If you have seen the movie Catch Me If You Can, you are probably no stranger to the talent of `scam boss` Frank Abagnale with his amazing ability to fake and pocket millions of dollars.

Journey to the `American dream`

Christian Hanz Gerhartsreiter was born in 1961 in Bergen – a mountain town in Bavaria, Germany, in the family of an artist father and a seamstress mother.

According to family and acquaintances, Christian always felt out of place in life in his hometown, was a short child and loved fantasy stories.

Portrait of Gerhartsreiter as a young man

By the time Gerhartsreiter was arrested by the authorities on suspicion of impersonation, no one in his hometown had had any news about him for more than 30 years.

The beginning of Gerhartsreiter’s decades-long drama began with a fateful meeting with the American Savio family on a train in Germany.

To make things go smoothly, Gerhartsreiter lied to immigration officers at JFK airport that he had been allowed to stay with an American couple while studying in the land of flowers.

While living with the above family, the teenager `revealed` that he was the child of a European aristocrat to refuse to do the most basic housework such as preparing breakfast or washing clothes.

But instead of accepting to return to Germany, Gerhartsreiter continued to find other families to continue his `mistletoe` life.

Move into the upper class

In 1980, Gerhartsreiter changed to a more American name, Chris Gerhart, and went to study film at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.

After leaving Milwaukee, Gerhartsreiter once again disguised himself as Christopher Chichester, and `impersonated` the name Mountbatten – a noble family of German origin.

Gerhartsreiter under the guise of Christopher Chichester

Gerhartsreiter then moved to an upscale area in San Marino, California.

Thanks to his constant efforts, Gerhartsreiter even convinced a TV channel to accept him as a talk show.

Involved in crime

However, the situation quickly became complicated when Ruth’s son and daughter-in-law moved in with her.

In 1985, John and Linda suddenly disappeared.

Linda and John Sohus

In 1994, while digging a swimming pool, a company discovered the remains of the ill-fated John Sohus’ body.

Arriving in Connecticut, `Crowe` thanks to his speaking skills and obtained a position as a specialist at a financial brokerage company.

Gerhartsreiter continued to look for work and was even hired at a large Wall Street firm despite having no experience or qualifications in finance.

Rockefeller family’s `fake` billionaire and the end of the `fraud king`

To create an appearance of mystery and an excuse to refuse to answer questions about his personal life, Gerhartsreiter chose to disguise himself as a member of the billionaire Rockefeller family.

To appear even more trustworthy, he always carried a handheld radio with him and pretended to report his location to a personal bodyguard.

His friends weren’t even suspicious when Gerhartsreiter refused to get out of the car while they were traveling to Connecticut.

Using the identity of Clark Rockefeller, Gerhartsreiter quickly made an impression and blended into New York City’s upper class.

Wedding photo of the scam boss and his wife Sandra Boss

To maintain cover with his wife, who was a Harvard alumnus, Gerhartsreiter lied that he worked for Asterisk, a business specializing in debt restructuring for developing countries.

However, after more than 10 years of living together, Gerhartsreiter’s mask was gradually revealed.

After that, she filed for divorce.

`Everything about this man’s life is a lie,` reporter Mark Seal, author of a book about Gerhartsreiter, said in an interview.

After a supervised visit in Boston, Gerhartsreiter was able to cut off social workers and successfully kidnap his daughter.

Once again, Gerhartsreiter disguised himself as a sea captain named `Chip Smith` and went to live in an apartment in Baltimore.

Luckily, the FBI successfully tracked down this man.

With the child not being harmed, Gerhartsreiter was initially only sentenced to 7 years in prison for kidnapping.

Finally, in 2013, Gerhartsreiter was sentenced to life in prison for murder, proving that even someone with such a `natural talent` for fraud cannot escape the net.

Source: ATI, Ranker