Frank Abagnale

Frank William Abagnale Jr. (; born April 27, 1948) is an American-French security consultant, author, and convicted felon who committed frauds that mainly targeted individuals and small businesses. He later gained notoriety in the late 1970s by claiming a diverse range of workplace frauds, many of which have since been placed in doubt. In 1980, Abagnale co-wrote his autobiography, Catch Me If You Can, which built a narrative around these claimed frauds. The book inspired the film of the same name directed by Steven Spielberg in 2002, in which Abagnale was portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio. He has also written four other books. Abagnale runs Abagnale and Associates, a consulting firm.

Abagnale claims to have worked as an assistant attorney general in the U.S. state of Louisiana, served as a hospital physician in Georgia, and impersonated a Pan American World Airways pilot who logged over two million air miles by deadheading. The veracity of most of Abagnale's claims has been questioned, and ongoing inquiries continue to confirm that they were fabricated. In 2002, Abagnale admitted on his website that some facts had been overdramatized or exaggerated, though he was not specific about what was exaggerated or omitted about his life. In 2020, journalist Alan C. Logan claimed to have found evidence that proves the majority of Abagnale's story was invented or at best exaggerated.

Early life

Frank William Abagnale Jr. was born in the Bronx, New York City, on April 27, 1948, to a French Pieds-noirs mother who died in November 2014, and an Italian-American father who died in March 1972. He spent his early life in Bronxville, New York. His parents separated when he was 12 and divorced when he was 15 years old. After the divorce, Abagnale moved with his father, and his new stepmother, to Mount Vernon, New York.