Did Frank Abagnale ever teach at BYU?

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2005, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

While trying to lay low from authorities, Frank Abagnale traveled around the West - one of the stops was in Utah.

According to the autobiography Catch Me If You Can, written with Stan Redding, Abagnale was impressed with Utah's geography, Mormon history and "its proliferation of college campuses."

He visited several Utah colleges, where he saw many beautiful coeds. That's when he decided to become a teacher.

Although Abagnale does not name the college where he taught, according to other articles and an interview on the "Catch Me If You Can" DVD, it was Brigham Young University.

In the book, Abagnale forged transcripts from Columbia University and letters of recommendation from City College of New York. He taught a summer sociology course, where he related his personal experiences during the lecture.

Abagnale told local news media Thursday he only pretended to be a teaching assistant at BYU, but never posed as a professor.

- Jillian Doria