Was Arrested Monday For Flying Without Proper Certification

Thomas R. Cuni had been a helicopter pilot flying in San Francisco and Sacramento, CA, for years. He worked as a contract pilot through Helicopters Inc., and had made an estimated 256 flights for news organizations, and reportedly flew for airborne ambulance services through the company.

None of that would be particularly noteworthy but for the fact that the man's name is actually Jon Michael Dial, and he falsified information in order to obtain his pilot’s license.

The San Jose Mercury News reports that Dial was arrested Monday and charged with lying to federal officials and flying without a valid pilot's license. In a federal criminal complaint, the government said Dial worked from December 2009 to August 2010 under the fictitious name logging some 256 flights for an unidentified news organization without a pilot certificate. Helicopter Inc. provides helo services to a variety of news organizations.

He had switched back to his real name to get his next job, but used falsified FAA documents when he was hired by Sacramento television station KCRA in March 2012.

Dial was arrested after being stopped twice for traffic violations in Idaho and presenting a Vermont driver's license with the name Thomas R. Cuni. He later admitted who he was, and was taken into custody in Skaneateles, NY.

The court documents indicate he had used as many as 24 aliases over the past 12 years, and had a police record that included many forgery and theft convictions dating back to 1977, as well as being convicted of making false statements to the FAA in 1994.

Television station KCRA reports that he will be tried in Federal court in Sacramento.

If convicted, he could serve up to five years in prison, pay a $250,000 fine, and be subject to three years supervised release.

FMI: www.caed.uscourts.gov