One of Leonardo DiCaprio s most showy characters came in his performance of real life fraudster Frank Abagnale Jr. in the 2002 film Catch Me If You Can.
Frank Abagnale Jr. conned millions of dollars worth of checks as a Pan Am pilot, as well as other misleading professions.
Now 19-year-old Reece Scobie from Perthshire, UK, has followed in suit and globe trotted all over the world. Instead of earning an Oscar nomination, this teen has wound up in jail for sixteen months.
Reece Scobie is being described as a “boderline genius” with Asperger’s Syndrome.
It was reported that Reece Scobie, much like Leonardo DiCaprio’s character in Catch Me If You Can, flew all over the world to the tune of $110,000. In order to get around Reece Scobie used aliases to jet set all over and to stay at hotels without paying a cent.
The teen lived with his mother at the time, and decided to target travel firms like Cambridge Business Travel during his fraud. The flights he booked included trips to Atlanta, New York, Auckland, and Abu Dhabi. Reece Scobie also stayed in posh hotels, living the high life in the rooms where most celebrities stayed in.
During his hearing Reece Scobie conned the court staff to return his passport, which at the time was confiscated under bail. Reece Scobie isn’t comparing himself to Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, but everyone else is. His solicitor Jim Laverty has called him Frank Abagnale Jr. for living up an incredible life while involving himself in fraud.
Jim Laverty explained the easy comparison to Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, as he told the Perth Sheriff Court of Reece Scobie’s transgressions: “While the life of Mr. Abagnale was shown by Leo DiCaprio in Catch Me If You Can, I don’t think the gauntlet thrown down by him was the same gauntlet thrown down by Mr. Scobie, who was fairly easily traceable.”
How did Reece Scobie commit fraud?
Reece Scobie acquired a job with a travel agency Thomson Travel in Perth. The teen worked at the agency for two months, but then continued to use the passwords given to him in order to book flights and hotels for himself.
Reece Scobie admitted to three charges of fraud, two at his old job, and the third between July 2011 and January 2012.
