NEW YORK — A woman managed to bypass security and became a stowaway on a flight from New York to Paris last month, and she admitted to authorities that this wasn’t her first attempt to access secure areas of U.S. airports without a ticket. During a bail hearing on Friday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Brooke Theodora relayed that Svetlana Dali, 57, had previously attempted to travel for free at other airports across the country, raising concerns over her potential flight risk as she awaits trial on stowaway charges.
According to Theodora, one of Dali’s failed attempts occurred at Miami International Airport in February. On that occasion, she was thwarted while attempting to enter a secure area by going through a customs area in hopes of reaching the departing flight gate.
The attorney urged the court to impose stringent bail conditions to ensure Dali, who is an unemployed Russian national with permanent residency in the U.S., would be present for her upcoming court appearances. In court, Dali appeared in a brown jail uniform, limping and utilizing a cane, and communicated with her lawyer through a Russian interpreter. Reportedly, she had just received treatment from a hospital, as indicated by an identification card still attached to her wrist.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph A. Marutollo allowed for Dali’s release under strict conditions that included electronic monitoring, a prohibition against visiting any airports, and a requirement to reside at a friend’s home in Philadelphia, which she became acquainted with through church events. Additionally, she was instructed to comply with a curfew and to participate in any necessary mental health treatments mandated by pretrial services linked to the federal court in Brooklyn.
Dali’s attorney, Michael Schneider, claimed that his client had no previous criminal record after living in the U.S. for over ten years and suggested that her actions could be attributed to a brief mental health episode that he believed would not recur. During Thursday’s hearing, Schneider likened her offense to jumping a turnstile in the subway system, arguing that the charge was minor.
Theodora, however, countered this comparison at Friday’s hearing, emphasizing that the stowaway incident posed serious national and public security risks. Schneider mentioned that a prison sentence for Dali would be unlikely unless she “did something stupid.”
According to the criminal complaint, Dali successfully stowed away on a Delta Air Lines flight bound for Paris on November 26, later returning to Kennedy International Airport on November 29. She allegedly evaded Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers by blending in with the flight crew, moving through a designated lane meant for airline employees without ever showing a ticket. Once on board, her presence was discovered only after the plane had taken off.
Upon arrival in Paris on November 27, French authorities detained her before she could reach customs, as outlined in the complaint. Delta Air Lines released a statement following the incident, declaring that its security measures were deemed effective while noting that deviation from established procedures led to this security breach. The airline also voiced its commitment to preventing future occurrences, stating, “Nothing is of greater importance than safety and security.”
