Frank Abagnale never thought that there would one day be a New York Times’ best seller about his life or, as of recently, a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical production about his escapades. In fact, as residents and guests of The Stayton at Museum Way retirement community heard him discuss his fascinating life journey at a recent Red Carpet Speaker Series event, Abagnale said that he would have preferred not to have had a movie made about his success as one of the world’s most famous con men during his teenage years. However, the 2002 Academy Award-nominated film about him, Catch Me If You Can, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks, is still popular across generations of audiences. The Stayton recently hosted Abagnale and learned how he turned his life around from being a con artist to being an invaluable asset to the FBI for fraud prevention. Attendees heard “the true story about a real fake” straight from Abagnale himself and had the chance to ask him questions about his extraordinary experiences. They also enjoyed some time to mingle with him and purchase copies of his books that he signed for them while onsite.

By the time Abagnale was 21, he had successfully posed as an airline pilot, a pediatrician, an assistant attorney general and a college professor. He had cashed $2.5 million in phony checks around the globe. The legendary con artist served time for the crimes he committed, but his experiences led to his now nearly 40-year association with the FBI, in which he frequently provides expertise to agents. At The Stayton’s exclusive event, Abagnale discussed the choices he made early in life and how he decided to make drastic and positive changes later to help others understand today’s security challenges and strategies for safeguarding valuable information.

“We were honored to have the opportunity to hear from “the real Frank Abagnale” during our recent event. The Stayton’s Red Carpet Speaker Series enables our residents and guests to meet renowned individuals and hear powerfully inspirational and intellectually stimulating presentations, and that is absolutely what took place with Frank Abagnale,” said Scott Polzin, executive director of The Stayton. “Mr. Abagnale’s presentation was entertaining and enthralling but also informative and sincerely moving. We all appreciated his beneficial tips and insight which will help protect  our identities as well.”

In addition to his memoir, Abagnale has written The Art of the Steal, The Real U Guide to Identity Theft and Stealing Your Life, in which he provides in-depth analysis of white-collar crime and identity theft. Guests were able to purchase copies of his books after the presentation and get them signed by the author as well.