NEW YORK — The Russian national accused of sneaking onto a Delta Air Lines flight from New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Paris last week appeared in federal court Thursday.
Svetlana Dali, who returned to New York City on Wednesday, faces charges of obtaining transportation on an aircraft without consent or permission. She did not enter a plea.
Dali will remain behind bars until another appearance before a judge on Friday afternoon. At that time, a bail package and verifiable residence will discussed.
Dali allegedly managed to sneak onto the plane on Nov. 26 without a boarding pass. The Transportation Security Administration confirmed security footage showed Dali using a TSA line for known crew members which eventually merges with the general public. The TSA also said she went through a body scanner.
The TSA has since opened a civil suit against the woman.
Judge deems Dali a flight risk
The 57-year-old was brought into the courtroom by U.S. Marshals and was accompanied by her lawyer and a Russian translator. She appeared calm, only wearing a black jacket, blue jeans and sneakers.
Prosecutors argued Dali is a flight risk and should be held behind bars until counsel is able to finish reviewing the details surrounding this case.
Her lawyer disagreed, saying that it wasn’t necessary to detain her and that she’s not a threat to society and wasn’t trying to smuggle anything, but the judge believed otherwise and considered her to be a flight risk.
Dali’s lawyer said she claimed while in custody that she was poisoned after leaving France and became ill. She said she lost consciousness at one point while detained.
Dali was taken into federal custody Wednesday after a previous attempt to send the green-card holder home to Philadelphia ended due to an outburst earlier this week.
TSA, Delta on how the breach happened
The agency has downplayed the incident.
“This is the only reported case of unauthorized access when over 18 million passengers were screened at TSA security checkpoints during the busiest Thanksgiving travel season ever,” the TSA said in a statement.
Delta also did not reveal how she got past the gate agent.
“Delta would like to thank French and U.S. authorities for their assistance in this matter,” Delta Air Lines said in a statement. “Our review affirms that Delta’s security infrastructure, as part of our Safety Management System framework, is sound and that deviation from standard procedures is the root cause of this event. We are thoroughly addressing this matter and will continue to work closely with our regulators, law enforcement and other relevant stakeholders. Nothing is of greater importance than safety and security.”
