Crime & Safety
Man Accused of Flying KCRA Helicopter and Air Ambulance Without Pilot's License
John Michael Dial, 57, allegedly used fake pilot's licenses in his real name and an alias to get jobs flying helicopters.
A man who authorities say has used 25 different names and has a history of fraud is now accused of flying news helicopters and an emergency medical helicopter without a pilot's license.
John Michael Dial, 57, a.k.a. Thomas R. Cuni, was arrested Monday in Skaneateles, N.Y. after being indicted by a grand jury last year, according to a Department of Justice press release.
Dial used fake pilot's licenses in his name and in his alias of Cuni to get a job flying a medical ambulance helicopter out of Susanville, a job flying in the Bay Area for a news helicopter service, and a job with Sacramento-based KCRA-3, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court last year.
The complaint says he flew the medical helicopter 63 times, flew in the Bay Area 265 times, but flew for KCRA for only one or two days.
Dial was arrested by Idaho police last year for twice driving without a license, and admitted he was using a fake name to avoid arrest for two felony warrants out of Washington state, according to the complaint.
He now faces two charges of making false statements, and a charge of flying without a pilot's license. He faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
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