A Russian national with permanent residency in the United States, Svetlana Dali, made her initial court appearance on Thursday after being returned to the country for allegedly sneaking onto a flight from New York to Paris. During the brief session in front of a Brooklyn magistrate judge, Dali, dressed in jeans, appeared visibly distressed as she communicated through a Russian interpreter with her attorney.
Her lawyer, Michael Schneider, stated that upon her arrival in Paris, Dali claims she suffered from poisoning and, despite her request for asylum in France, was sent back to the United States. She further alleged that her treatment at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn constituted torture, describing a chilling experience where she was confined in a very cold room, which led her to feel unwell and ultimately lose consciousness. Schneider emphasized that Dali fears for her life while in MDC.
During the hearing, when Schneider suggested using a spectrometer to analyze her blood for signs of poisoning, Magistrate Judge Robert M. Levy expressed uncertainty about the availability of such a device within the jail’s commissary. Dali was set to remain in federal custody for another night as her legal team decided to delay her bail hearing until Friday, allowing additional time to prepare a comprehensive bail package.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brooke Theodora highlighted the government’s primary concern regarding Dali being a flight risk. Dali did not oppose Schneider’s assertion that the sole federal charge against her, related to stowing away, was relatively minor, akin to being apprehended for illegally entering the subway system.
A criminal complaint presented in federal court in Brooklyn revealed that Dali admitted to an FBI agent upon her return to Kennedy International Airport on Wednesday that she had traveled to Paris on a Delta Air Lines flight as a stowaway on November 26. According to the complaint, surveillance footage captured her initial attempt to enter Kennedy’s Terminal 4, which was thwarted by a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer due to her lack of a boarding pass.
However, just five minutes later, she successfully navigated the security checkpoint by entering an exclusive lane designed for airline personnel while a crew from an Air Europa flight passed through. The complaint further notes that she boarded the Delta flight without a boarding pass, as airline agents, engaged in assisting ticketed passengers, did not question her. Upon arrival at Charles de Gaulle Airport, airline staff recognized her unauthorized presence before she could make it through customs, leading to her detention by French law enforcement.
During discussions with U.S. authorities, surveillance images illustrating her bypassing both TSA officials and Delta employees were shown to Dali, who confirmed her identity in those clips and acknowledged her actions were unlawful. In response, Delta Air Lines expressed appreciation for the collaboration of French and U.S. authorities and reported that an internal review revealed their security measures were intact, identifying procedural lapses as the cause of the incident. They assured commitment to addressing the issue further, stating that the safety and security of passengers are their top priority.
