Russian stowaway now charged for sneaking onto Delta flight to France

(NEW YORK) — The Russian woman accused of sneaking onto a Delta Air Lines flight from New York to Paris has been charged with knowingly and intentionally secreting herself aboard an airplane.

Svetlana Dali, 57, was arrested by the FBI on Wednesday after returning to New York. She made her first court appearance Thursday.

“On or about November 26, 2024, the defendant Svetlana Dali snuck onto Delta Airlines flight DL264 at JFK without a boarding pass and flew as a stowaway to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris,” according to the criminal complaint obtained by ABC News.

In her first appearance, the judge issued a temporary order of detention until 2 p.m. Friday so she can try to come up with a bail package and a verifiable residence.

She did not enter a plea.

Surveillance footage from Nov. 26 showed Dali arriving at John F. Kennedy International Airport and attempting to get in line at a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint. She was turned away because she was unable to show a boarding pass, the complaint said.

A few minutes later, Dali successfully accessed the TSA line “by entering through a special lane for airline employees masked by a large Air Europa flight crew,” the complaint said. Dali was screened and boarded the plane without presenting a boarding pass.

“Delta agents, who were busy helping ticketed passengers board, did not stop her or ask her to present a boarding pass before she boarded the plane,” the complaint said.

By the time the crew realized Dali did not have a seat, the plane was on its way to France.

“Before the flight landed, Delta employees notified French law enforcement that Dali was on the plane as a stowaway,” the complaint stated.

During an interview with the FBI upon her return, Dali allegedly admitted to flying as a stowaway. She allegedly stated she did not have a plane ticket and that she intentionally evaded TSA security officials and Delta employees so she could travel without buying one.

Dali admitted the surveillance images depicted her, according to the complaint. She also stated she knew her conduct was illegal.

Less than a week before the incident, Dali filed a civil lawsuit against the FBI, Pennsylvania State Police and other authorities, claiming she was sold by the Russian Federation to her ex-husband for $20,000.

The lawsuit claims she was abused and poisoned.

Dali filed the lawsuit herself and the allegations are handwritten.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.