A Canadian man, Dallas Pokornik, has admitted guilt in a wire fraud case in U.S. federal court, reminiscent of the movie “Catch Me If You Can.” Using false identification, Pokornik posed as a pilot to secure free flights from various airlines between January 2020 and October 2024, as disclosed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Hawaii.
During this period, Pokornik, aged 34, shared his global travels online, showcasing photos and videos from destinations like London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, and Phuket. His fraudulent activities were uncovered when an employee of an airline took a photo of the fake identification, which was later confirmed by Pokornik’s former employer to be forged.
Following his arrest in Panama and extradition to the U.S. in January, Pokornik confessed to wire fraud in a Honolulu court. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Pokornik also agreed to compensate three undisclosed U.S.-based airlines, one of which is located in Hawaii, for his deceptive actions.
CJ Ammons, the acting special agent in charge of the U.S. Homeland Security investigations office in Honolulu, emphasized that Pokornik exploited travel security measures for personal gain and will now face the repercussions. Pokornik’s sentencing is scheduled for December 8, and he remains under certain conditions as authorities confiscated his Canadian passport in January.
This case is distinct from “Project Icarus,” a separate investigation by Ontario’s Peel Regional Police, which led to the arrest of a former Air Canada pilot, Geoffrey Wall, accused of flying hundreds of flights over nearly 17 years without the required license, involving charges of fraud and forgery.
