Frank William Abagnale Jr. (born 27 April 1948) was an American security consultant, author and former criminal who defrauded many people and small businesses across the United States. Following his parents divorce in 1963, Abagnale fled from home and resorted to confidence scams to live his life on the run. He assumed several different identities including as a doctor and a pilot, where he made millions of dollars from forging Pan Am pay slips. During this time, Abagnale's crimes were investigated by the FBI who sent senior agent Carl Hanratty to track him down and capture him.
By 1967, Abagnale fled the country to elude authorities and resided in his mother's hometown of Montrichard, France until he was apprehended by the gendarmerie and extradited back to the US where he was charged with multiple counts of fraud and resisting arrest. Abagnale was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment at a maximum security prison, but was permitted to serve the remainder of his sentence as a Financial Crimes Unit agent.
Abagnale wrote a book about his past called Catch Me If You Can and settled down in the Midwest, he later married and fathered three sons while mantaining his relationship with Hanratty and working as a fraud expert for the government.