The Real Catch Me If You Can: Javier Leiva on Debunking Frank Abagnale

Dakota Spotlight: True Crime & Cold Case Investigations

James Wolner

Documentary, Society & Culture, True Crime

4.8 • 900 Ratings

🗓️ 28 August 2025

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

What if 90% of Frank Abagnale’s claims are totally made up? In this special Dakota Spotlight episode, host James Wolner talks with Javier Leiva, creator of PRETEND, about his season The Real Catch Me If You Can. In this series, Javier debunks Abagnale’s extraordinary con-man story using court and prison records, while also bringing forward new victim testimonies. After the interview, hear the full Episode 1 as Leiva begins dismantling Abagnale’s legend and follows the trail all the way to Las Vegas, where he confronts Abagnale himself. This is the real-life Catch Me If You Can. Listen to the full series and explore everything from PRETEND wherever you find podcasts and at pretendradio.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:53.8	DakotaSpotlight.com or write in your Apple or Spotify app.
0:58.8	You're listening to Dakota Spotlight. My name is James Wollner. You may know of the movie Catch Me If You Can, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a charming young man named Frank Abagnale
1:12.7	who cons his way across the world before he's 21.
1:17.1	Tom Hanks is in that movie, too.
1:19.0	But what if that legendary tale wasn't true at all?
1:22.5	On today's show, I'm joined by Javier Leva, host of the Pretend Podcast.
1:27.4	He released a great investigative series digging in to Frank Adler. I'm joined by Javier Leva, host of the Pretend Podcast.
1:33.4	He released a great investigative series, digging into Frank Abagnale's real past,
1:38.5	separating fact from Hollywood fiction, and the results are eye-opening.
	...

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