Frank Abagnale | |
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Abagnale in 2008
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Born |
Frank William Abagnale, Jr. April 27, 1948 Bronxville, New York, U.S. |
Occupation |
CEO of Abagnale & Associates (security consultants); Ex Confidence Artist |
Criminal charge | Fraud, forgery, swindling |
Criminal penalty | 12 months in French prison (about 6 months served) 6 months in Swedish prison 12 years in US prison (4 years served) |
Spouse(s) | Kelly Anne Welbes |
Children | 3 |
Catch Me If You Can: Frank Abagnale's Story, Frank Abagnale, 1:02:27, WGBH Educational Foundation |
Frank William Abagnale, Jr. (/ˈæbəɡneɪl/; born April 27, 1948) is an American security consultant known for his history as a former confidence trickster, check forger, and impostor between the ages of 15 and 21. He became one of the most famous impostors ever, claiming to have assumed no fewer than eight identities, including an airline pilot, a physician, a U.S. Bureau of Prisons agent, and a lawyer. He escaped from police custody twice (once from a taxiing airliner and once from a U.S. federal penitentiary), before he was 21 years old. He served less than five years in prison before starting to work for the federal government. He is currently a consultant and lecturer for the FBI academy and field offices. He also runs Abagnale & Associates, a financial fraud consultancy company.
Abagnale's life story inspired the Academy Award-nominated feature film Catch Me If You Can (2002), starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Abagnale and Tom Hanks as the FBI agent pursuing him, as well as a Broadway musical, which are based on his autobiography of the same name.
Frank William Abagnale, Jr. was born on April 27, 1948. He is one of four children and spent the first sixteen years of his life in New Rochelle, New York. His French mother, Paulette, and father, Frank Abagnale, Sr., separated when he was twelve and divorced when he was fourteen. His father was an affluent local who was very keen on politics and theater, and was a role model for Abagnale, Jr.