Unveiled: The Shocking Truth Behind the Real-Life Conman Who Inspired ‘Catch Me If You Can’
The True Legacy Of A Lifelong Conman
In The Greatest Hoax on Earth, Logan argued that Abagnale’s fabricated construct of himself began around 1977, after he was paroled and started nurturing his legacy through speaking engagements and a To Tell the Truth game show appearance — which was recreated for the film.
This led to nationally televised interviews on shows like The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, which cemented Abagnale’s narrative for good. Various local newspapers did expose some of Abagnale’s fabrications, but a lack of communication between publications before the internet saw these discoveries buried.
Abagnale & Associates/Wikimedia CommonsFrank Abagnale Jr. in 2008.
“So Abagnale’s narrative that between the ages of 16 and 20, he was on the run, chased all over the United States and even internationally by the FBI. This is completely fictitious,” said Logan. “Public records obtained by me show that he was confined for the most part in prison during those years.”
Logan even tracked down an interview between investigative journalist Ira Perry and Pan Am spokesperson Bruce Haxthausen from 1978 in which Perry asked about the company’s financial losses during the years Abagnale claimed to have been posing as a pilot — to shocking results.
“I’ve checked with the security people and everyone here, and it never happened,” said Haxthausen. “This is the first time we’ve heard of this, and we would have heard or at least remembered it if it happened. You don’t forget $2.5 million bad checks.”
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