Canadian who posed as pilot for free flights pleads guilty to wire fraud in U.S.

A Toronto man, Dallas Pokornik, 34, has pleaded guilty to wire fraud in the United States after falsely posing as a commercial pilot to obtain hundreds of free flights, according to U.S. officials. Between January 2020 and late October 2024, Pokornik used a fake employee identification card to get free flights from three airlines, court documents reveal.

Pokornik, previously a flight attendant for a Canadian commercial airline, faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 following his sentencing hearing scheduled for December 8. He was indicted on wire fraud charges in federal court last October and was extradited to the United States after his arrest in Panama.