Toronto man admits to posing as pilot for free flights

A former flight attendant for a Canadian airline has admitted to posing as a pilot to secure hundreds of free flights, pleading guilty to wire fraud in U.S. federal court. Dallas Pokornik, 33, of Toronto, was indicted in October 2025 and extradited to the U.S. from Panama.

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Travel security protocols help keep our citizens and visitors safe, and anyone who breaches those protocols should expect to be brought to justice.

Court documents revealed that Pokornik used a fictitious employee identification card to obtain the complimentary travel between January 2020 and October 28, 2024. As part of his guilty plea, Pokornik has agreed to pay restitution to three U.S.-based airlines, which were not identified but were stated to be based in Honolulu, Chicago, and Fort Worth, Texas.

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We thank our law enforcement partners at Homeland Security Investigations and abroad for helping us hold this fraudster accountable.

Prosecutors stated that Pokornik would also request a jump seat in the cockpit, an area typically reserved for off-duty pilots, despite not being a pilot and lacking an airman's certificate. It remains unclear if he ever actually sat in the cockpit during these flights. Pokornik faces a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release.

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Dallas Pokornik’s guilty plea is a testament to the seamless collaboration between HSI Honolulu, the Department of Justice, and our international law enforcement partners. This individual took advantage of travel security protocols for his own benefit, and he will now face the consequences of his actions.