Who Is Clark Rockefeller?

The Rockefeller tale begins with German con artist Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter (McCormack) coming to the U.S. in 1979 as a foreign exchange student. He used a series of aliases, impersonating a talk show host and a Pentagon adviser, among others. Gerhartsreiter soon became a fixture in Boston high society for more than a decade after he claimed to be Clark Rockefeller, an heir to the famous dynasty. The deception was described as "the longest con in FBI history." He eventually married Sandra Boss, a millionaire with a Harvard MBA and a partner at the prestigious business consulting firm McKinsey & Co. After losing custody of their daughter during the divorce, Rockefeller kidnapped the girl during a supervised visit in July 2008. The abduction and Rockefeller's apprehension after the safe retrieval of his daughter drew nationwide attention and led to the discovery of his real identity. At a trial this spring, Gerhartsreiter was sentenced to four to five years in prison for the kidnapping. (Verleiher-Text)