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May 10, 2018

From Conman to Security Consultant: The Story of Frank Abagnale

You may not be familiar with the name Frank William Abagnale (ah-Big-Nail) Jr., but if you’ve seen the movie Catch Me If You Can, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks, you have seen a glimpse of his life story. While the movie, directed by Steven Spielberg, was embellished for cinematic value, the tale of Frank Abagnale Jr.’s transformation from conman to a leading fraud expert is based on real-life events.

Frank Abagnale Jr. was born in 1948 to Frank and Paulette Abagnale in Bronxville, New York. Frank had what would be considered a good childhood; he had a stable home, with loving and attentive parents. Every night, his father would tell him, “I love you” and kiss him good-night. Frank describes himself as having a daddy in a world of fathers.1 Not the typical upbringing of someone who would land on the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted list. While most fifteen to twenty year olds are graduating high-school, going off to college or joining the work-force, Frank traveled the globe, committing forgery, check fraud, and eventually serving time in prison.

Frank’s life of crime started when at fifteen Frank committed credit card fraud against his father. Frank Sr. had given his son a credit card to purchase supplies for his car. Frank devised a scheme with the gas station attendant to fraudulently bill Frank Sr. for merchandise in return for cash, which he used to fund his dating life. It was not until Frank Sr. received a bill for several thousand dollars of merchandise that the crime was discovered.2

During Frank’s adolescent years, his parents’ marriage deteriorated, and ultimately they decided to divorce. The divorce was keep secret from the Frank Jr. until the day of the divorce proceeding. Frank was summoned from school to the court house. The judge presiding over the divorce asked sixteen-year-old, Frank Jr. to choose the parent with whom he wanted to live. Unable to choose between his parents, Frank ran away in tears, fleeing to Manhattan, New York.3

Upon settling in New York, Frank got a job where he earned a measly $1.50 per hour, which was minimum wage at the time. Believing his meager wage was the result of his age, Frank alters his driver’s license, changing his birth year from 1948 to 1938. Frank had always appeared older than his age; he was six foot tall and had premature graying of his hair, so he was able to pass for a twenty-something year old with ease.4 Unfulfilled and making just over minimum wage, Frank turned to check fraud to supplement his income. Frank’s early scheme was rudimentary; he would open bank accounts in his own name, overdraw the account and disappear when the bank demanded repayment. Initially, Frank passed checks in the amount of $25-$50.5

Altered check from the Steven Spielberg movie “Catch Me If You Can” | Courtesy of http://www.spielberg-ocr.com/abagnale.html

With little thought of the consequences, Frank devised a plan to pass checks on a much grander scale by posing as a pilot. In his biography, Catch Me if You Can, Frank writes, “Why, I thought, I could walk into any hotel, bank or business in the country and cash a check. Airline pilots are men to be admired and respected. Men to be trusted. Men of means. And you don’t expect an airline pilot to be a local resident. Or a check swindler.”6 In order to execute his plan Frank first needed to look the part. Frank contacted Pan Am Airlines claiming to be a pilot who had lost his uniform. Frank was able to con his way into getting a replacement uniform for a nominal fee, which was billed to the airline. Frank used the uniform to assume the identity of a Pan Am pilot.7 In addition to passing checks in much higher dollar amounts by posing as a pilot, came the perk of being able to fly for free, known as deadheading. While Frank never flew on Pan Am, he did deadhead on other airlines, allowing his check fraud scheme to span the globe.8

Frank Abagnale was a master of deception; he was able to change his identity and persona with ease. Over the course of five years, Frank had impersonated a physician, a lawyer, and a sociology professor.9

“Frank Abagnale as a physician. | Courtesy of reelrundown.comFrank’s impersonation of a doctor was not intentional; he was asked for his occupation in the process of completing a rental application, in which he answered “pediatric doctor.” Unbeknownst to Frank, an actual pediatrician lived in the same complex. Unable to avoid the pediatrician, Frank toured the local hospital, and used its library in order to add legitimacy to his claims. Frank did not perform any actual medical procedure, realizing that doing so could have life-and-death consequences. Frank abandoned that persona and left the area.10

Frank moved on to Louisiana, where he posed as a lawyer. During his time posing as a lawyer, Frank passed the state’s Bar exam. At the time, the state of Louisiana allowed testers three attempts at the exam. Frank used the process of elimination and on his third attempt, successfully passed the Louisiana Bar exam within nine weeks. A remarkable feat considering at the time Frank had only a tenth-grade high school education.11

From 1964 to 1969, Frank assumed many identities. He is alleged to have stolen 2.5 million dollars, and traveled over a million miles as a deadhead for which Frank was landed on the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted list. Frank was actively pursued by the FBI, state and local law enforcement from the time he was sixteen until his capture at twenty years of age.12

At the age of twenty, Frank found life on the run exhausting and decided to retire to France. Frank settled in Montpellier, the town his parents met in at the end of WWII. While grocery shopping, Frank was recognized by the stewardess ex-girlfriend, who had seen his wanted poster. The ex-girlfriend alerted police of his presence. Frank’s elaborate game of cat and mouse came to an end when he was arrested by Montpellier Police on an Interpol warrant for crimes committed in Sweden.13 At the time of his arrest Frank was wanted in every state in the United States and for extradition in twenty-six other countries. France refused to honor the Interpol warrant, and instead tried Frank for crimes committed in France. After a two-day trial, Frank was found guilty of forgery and sentenced to a year of prison in Perpignan’s House of Arrest.14

Frank served six months of his year-long sentence at the Perpignan Prison. While in prison, Frank encountered horrific conditions. His small cell has no electricity, toilet, or wash basin, and he had only a hole in the floor to relieve himself. Frank entered Perpignan Prison a 198 pounds and left severely malnourished, weighing only 109 pounds.15 At the end of six months, Frank was transferred to a prison in Sweden, to serve the remainder of his sentence. While in Sweden, Italy submitted an extradition request. However, the judge in Sweden instead worked with the FBI to have Frank’s passport revoked, in order to have him deported to the United States.16 Frank Abagnale served five years of his twelve-year sentence. He was released on the condition that he help the FBI investigate fraud and scam artists without pay, to which he agreed. Frank continued to work for the FBI without pay even after fulfilling his sentencing requirement. Frank also repaid the stolen 2.5 million dollars, despite it not” being a term of his parole or probation.

Frank Abagnale in recent years. | Courtesy of biography.com

After his release, Frank approached a bank with an offer to lecture its staff on how to spot tricksters and fraudulent checks. It is this work that Frank finds he has more value serving as a security expert than he had as a criminal. He works today as a security consultant, offering his advice and expertise to banks, law enforcement agencies and others. “More than 14,000 financial institutions, corporations, and law enforcement agencies use his fraud protection programs.” Frank still consults with the FBI, without payment of services or reimbursement of travel expenses.17

It is evident in his storytelling that Frank does not want to be immortalized for the actions of his teenage years, but for the family he has raised since. He credits his wife and three sons as his greatest accomplishment. Frank’s transformation from conman to leading security expert is an inspirational tale of someone who made a mistake, learned from it, and used that knowledge to contribute to building a better society.18

 

  1. Jenna Scafuri, “General Session,” Corrections Today (December 2011): 68-70.
  2. Sandy Lawrence Erdy, “Criminally Entertaining: The Imposter Behind Catch Me If You Can,” Biography, (January 2003): 26.
  3. Frank Abagnale, bioCatch Me If You Can Author Frank W. Abagnale Speaks at Clarkson University,” Clarkson University, 16 July 2013, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY.
  4. Sandy Lawrence Erdy, “Criminally Entertaining: The Imposter Behind Catch Me If You Can,” Biography, (January 2003): 26.
  5. Frank Abagnale, “Catch Me If You Can Author Frank W. Abagnale Speaks at Clarkson University,” Clarkson University, 16 July 2013, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY.
  6. Frank W. Abagnale, Catch Me If You Can (New York: Broadway Books, 1980), 42.
  7. Frank W. Abagnale, Catch Me If You Can (New York: Broadway Books, 1980), 42-44.
  8. Jenna Scafuri, “General Session,” Corrections Today (December 2011): 68-70.
  9. Frank W. Abagnale, The Art of the Steal (New York: Broadway Books, 2001), 3.
  10. Frank Abagnale, interviewed by Sarah Montague, BBC Hardtalk, March 15, 2003.
  11. Frank Abagnale, interviewed by Sarah Montague, BBC Hardtalk, March 15, 2003.
  12. Frank Abagnale, “Comments,” September 2002, http://www.abagnale.com/comments.htm
  13. Patrick Lynch, “Catch Me If You Can: The Real Story of Frank Abagnale, Jr.” History Collection, July 2017, http://historycollection.co/catch-can-real-story-frank-abagnale-jr/
  14. Patrick Lynch, “Catch Me If You Can: The Real Story of Frank Abagnale, Jr.” History Collection, July 2017, http://historycollection.co/catch-can-real-story-frank-abagnale-jr/
  15. Frank Abagnale, interviewed by Sarah Montague, BBC Hardtalk, March 15, 2003.
  16. Olivia Solon, “Frank Abagnale on the Death of the Con Artist and the Rise of Cybercrime,” Wired, February 2017, http://www.wired.co.uk/article/frank-abagnale
  17. Stephanie Hunt, “Bona Fide*,” Charleston Magazine, September 2010, http://charlestonmag.com/features/bona_fide#.
  18. Frank Abagnale, interviewed by Sarah Montague, BBC Hardtalk, March 15, 2003.

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Isaac Rodriguez

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56 comments

  • Madeline Emke

    Even though the title hints at what the ending will be, I was still shocked with the twist at the end because of how wanted he was and by numerous countries. I understand why Frank Abagnale Jr wanted to be remembered for his family at the end, but if someone remained on the run for so long successfully, that would be very hard to forget. I found the article intriguing and impressive.

  • Lesley Martinez

    Even though the title speaks for itself, the plot-twist is incredibly interesting. I cannot believe that Frank Abagnale Jr. was committing fraud between the age of fifteen to twenty. It’s even more outrageous to read that he was able to pass the Louisiana Bar exam with just a tenth-grade high school teaching. I’m intrigued that he decided to help the FBI for free even after his sentence was over and spend his time as a securely expert. I would not have expected something like this, great article!

  • Andrea Degollado

    I think its interesting to read how Frank Abagnales story was used as a referennce to create the movie Catch Me if You Can. I had never heard of this case nor seen the movie but this article does a good job in informing the reader. I think its super interesting how Abagnales went form a scam artist to helping the FBI attempt to catch people like him. This was a very well written article , good job!

  • Mark Dominguez

    This article was very fascinating and informative. I had seen the movie Catch Me If You Can prior to reading this and it is one of my favorite movies, but there was still much I did not know about Frank Abagnale. I had no idea and was very surprised to read that he was able to pay back the stolen $2.5 million. I also had no idea that he was able to accomplish all this with only a tenth-grade education, it was also very interesting to see how he transitioned from conman to a security expert.

  • Kelsey Sanchez

    I was amazed by how Frank Abagnale went from a conman to a security consultant. It was crazy to read about how he impersonated a physician, lawyer, even a sociology professor. Frank really was known for his experience and fraud he has committed. However, it was really interesting that even though he did all the sentencing he deserved he was still given the opportunity to still consult with the FBI, but of course with no wage. I felt Frank was smart enough that he could have done many things, but could have made sure it was not illegal.

  • Hannah Hennon

    I saw the movie about Frank Abagnale with Leonardo DiCaprio, but I never thought that the man being played in the movie was a real-life person who did those things. I am happy that in the end he turned his life around and became a better person by helping other organizations or businesses like banks or the FBI against fraudulent crimes.

  • Mauro Bustamante

    Frank Abagnale was one of the most wanted criminals around the world, I have heard of him when there is actually a movie about him. He consisted of using many names with banks and in order to escape the FBI when they were close he changed his name again to get on flights. I believe he got married and the FBI tried to capture him by using his wife when she was going to meet him somewhere and Frank was going to pick her up at the airport. He was later caught and stared working for the FBI, and him and the agent on his case of capturing him became good friends.

  • Patricia Arechiga

    I am pretty surprised that the name of Frank Abagnale doesn’t ring a bell considering the fact that he was a notorious criminal who was on the Top 10 to eventually siding and working with and for the FBI. It was pretty interesting to see how he went from a criminal to eventually helping banks and large corporations detect fraud. Though I don’t always believe people change, I do believe lessons lecture people to commit different and smarter actions. It was pretty heartbreaking to read how Frank was a lost boy who ran away from the broken roots of home after the divorce!

  • Briana Montes

    Reading this article taught me information I didn’t know before. I find it interesting that he grew up having a really good childhood but he still managed to steal from his own father. The only good outcome was that he helped the FBI while he was in jail. I find this article interesting because I did not know that a man in jail can help the FBI. Overall the article was very well written.

  • Lilia Seijas

    I find the story of Frank Abagnale to be comically ironic. The fact that he was able to evade being detained by the FBI for so many years, makes it one for the books. He was an incredible conman, and in my opinion, artist. Not many people would be able to pull off all the things he did (fake being a physician for example). His expertise landed him a job in the end and this article clearly explains all the things Abagnale went through before finally becoming a responsible person.

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