Woman convicted of stowing away on flight to Paris faces extradition to Connecticut

NEW YORK (AP) — A woman convicted of stowing away on a flight from New York to Paris without a boarding pass or a passport won’t be released from custody as she faces new charges of breaching security at a Connecticut airport.

Svetlana Dali was sentenced Thursday to time already served for her illegal ride to Paris last year.

But a federal judge in Brooklyn said she would not be released as Connecticut authorities are seeking to extradite her to face felony charges that could have her serving up to five years behind bars if convicted.

The 57-year-old, who is originally from Russia but has a green card, has been held in a federal lockup in Brooklyn for roughly seven months.

Connecticut State Police confirmed after the hearing that they have an active arrest warrant against Dali, but, in an emailed statement, said release of any further information would be “dependent on an arrest being made” in Connecticut.

During her sentencing Thursday, Dali spoke for more than half an hour, repeating in detail her claim that she believes she is being poisoned by unknown persons.

She pleaded with the judge to order medical tests to prove her fears, which she said had prompted her to attempt to flee the country by boarding the Paris flight illegally.

“All of these actions were taken in order to save my life,” Dali said in Russian through a translator.

Prosecutors say that on Nov. 24, 2024, Dali was able to get through security checkpoints at Bradley International Airport near Hartford, Connecticut, by hiding among other passengers.

She wasn’t able to board a plane, but two days later, she successfully evaded security at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and boarded a plane bound for Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.

Prosecutors said Dali was initially rebuffed by a Transportation Security Administration official when she was unable to produce a boarding pass.

But she was able to get through a special security lane for airline employees by joining a large flight crew for Air Europa as they were screened and patted down.

At the gate for the Paris flight, surveillance video showed Dali sneaking past Delta Air Lines staff checking tickets by again blending into a large group of passengers.

On the plane, prosecutors say Dali hid in a bathroom for hours and wasn’t discovered by Delta crew members until the plane was nearing Paris.

During her trial, Dali took the stand in her defense, maintaining she was never asked to show her boarding pass at the gate in JFK and had gone into the airplane bathroom because she was feeling sick.

She was initially released after her arrest, but was apprehended in Buffalo, New York, after authorities said she cut off her electronic monitor and attempted to enter Canada.

Prosecutors have said Dali also appears to have flown into Miami International Airport illegally.

In February 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents discovered her hiding in a bathroom in a secured area in the international arrivals zone.