2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Brilliant airhead! Conman scored 120 free flights in clever ‘Catch Me If You Can'-style scam
Paging Frank Abagnale, Jr.!
A Florida conman scored more than 120 free flights by posing as a crew member with at least seven different airlines in a wild, 'Catch Me If You Can'-style scam, according to federal prosecutors.
Tiron Alexander, 35 — whose scheme echoes that of the real-life imposter pilot who inspired the Leonardo DiCaprio movie — was convicted of fraud June 5, according to the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida.
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Alexander took swindling to new heights by submitting scores of fake flight attendant credentials, including phony badge numbers, to book free flights between 2018 and 2024, federal prosecutors said.
The scam echoes the one featured in the 2002 movie 'Catch Me If You Can.'
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The clever airhead turned in the bogus paperwork, complete with roughly 30 fabricated hire dates and ID numbers, to get aboard flights without paying — a perk only offered to pilots and crew members, prosecutors said.
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All told, Alexander went on at least 34 free flights and booked a total of at least 120 without ever working for any of the airlines involved, authorities said.
The fraudster previously worked for an unidentified airline in Dallas but was never a pilot or flight attendant for the firm, according to the prosecutors.
Crew members and pilots are given free flights by airlines.
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He was found guilty of wire fraud and entering secure airport areas under false pretenses and faces up to 20 years behind bars. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 25.
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By contrast, 'Catch Me if You Can' tells the true story of conman Frank Abagnale, Jr. who impersonated a Pan Am pilot, a doctor and a lawyer — all before turning 19 years old.
He was eventually caught in 1970 and later used his expertise in fraud to work with the FBI.
