A jury in Brooklyn convicted Svetlana Dali, a 57-year-old Russian citizen with U.S. residency, for sneaking onto a flight from New York to Paris without a boarding pass. The trial concluded with a guilty verdict on a stowaway charge after a brief proceedings that included jury selection and Dali’s testimony. The judge has yet to set a sentencing date, but Dali could face up to six months in prison; she has already been in custody for over five months.
Surveillance footage showed Dali disguising herself among a group of ticketed passengers to bypass security checks at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Initially rejected at a TSA checkpoint for lacking a boarding pass, she managed to access a security lane meant for airline staff and was screened alongside them. Once on the Delta flight to Paris, Dali hid in a bathroom for several hours, where she was discovered only as the plane neared its destination.
Upon arrival, she was detained by French authorities before customs and returned to New York. During an FBI interrogation, Dali claimed she needed to leave the U.S. due to fears for her safety. Previously, Dali had evaded security at airports, including Bradley International Airport in Connecticut, where she attempted to board another flight.
In February 2024, she was found hiding in a bathroom at Miami International Airport. Although federal agents couldn’t confirm her story about arriving on an Air France flight, her statements suggested she might have evaded legal admission to the U.S. Reports indicated she had not been legally admitted in the past five years.
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