Sunday, November 10, 2002 7:14 p.m. Central #0005
	Hanks Portrays Ex-FBI Agent Shea Sunday November 10 3:03 PM Et MARIETTA, Ga. (AP) Former FBI agent Joseph Shea can count some thrills from seeing Tom Hanks portray him in Steven Spielberg's upcoming movie "Catch Me If You Can." But that's about it. Since Hanks' character in "Catch Me If You Can" goes by a different name, Shea won't get any royalties or other payments. The film is about the search for and capture of con man Frank Abagnale, played by Leonardo DiCaprio.
					From left: Jean Picker Firstenberg, Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg. Hanks accepted the 30th AFI Life Achievement Award June 12, 2002.
			In the late 1960s, Shea tracked down Abagnale and arrested him near Atlanta. Abagnale went to prison but escaped during work detail. He was arrested again and spent five years in prison for crimes that included impersonating doctors, lawyers, and pilots all over the country. "He was not a violent type of criminal, no guns, no knives, never hurt anybody," Shea said. "That wasn't his style. He used his brains and his bravado to pass himself off as what he was impersonating." "Catch Me If You Can" is based on a book by Abagnale, now 54 and married with three sons. He owns Abagnale & Associates, a secure document consulting company. "He deserves some credit for changing his whole lifestyle," Shea said of Abagnale. On the Net: "Catch Me If You Can" movie site Frank Abagnale Back Home Back to News Archive