Unveiled: The Shocking Truth Behind the Real-Life Conman Who Inspired ‘Catch Me If You Can’
He was convicted in June 1969 and sentenced to 12 years of probation — but he decided to flee to Europe. And while much of the true story behind Catch Me If You Can was exaggerated for the book and screenplay, Abagnale’s arrest in France really did happen.
Frank Abagnale Jr. was apprehended in Montpellier, France, in September 1969. He spent three months in a French prison on charges of theft, was extradited to Sweden to serve two months for previously defrauding two families there, and was then deported to the U.S.
Back in America, Abagnale continued with his previous cons, and he was ultimately arrested once more in November 1970. This time, he was sentenced to 12 years behind bars for forging checks and escaping from custody, though he ultimately served less than four years in total. He was released for the final time in 1974 — and that’s when he began crafting the story that would become a Spielberg film.
So, how exactly does the real story of Catch Me If You Can differ from the movie?
The Surprising True Story Of ‘Catch Me If You Can’
Despite Frank Abagnale Jr.’s many early arrests, Spielberg’s 2002 film only shows the 1969 apprehension in France. In fact, in public speaking engagements and interviews, Abagnale has reportedly claimed that he was only arrested that once.
The movie also had to play with the timeline of actual events to account for its exaggerations. Onscreen, Abagnale (portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio) is arrested in France in 1967. This is likely because the real-life Abagnale was in prison between 1965 and 1968 — not pretending to be a Pan American pilot, passing the Louisiana State Bar exam, posing as a doctor, and traveling across the world to flee from the FBI, as he claimed in his memoir.
