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'Rockefeller' Was Ultimate Pro of Cons

Regret at losing his 'one true thing' led to kidnapping

By Victoria Floethe, Newser User

Posted Dec 7, 2008 11:29 AM CST

(Newser) – How did a German student reinvent himself as the creepy Clark Rockefeller? After lifting the drawl and manner of the millionaire on Gilligan’s Island, accused kidnapper Christian Gerhartsreiter embarked on a 30-year con, Mark Seal recounts in Vanity Fair. He became a suspect in a double murder, charmed his way into Wall Street jobs, and hoodwinked Boston society—before his daughter came along.

Rockefeller, who gave up custody rights in exchange for $800,000 and no investigation of his true identity, deeply regretted losing his daughter—“the one true thing in his life.” Says one friend, “I think the moment he took that money he started planning on how to get his daughter back.” Which he did, only to get caught in what would be his last con.

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (4)]

Christian Gerhartsreiter aka "Clark Rockefeller" is seen during his arraignment on kidnapping charges, Sept. 29, 2008, in Boston. A judge set bail at $50 million cash. (AP Photo)

Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, aka Clark Rockefeller, arrives for a hearing at Suffolk Superior Court, Dec. 1, 2008, after undergoing a substantial makeover. (AP Photo)

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At the end of a meal Rockefeller would exclaim, 'Isn’t this grand!,' and if it was an extra-grand evening, he would add, 'It's a peach-melba night!' - artist William Quigley

He flashed an oversize calling card, embossed with what he claimed was the Chichester family crest—a heron, its wings spread, with an eel in its beak—and the family motto, 'Firm en foi, ' meaning firm in faith.
- Mark Seal, Vanity Fair

Everyone was flabbergasted. We could not even imagine how he got a job he was clearly not capable of handling.
- "Rockefeller's" Phelps co-worker.

In Clark World, you were always trying to find out how rich he was, because once he had established how maniacally private he was...he could decline questions that impinged on his privacy.
- "Rockefeller" friend

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'Rockefeller' Was Ultimate Pro of Cons