Svetlana Dali, a 57-year-old woman, was released from U.S. custody with strict pretrial conditions after being federally charged for boarding a flight from New York to Paris as a stowaway on Thanksgiving. The judge ruled that she must submit to GPS monitoring, a curfew, and is banned from all airports until her trial. Dali, a U.S. permanent resident, must undergo a mental health evaluation and treatment, turn over travel documents, and is restricted to Philadelphia and the Eastern District of New York. If convicted, she could face up to five years in prison. Dali’s attorney argued that she had no past criminal record and was not a flight risk, comparing her offense to jumping a subway turnstile.
Assistant U.S. Attorney raised concerns about Dali being a flight risk based on past incidents of attempting to sneak on flights. Dali bypassed security and ticketing checkpoints before boarding the flight without a ticket. She was detained by French authorities upon landing in Paris, but later returned to the U.S. and was taken into custody in New York. Dali admitted to authorities that she knew her conduct was illegal. The judge expressed concerns about releasing Dali due to her risk of flight, lack of community connections, and inability to secure a third-party custodian. The prosecution emphasized the need for strict bail conditions to ensure Dali’s attendance at future court hearings.
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