2025. The Associated Press reported that authorities later arrested the man in Panama. The latter source claimed the defendant worked for a Canadian airline from 2017 to 2019 as a flight attendant. He was reportedly using the illegitimate employee identification to obtain and fly on tickets reserved for pilots and other flight crew across three unconfirmed U.S. airlines.
The United States Marshals Service is supporting Homeland Security Investigations’ examination of the case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Hawaii, noted that Pokornik remains “presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Hawaii, stated that if Pokornik is convicted, he “faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, plus a term of supervised release.”
