Frank Abagnale is among the most iconic people of the current century. He was able to impersonate being a pilot at Pan American World Airways, an assistant attorney general in the state of Louisiana, a pediatric supervising doctor, and a lawyer.
Frank Abagnale was born on the 27th of April 1948 in New Rochelle, New York. He was born to Frank William Abagnale and was (clearly) named after him. He is the third of the four children that the couple had.
Frank Abagnale JR went to Iona Catholic School in his hometown Westchester, New York.
Frank Jr’s father was a very successful businessman who owned a stationery store. Therefore, he was able to provide for the family appropriately. But providing for the family or looking after children aren’t the only things that are needed to keep the family institution intact.
In 1960, Frank Williams Abagnale Sr. and his wife separated. There can be various reasons behind the divorce, but there is one thing for sure; every kid in the family was shocked, including Frank William Abagnale.
Parents were separated at first, and Frank Abagnale was just 12 years old at the time. Three years later, when Frank Abagnale turned 15, the couple went through a divorce, after which Abagnale moved in with his father and Mount Vernon, his new stepmother.
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Frank William Abagnale’s Time With Father
Frank chose to live with his father. This meant that he could spend his time the way he wanted because living with his mother required discipline. But with father, not so much. Living with his father brought a lot of entertainment and learning to the new teenager.
Frank William Abagnale JR would participate in several business meetings along with his father. That was a whole other experience for the young man. But that came at a cost too. With that level of exposure and first-hand knowledge from the experts, Frank Abagnale JR grew mature faster than his peers. As a result, a clear gap was created between him and his mates.
Although he stumbled upon it here and there (he was caught stealing a car and had to go to a juvenile detention center), that childish behavior quickly faded away when his father talked to him about the issue.
Frank Abagnale realized that it was time to straighten himself up. He started attending school and got a part-time job. But soon, he was about to commit the first fraud of his life. According to Frank’s biography, his first victim was his own father.
His father gifted Frank JR a car. That was too good of a gift for a 15-year-old boy. He was happy and soon asked for a Mobile gas card from his father in exchange for a promise that he would never misuse it.
But… you guessed it right, the promise was broken, and soon the father was charged with a $3,400 outstanding bill. After getting caught, he was sent to a reform school located in Westchester County, New York.
Frank William Abagnale’s Years Of Forgery & Cons
Frank William Abagnale enrolled in the United States Navy in December 1964. He was just 16 years old at the time. However, the Navy soon found out that Frank had forged his documents. He was discharged from the Navy and arrested.
One year later, Frank was arrested by the FBI for stealing a Ford Mustang which belonged to his father’s neighbors. He also managed to steal blank checks that he stole from a family on the Bronx River Parkway.
One of the most famous gigs that he faked was being a Pan AM Pilot. Frank Abagnale Jr was just 17 years old (or 16, according to others) at the time he faked being a pilot.
But, now you might be thinking, how could that be possible? Well, he had a prominent physique even as a young teenager. Standing at about 6 feet, he also had a fair bit of mass to support him portray himself as an adult. Therefore, it was easy for him to pretend to be a pilot, a doctor, and even a professor.
How Frank Abagnale Became a Pan AM Pilot
Frank took the Pan AM Uniform from a uniform company in Manhattan. According to a source, he called the uniform company and informed them that he was a pilot and couldn’t find his uniform. Therefore, he needs a new one.
Soon he received the uniform. Now, he needed a Pan AM logo which he got from the model planes that had the company’s logo printed on them. He applied it to the uniform, and he was on his way to fake being a Pan AM Pilot.
But how could he fly a plane when he never learned to? He never did. Instead, Frank started deadheading into flights and flew worldwide on Pan AM’s bankroll. Yes, you read that right.
Deadheading means carrying a transport company’s employees free of charge to be at their place of duty at the right time.
After flying across most parts of the world, Frank Williams was apprehended at the Miami Airport by the state’s police. Upon questioning his identity, Frank insisted that he was, in fact, Frank Abagnale Williams and was a Pan AM’s copilot.
He also provided all the forged documents that would support his claim. However, what really came to his support was his fellow airline peeps. Frank brought some of them as a reference to support that he was indeed a copilot at the airline and was soon released by the police.
Frank Abagnale – A Pilot Turned Doctor
In 1966, Frank Abagnale moved to Atlanta, Georgia, soon after the Miami police incident. After all, it was a close call, and Frank was about to fall into a legal mess. Frank was now living in the complex. In the conversation, Frank had him believing that he was a pediatrician who lived in California.
Frank further explained that he came to Atlanta on a 12-month Sabbatical in order to audit some research papers. Simply put, he was a professional who was burnt out from work.
Being impressed by his supposed reputation (that he just built then and there), he was offered to tour his hospital. Frank captured the opportunity and made regular visits to the hospital. Soon, he would find staff welcoming Frank on his way in.
His reputation began to peak, and Frank was offered to supervise medical interns on the night shift. It was a challenge that could really unmask the (now) seasoned conman. He could have really denied it at a whim, fully knowing the risks involved. However, the challenge was simply too tempting to turn down. So, he accepted the offer.
One can also say that he was somewhat prepared for the role because he spent time studying medical staff at the local library after being offered to tour the hospital. After all, he had to sound like a professional too.
However, the realization kicked in quickly when a broken leg patient was brought in. Frank realized that he could endanger lives with his lack of knowledge, as seen in the film. Therefore, he decided to escape the profession and moved to Lousiana to live on his own.
Frank Abagnale Adopts A New Gig – Fakes Being A Harvard Graduate
After moving to Louisiana, Frank Abagnale adopted a new gig. The idea came to him when he picked up his relationship with the Pan AM Stewardess from where he left off. He told her that Frank is now a graduate of Harvard Law School.
Keeping that in perspective, his girlfriend introduced him to a lawyer who happened to be in the state district attorney’s office. Now the only thing that stood between him and his job at the DA was passing the Louisiana Bar Exam.
Again, the challenge was too tempting to turn down. Hence he attempted and passed the exam. But he knew that he would also have to turn in the law school’s transcripts which he obviously didn’t have. An actual Harvard Graduate was also approaching him, and he knew that he wouldn’t be able to answer his question as well.
Normally, Frank would use humor to divert questions. But there’s only so much of it that he could do. Hence, he did what was logical. Frank took off to Utah.
Conclusion
Frank Abagnale then went on to become a Sociology professor at Utah’s Brigham Young University. But all of this was about to come to an end real soon. That is because he created enough trouble across multiple sectors.
Also, something worth noting is the roles he was taking. All of his roles were just as prominent as Frank Abagnale was in his teens. Being a Pan AM Pilot, a medical professional supervising interns, then a lawyer, and a sociology professor.
Frank Abagnale was now being constantly chased after by the FBI special agent Joseph Shae. After this time, there began a ‘catch me if you can’ spree where the law would constantly chase him and lock him up, then he would escape only to be caught again. This went on for a considerable amount of time.
Frank Abagnale even faked FBI Agent’s card and used that to escape from the prison with his girlfriend. Fast forward to Frank in New York City when he was finally caught by an agent when two of them were standing at a nearby shop. One of them saw Frank pass by and quickly recognized him.
“Hey, Frank” yelled the agent, to which Frank Abagnale quickly responded. Agents soon approached him. Now he could have all the good luck he wanted. Obviously, he failed to convince both the agents that he was not the person they were looking for.
After being handed over to the FBI, Frank Abagnale confessed to all the crimes that he committed. Consequently, he was sentenced to 12 years in Federal Prison. This was in 1971.
Around 1976, Frank Abagnale was offered the opportunity to work with the FBI and tell them how he faked all that he did. Therefore, he was released and went on to teach FBI agents to teach his rare art. At this time, Frank Abagnale was only 26 years old.
