Michael Sabo

Michael John Sabo (born September 1945) is an American consultant and speaker on identity theft and fraud in the business sector. He is currently Executive Director of US Prison Consultants, a principal resource for individuals charged with white-collar crime.

Before his reformation, Sabo was best-known for his history as a check, stocks and bonds forger, a master impostor, and as an escaped fugitive from federal custody. He became notorious in the 1960s and throughout the 1990s for successfully forging bank and government checks, as well as the forgery of stock and bond certificates. Sabo obtained executive status for certain blue chip companies, made counterfeit payroll checks, scammed numerous major hotel chains, and also obtained gold coins fraudulently. He stole over $5 million throughout the course of his criminal career.

The FBI and Interpol have confirmed over 100 false identities that Sabo used throughout his white-collar crime spree. Sabo impersonated airline pilots with six different carriers, medical doctors, PhDs, loan officers, an IRS agent,^[1] and once hired 300 people for a one-day computer scam in Phoenix, AZ. Just six weeks after escaping from a federal prison, he was hired as a prison guard while on the run from the FBI. Sabo's FBI file suggests he was associated with the Lucchese crime family, through which he laundered stolen goods such as diamonds and furs.

To make the feature film Catch Me If You Can, director Steven Spielberg petitioned Sabo in hopes of basing the plot on his life story.^[2] However, Sabo could not comply and sell the rights to his story because he was wanted by law enforcement officials across the United States. Spielberg then opted to use Frank Abagnale as the primary character in the story. Sabo was also featured on the national television program, Unsolved Mysteries, where he impersonated a doctor.

By 1992, Sabo had been convicted of bank fraud, forgery of stocks and bonds, grand larceny, and identity theft, both in federal and state courts.^[3] He has served a total of 12 years in federal and state prisons.

Notes and references

1. ^ "Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Semiannual Report to Congress, October 1, 2008 - March 30, 2009". ustreas.gov. http://www.ustreas.gov/tigta/semiannual/semiannual_mar2009.htm. Retrieved November 7, 2010. 
2. ^ Detective Mike Kanter of the Citrus County Florida police department declared he was told by U.S. Marshals that Sabo's life was considered for the 2002 hit film.
3. ^ DeMare, Carol (May 27, 1992). "Con Man Gets 2 Years For Ripping Off Merchants". Times Union. http://archives.timesunion.com/mweb/wmsql.wm.request?oneimage&imageid=5640819. Retrieved January 28, 2010.

Persondata
Name	Sabo, Michael
Alternative names
Short description	Forger and confidence trickster; security and identity theft fraud consultant
Date of birth	September 1945
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death