The Man in the Rockefeller Suit

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First published in 2011 by Viking Penguin, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Copyright © Mark Seal, 2011

All rights reserved

Portions of this book appeared in “The Man in the Rockefeller Suit,” Vanity Fair.

Excerpts from transcript of “San Marino Bones” episode of Unsolved Mysteries, January 13, 1995. Courtesy of

Unsolved Mysteries © 1995.

PHOTOGRAPH CREDITS

Insert page 2 (top): Photograph courtesy of Thomas Shweiger; 2 (middle and bottom), 3 (top): © Argum/Einberger; 4 (middle): Chris Newberg; 4 (bottom): Courtesy Grindhouse Pictures AB and Mats Larson; 5 (top): San Marino Tribune, used by permission of The San Marino Tribune Company, Inc.; 6 (bottom): Sue Bermudez Coffman; 7 (top and bottom): Jon Gilbert Fox; 8 (top and bottom), 9 (top and bottom): Laura White; 10 (top): Susan Symonds for Infinity Portrait Design; 10 (bottom): © 2007 Don Harney; 12 (top): Julie Gochar, Obsidian Realty; 12 (bottom): Boston Globe/Dina Rudick/Landov; 13 (top and bottom), 14 (top): Boston Globe/John Tlumacki/ Landov; 14 (bottom): Boston Globe/Essdras Suarez/Landov; 15 (top): Reuters/Brian Snyder/Landov; 15 (bottom): Boston Globe/Bill Greene/Landov; 16 (top): Reuters/Lisa Poole/Pool/Landov; 16 (bottom): Reuters/ CJ Gunther/Pool/Landov

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Seal, Mark, 1953–

The man in the Rockefeller suit: the astonishing rise and spectacular fall of a serial impostor / Mark Seal. p. cm.

eISBN : 978-1-101-51585-3

1. Gerhartsreiter, Christian, 1961–2. Impostors and imposture—United States—Case studies. I. Title.
HV6760.G47S43 2011
364.16’33—dc22
2010048908

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