Catch Me If You Can Site

Shea finally caught Frank in France in 1969. Ironically, Abagnale wasn’t caught for check fraud; a Pan Air France stewardess recognized his face from a wanted poster. When the French police arrested him, they didn’t send him to the U.S. immediately. Instead, Frank served time in harsh prisons across Europe, including the infamous La Santé Prison in Paris and a brutal facility in Sweden for six months.

Using a fake pilot’s license and a uniform bought with stolen money, Frank deadheaded (flew for free) over 1,000,000 miles on Pan Am flights. He stayed in five-star hotels, ate gourmet meals, and used the admiration of stewardesses to help him launder money. He never actually flew the planes—he rode as a passenger in the jump seat—but the identity gave him the "wings" to travel the world. Catch Me If You Can

No story of is complete without the antagonist who became his eventual savior: FBI Agent Joseph Shea (known as "Carl Hanratty" in the film). Shea finally caught Frank in France in 1969