Catch Me If You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake

Abagnale remarks that around this time, as he later learned, a very-dedicated FBI inspector named Sean O’Riley was assigned to his case exclusively. When Frank finishes his job as the resident supervisor, he moves to another southern city and stays with a stewardess he knows. In the course of their relationship, she delves into his educational background. He lies that he became a pilot after law school at Harvard, hoping to avoid demonstrations of his aeronautical knowledge.

At a party, the stewardess introduces Abagnale to an assistant to the state’s attorney. The assistant says the attorney general needs lawyers. He asks Abagnale to take the bar in their state and join the attorney general’s office. In order to take the bar exam, Abagnale must be in possession of his Harvard transcript, as he has told people that he went to Harvard. Frank makes a counterfeit transcript constructed from a Harvard course catalog. He trims the Harvard logos from their law school catalogue. Though he initially fails the bar, he is able to improve his score over two successive attempts by studying around his missed answers. Abagnale is hired as an aide to a senior assistant, essentially serving as a glorified errand boy.