<\/p>\n
If Leonardo DiCaprio’s Catch Me If You Can ever needed a sequel, prosecutors say real life may have already written one.<\/p>\n
A Canadian man, Dallas Pokornik, is accused of masquerading as both a pilot and a flight attendant, allegedly raking in hundreds of free flights over four years, US authorities said. <\/p>\n
Prosecutors allege the 33-year-old Toronto native created a fake employee identification card to receive free flights on US airlines – and at one point even asked to sit in the cockpit.<\/p>\n
Pokornik was arrested in Panama and extradited to the United States, where he now faces wire fraud charges.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The BBC has contacted Pokornik’s lawyer for comment. <\/p>\n
The scheme, outlined in court documents, bears striking similarities to the 2002 DiCaprio film in which a charming teenager running from the FBI impersonates a pilot to jet around the world.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors say Pokornik had previously worked legitimately as a flight attendant for a Canadian airline from 2017 to 2019, but was not employed by any airline at the time of the alleged fraud.<\/p>\n
In the years after Pokornik’s employment on that airline, prosecutors allege that Pokornik used a fake badge defrauding three US airlines out of flights reserved for pilots and flight attendants. <\/p>\n
At one point, Pokornik requested to sit in a “jump seat” in a plane’s cockpit, a spot reserved for off-duty pilots, despite not being a pilot or having an airman’s certificate, prosecutors allege in court documents. <\/p>\n
But whether Pokornik ever actually did ride with the pilots on a flight is unclear. <\/p>\n
The US airlines are not named in the indictment but are identified as being headquartered in Honolulu, Chicago and Fort Worth, Texas. <\/p>\n
Though the indictment currently only covers a period from January through October 2024, prosecutors are aware of Pokornik’s alleged misconduct over the course of four years, from January 2020 to October 2024, a justice department spokesperson told the BBC. <\/p>\n
If convicted, Pokornik faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, the Department of Justice said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
#Canadian #man #poses #pilot #score #hundreds #free #flights #prosecutors<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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