9. The Con Man
Clark Rockefeller's yarn was so extraordinary that no one thought to question its veracity. Claiming to be a scion of the Rockefeller dynasty, he joined prestigious clubs, gained prominent friends and married a socialite. He collected expensive art, securing an affluent life in rural Vermont for himself, his wife Sandra Boss and their seven-year old daughter Reigh. But after divorcing Boss in 2007, that tale began to unwind. In late July, the man calling himself Clark Rockefeller was arrested after the bizarre alleged kidnapping of Reigh during a custodial visit in Boston. Police then discovered he was actually German-born Christian Gerhartsreiter, with a record of swindling. Police have also connected him to the 1985 disappearance of a California couple from whom — under yet another alias — Gerhartsreiter rented an apartment. He has pleaded not guilty to the kidnapping charges and denies involvement in the California disappearance.
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