Biography of Frank Abagnale

The art of the scam

April 27, 1948
Frank William Abagnale, Jr. was born on April 27, 1948 in New Rochelle (New York), where it grows along with his three brothers, the mother of French nationality Paula and her father Frank William Abagnale SR. Leads a life as a normal teenager, except a little episode that could be interpreted as a prelude to what will be his future as a crook. His history of delinquent is told with great irony and fidelity by Steven Spielberg in his 2002 film "catch me if you can" (Catch me if you can, starring Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio, the latter playing Abagnale). Without suffering any penalty for the aforementioned incident, Frank attended Catholic schools up to sixteen years old, when her parents divorce: for young this is a traumatic experience that causes him to get away for a long time by those who until then had represented the only points of reference.
We are in 1964, ran away from home, Frank stands alone in New York where he soon understands that each device is useful to try to survive. Interrupted her studies, seeks to learn as much as possible from the daily life and the many experiences that does; leveraging its mature aspect becomes known as "Big N", and decided to take care of himself, becomes day after day in a con artist. Thus began his career as an impostor who, over the years, allows him to refine his techniques making it increasingly shrewd and greedy, until reaching the top positions on the list of most wanted criminals by the Federal Government of the United States.
His first fraud is to build bad checks to the detriment of the bank where the account. This system, simple but effective, urges him to open then other accounts in different banks under false identities to draw from multiple sources. Always to the detriment of the latter, Abagnale experiences and develop different ways to swindle banks: thus begins to print checks practically identical to the originals and then cash it by being ahead of the cash. The most famous young cunning is in fake, just enter your account number in the space provided, pre-printed forms for payments and add them then the other original cards of banks; This causes the compiled from storage ends on his account rather than that of the intended recipient. Collects over 40000 dollars with this expedient and when banks become aware of the deception, Abagnale has already changed identity before being discovered.
His ability is not limited to scam an end unto itself but extends also to the ability and willingness to impersonate different characters: in this regard, it is interesting to mention his first performance where for a whole semester plays the role of a teacher of Sociology (with certificate) at Brigham Young University.
At the age of nineteen Frank Abagnale also undertakes legal career: posing as a law student at Harvard, try to pass through the examination of Practicum in Louisiana, but after failing twice to decide alone to declare himself eligible for the legal profession, thus circumventing the obstacle. Gets a job at the Office of the legal counsel of the State and, despite his duties are limited to prepare coffee and place books, practice for eight months, until we see forced to resign because of strong suspicions of a colleague about his studies.
In the same period, just shy in his early twenties, he spent two years disguising himself from Pan Am pilot; This, as well as allow him to be totally paid for by that airline, he needs to be able to travel for free to the world by leveraging the practice then spread to give steps to pilots as "professional courtesy".
Subsequently, escaped just stopping at one of its airports, decides to switch identities wearing the clothes of a doctor. The choice falls accidentally on this occupation and, due to an odd set of circumstances, for a period of eleven months, Frank works as a pediatrician in a Georgia hospital. This is possible due to the fact that must not engage in any actual medical practice.
Now wanted in 26 countries, Frank William Abagnale Jr. was first captured in France in 1969 after being recognized by a gentleman of Air France. Despite the pressure from other States to extradite, spent the first six months in the prison in Perpignan, where falls seriously ill, almost losing their lives because of the poor condition of French prisons. Subsequently goes on trial in Sweden where treat him and imprison for a further six months in the city of Malmö; Finally, after passing for Italian prisons, Frank was deported in the United States where condemn him for fraud twelve years in a federal prison.
Prior to serve his sentence in the United States, Frank manages deftly to escape from the plane that is reporting at home: losing track of her moves on American soil up to Canada, where it is blocked by the Royal Gendarmerie and subsequently rendered to law enforcement in the United States. Before the judgment in 12 years in the Federal Institute of Petersburg, Virginia, a final attempt to escape in April 1971, Abagnale sees protagonist of an umpteenth bluff that, partly for the fortunate circumstances and some for his cunning, took him out of the Federal Detention Center in Atlanta (Georgia) where he was detained pending trial. From Atlanta seeks freedom in New York and later to Washington, D.C., but the escape ends after a few weeks at the hands of two police detectives in New York City.
In 1974, after serving less than five years of effort, the Government of the United States releases provided they provide for free his help to federal authorities against any kind of fraud. After his release, Frank tries his hand at various jobs fair, but finding them unsatisfying decides to move closer to that world, though lived across, well knew: offers, this time under a reward, his extensive experience of fraud for the benefit of the banks, as a security consultant.
Once we start this new life, founded the company "Abagnale & Associates" which operates in business layer from any form of fraud; This system allows him to earn enough to repay all those he had cheated during his criminal career. Frank is now a multi-millionaire, whose fraud legal advice activities, lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma with his wife and their three children.
"Catch me if you can" is the title of the autobiographical book that Frank Abagnale has originally published in 1980 and reissued in 2002 on the occasion of the release of Spielberg's film, which was inspired by the book.

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