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