Oct 1, 2013 5 min read

UPPER ST. CLAIR – At the age of 16, Frank Abagnale was alone in the world.

He and his three siblings lived an idyllic life north of New York City and knew nothing about their parents’ divorce until the children were ordered to go to court. A judge told Abagnale he had to choose between his parents, both of whom he loved dearly. He couldn’t decide and he ran from the courtroom and kept running, eventually impersonating a lawyer, airline pilot, college professor and pediatrician, all without an education.

He never saw his father again, as he died after striking his head in a subway station. Abagnale didn’t see his mother for seven years.

Along the way, he cashed $2.5 million in bad checks and served time in prisons in Sweden, France and the United States.

At the age of 21, he was caught by the French police and his crime spree ended.

A deal with the United States got him out of prison after four years, almost a decade less than his sentence. The government said “work for us,” and he has for more than 36 years. Abagnale is considered one of the world’s most respected authorities on forgery, embezzlement and secure documents.

When he spoke to the audience at the first Town Hall South lecture series Tuesday in the auditorium of the Upper St. Clair High School, the audience was hushed as Abagnale spoke, without notes, in staccato, almost halting speech. No one left early and a few audience members gave him a standing ovation.

Abagnale’s story is told in the film “Catch Me If You Can” with Leonardo DiCaprio portraying Abagnale. The film is based on Abagnale’s book of the same name, but he was not consulted by director Steven Spielberg and because of his arrangement with the federal government that he cannot benefit from his crimes, he received no royalties.

The first time he saw the film was with his wife in a movie theater.

Abagnale told the audience that after he fled the courthouse, he took a train to New York City, but at the age of 16, he was unable to find work beyond menial jobs. Because he was about 6 feet tall and had some gray hair, he forged a document and suddenly became 26. Writing bad checks became his main means of support.

When he learned the police were looking for him, he decided to leave the city. Then, he saw an airline crew from the now defunct Eastern Airlines at the hotel and decided to pose as a pilot. That way, Abagnale could travel the world in style.

He obtained a uniform and identification badge under the name of John Black for Pan Am Airlines and flew as a “deadhead” passenger in the jump seat in the cockpit, but never with Pan Am for fear his false identification would be discovered.

He flew on various airlines, for free, more than one million miles visiting 26 countries, always staying in the crews’ hotel. No one knew he was 16.

He quit the flight life when he was 18 because he learned the FBI had an arrest warrant. That’s when he moved to Atlanta and posed as a pediatrician, even working two weeks in a local hospital.

He eventually went to Louisiana, where he passed the state bar examination and practiced law for a year before resigning.

A check scam was next, where he opened an account with $100 and the bank gave him 200 checks. Another scheme found him taking the deposit slips from bank desks and altering the numbers on the bottom so that when anyone used the slips, the money went into his account.

Abagnale’s life took a sudden turn when he was arrested by the French police on a charge of forgery. He served time in a French prison, where he lost almost 90 pounds. Upon his release, he was sent to serve time in Sweden, then the United States took him into custody and he was sentenced to 12 years.

Four years into the sentence, the federal government recognized his expertise and he was released.

For more then 36 years, Abagnale has worked ferreting out con artists, forgers and embezzlers. He knows the game and he knows how to catch them.

As for his past indiscretions, Abagnale said, “I was just a child.”

But he realizes what he did was wrong.

“It’s a burden I live with every single day of my life,” he told the audience.

As for the reason, he said, he began his life of crime because at the age of 16, he was asked to choose between two people he loved. He could not and he ran for the next five year. Abagnale said he spent every holiday alone in a hotel and never went to his high school prom. He missed out on his childhood, always on the run.

“I always knew I would get caught,” he said.

Because of his work for the government, he was offered pardons three times. He turned down each one.

He met his wife while he was working undercover to catch a criminal. They have been married for 36 years and have three sons.

“The love of a woman made a difference,” he said at the end of his speech.