Latest news with #Flight264
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
Delta stowaway Svetlana Dali guilty of federal charge after sneaking onto JFK flight to Paris
A stowaway who slipped onboard a JFK Airport flight to Paris last year had one more trick up her sleeve — trying to convince a jury that no one from Delta Airlines told her she needed a boarding pass. But the jury didn't let her fly free. On Thursday, a Brooklyn Federal Court jury found Svetlana Dali, 57, guilty of stowing away on an aircraft, roughly six months after she captured national headlines by getting on board Delta Flight 264 to Paris without a ticket or boarding pass. After a three-day trial, the jury needed less than an hour to clip Dali's wings. Dali was looking to fly to Paris on Nov. 26, and after she got turned away at a TSA checkpoint, she blended in with an Air Europa flight crew and rejoined the Delta boarding line undetected, according to prosecutors. She spent the majority of the flight locked in the loo, feigning illness, until a flight attendant finally demanded she take a seat when the plane was landing. The flight's crew turned her over to authorities when the plane landed. Videos presented to the jury shows her boarding the plane, and later telling federal agents that she knew what she did was wrong. Her defense attorney, Michael Schneider, tried to poke holes in one of the basic elements of the charges against her, that the government didn't prove she intended to board without permission. 'To be fair, you might be sitting there [thinking] everyone knows you need a ticket to get on a plane,'' he said, but added, 'She's not some sophisticated world traveler.' 'You can't say that she knew she needed a boarding pass … because she didn't [know],' Schneider said. Despite the verdict, Dali could wind up with a sentence of time served — which she also might have received if she took a plea deal. Though the charge carries a five-year maximum sentence, federal guidelines recommend zero to six months based on her background. She's been locked up in MDC Brooklyn since January, after the feds say she cut her ankle bracelet and tried to take a Greyhound bus to Canada. She took the stand in her own defense Wednesday, telling the jury that she made a beeline for the plane bathroom and 'started throwing up right away,' she said. She stayed inside until the plane was about to land. 'I was throwing up. I was throwing up blood, too. I wasn't even able to look at the watch. I wasn't in the position to do that.' On cross-examination Assistant U.S. Attorney Brooke Theodora challenged her by pointing out a child in front of her showed a passport. 'I was looking literally at my feet. Wasn't feeling well. I wasn't looking around at all,' she said, leading Theodora to ask, 'And you believed you didn't have to show a boarding pass, right?' 'If they had asked me I wouldn't have shown it. I didn't have it.' The prosecutor followed up, 'And you believe you didn't need a passport; is that right?' Dali responded, 'I believe it's possible.' In her closing argument, Theodora told the jury Dali knew exactly what she was doing, because she had tried it twice before: At Bradley International Airport in Hartford, Conn., just 48 hours before the JFK jaunt, and Miami International Airport in February 2024. 'This wasn't the defendant's first time bypassing airport security, and this is not even the first time she got caught doing it,' Theodora said. Ms. Dali told a flight attendant that she was seeking asylum in Paris and thought the U.S. government and Russia were poisoning her with radioactive material polonium, but Brooklyn Federal Court Judge Ann Donnelly didn't allow any testimony about her claims, or about her mental health. Donnelly said she'd try to set a quick sentencing date after the defense and government offer their filings next week.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Yahoo
New footage shows how unhinged Russian JFK stowaway Svetlana Dali slipped past TSA, gate agents to board Paris-bound Delta flight
The unhinged Russian stowaway who snuck onto a Paris-bound flight at JFK Airport last year gained access to the plane by blending in with a group of passengers and sneaking past two distracted gate agents, new video captured. Svetlana Dali, 57, was spotted on surveillance footage as she navigated past several security checkpoints before boarding the Delta jet at the Queens airport on Nov. 26, 2024. Dali was waved through a security screening checkpoint before a female TSA agent conducted a quick body pat-down and allowed the woman through to the terminal, according to video from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and obtained by the Associated Press. She had allegedly been turned away at one security checkpoint for not having a boarding pass, but took advantage of the Thanksgiving holiday travel chaos and snuck through a screening area for airport employees. 'The individual bypassed two identity verification and boarding status stations and boarded the aircraft,' a TSA spokesperson told The Post in November. The Russian citizen, who held a US green card, carried her bags to the Delta gate, where she waited to board Flight 264 bound for Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport. Dressed in a coat and gray hood, Dali blended in with a group of five travelers who were being checked in by the two gate agents and walked onto the jetway unnoticed. After boarding the plane, the stowaway hid in one of the lavatories during takeoff. A flight attendant spotted her inside one of the bathrooms toward the end of the seven-hour flight. She was restrained in a seat and was detained by French police upon landing at the airport. Dali was booted off two return flights after she caused a disruptive outburst on the first attempt and was barred by the airline for the second trip. She was eventually extradited to New York, where law enforcement officials waited for her. A federal grand jury indicted her in January for one count of stowaway on an aircraft. She pleaded not guilty to the charge. Dali was initially released from jail under conditions of wearing an ankle monitor, which she ditched during her attempt to cross the border into Canada on a Greyhound bus from Buffalo. The brazen attempt to flee the country came only 10 days after she was released by a judge and ordered to wear the GPS tracker. She had been staying at a friend's home in Philadelphia at the time. Border officials arrested her after she failed to provide a passport and they discovered an active warrant out for her because she breached her release agreements. After her latest arrest, she was ordered to be held in a Brooklyn federal lockup. A trial is set for May, but lawyers are reportedly working on a plea deal before the court date. With Post wires
Daily Mirror
24-04-2025
- Daily Mirror
Unnerving moment Russian stowaway tricks airport security to illegally board flight
Svetlana Dali is now being held in a federal jail in Brooklyn, New York, with her trial being set for may after she was apprehended after she boarded a plane without a boarding pass This is the shocking moment a Russian stowaway slipped past airport security before boarding a flight bound for Paris. Svetlana Dali, 57, was seen on surveillance cameras as she weaved past numerous security checkpoints before managing to board a Delta jet. In spectacular scenes, Dali was spotted being waved through a security screening checkpoint before a female security agent carried out a quick pat-down and allowing her through the terminal. Dali had allegedly been turned away at one checkpoint for not having a boarding pass. But video obtained by the Associated Press revealed she used the Thanksgiving holiday chaos at the airport to sneak through a screening area for airport employees. A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) spokesperson previously told the New York Post in November: "The individual bypassed two identity verification and boarding status stations and boarded the aircraft." Dali, a Russian citizen, held a US green card which granted her the right to live and work in the country permanently while also providing a pathway to citizenship. Footage showed Dali was able to carry her bags to the Delta gate where she then boarded Flight 264 that was set to jet off to Charles de Gaulle Airport from JFK Airport in Queens, New York, on November 26, 2024. She managed to blend in with holiday goers who were being checked in by two gate agents before walking onto the jet bridge unnoticed. When Dali boarded the plane, she hid inside one of the toilets during take-off. A flight attendant didn't spot her until the end of the seven-hour flight and she was restrained in a seat before being detained by French police when the plane landed. .Dali was then removed from two return flights to the US after she had a disruptive outburst on the first attempt and was barred by the airline on the planned second trip. She was later extradited back to New York where police waited for her. A federal grand jury in January indicted her for one count of stowaway on an aircraft. Dali went on to plead not guilty to the charge. She was released from jail under the condition that she wear an ankle monitor which she then removed during an attempt to cross the border into neighbouring Canada by taking a bus from Buffalo, New York, just across the Niagara River from Canada. The attempt came just 10 days after she was released by a judge and told to wear the GPS tracker. Border agents apprehended her after she failed to provide a passport and found there was an active warrant for her. She has since been held in a federal jail in Brooklyn, New York. Her trial is set for May, although lawyers are working on a plea deal ahead of the court date.
New York Post
24-04-2025
- New York Post
JFK Airport stowaway Svetlana Dali slipped past gate agents to board Paris-bound Delta flight: security footage
The unhinged Russian stowaway who snuck onto a Paris-bound flight at JFK Airport last year gained access to the plane by blending in with a group of passengers and sneaking past two distracted gate agents, new video captured. Svetlana Dali, 57, was spotted on surveillance footage as she navigated past several security checkpoints before boarding the Delta jet at the Queens airport on Nov. 26, 2024. Dali was waved through a security screening checkpoint before a female TSA agent conducted a quick body pat-down before allowing the woman through to the terminal, according to video from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and obtained by the Associated Press. 7 Svetlana Dali walks through a security checkpoint at JFK International Airport on Nov. 26, 2024. Port Authority of New York and New Jersey via AP She had allegedly been turned away at one security checkpoint for not having a boarding pass, but took advantage of the Thanksgiving holiday traveling chaos and snuck through a screening area for airport employees. 'The individual bypassed two identity verification and boarding status stations and boarded the aircraft,' a TSA spokesperson told The Post in November. The Russian citizen, who held a US green card, carried her bags to the Delta gate, where she waited to board Flight 264 bound for Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport. Dressed in a coat and gray hood, Dali blended in with a group of five travelers who were being checked in by the two gate agents and walked onto the jetway unnoticed. After boarding the plane, the stowaway hid inside one of the lavatories during takeoff. 7 Dali is stopped by a TSA agent for a pat-down after passing through the body scanner. Port Authority of New York and New Jersey via AP 7 Svetlana Dali leaves Brooklyn Federal Court on Dec. 6, 2024. Robert Mecea A flight attendant spotted her inside one of the bathrooms towards the end of the seven-hour flight. She was restrained in a seat and was detained by French police upon landing at the airport. Dali was booted off two return flights after she caused a disruptive outburst on the first attempt and was barred by the airline for the second trip. She was eventually extradited back to New York, where law enforcement officials waited for her. 7 Dali stands behind a group of travelers at the gate before boarding the flight. Port Authority of New York and New Jersey via AP 7 Dali, wearing a jacket and gray hood, walks past two Delta gate agents to board the Paris-bound flight. Port Authority of New York and New Jersey via AP A federal grand jury indicted her in January for one count of stowaway on an aircraft. She pleaded not guilty to the charge. Dali was initially released from jail under conditions of wearing an ankle monitor, which she ditched during her attempt to cross the border into Canada on a Greyhound bus from Buffalo. The brazen attempt to flee the country came only 10 days after she was released by a judge and ordered to wear the GPS tracker. 7 Svetlana Dali is questioned after becoming disruptive onboard a return flight from Paris to New York on Nov. 30, 2024. Gary Treichler via Storyful 7 A federal grand jury indicted her in January for one count of stowaway on an aircraft. Svetlana Dali/Facebook She had been staying at a friend's home in Philadelphia at the time. Border officials arrested her after she failed to provide a passport and they discovered an active warrant out for her because she breached her release agreements. After her latest arrest, she was ordered to be held in a Brooklyn federal lockup. A trial is set for May, but lawyers are reportedly working on a plea deal before the court date. With Post wires
