Oops – I Married a Con Artist!

Dream of a Better Life

A cut above the others. A man of his information. Clean cut. Tall, dark, and… The sound of the car door opening and Sophie plopping herself onto the seat jolted me out of my daydream. Raising Sophie was my 24/7 assignment. Her father and I had divorced years before. Now he refused to pay child sustain and didnt bother to take advantage of visitation rights with Sophie.

Sophies involvement in sports, music, and honors programs accelerated over the years. I joined a gym to get fit so that I could try to keep up with her. Financially strapped and 20 minutes behind in life, we continuously juggled time, energy, and money shortages. I longed to be rescued. Where was that man in my life?

Mom, get up! Sophie called just before sunrise. She needed a ride to school. Coming to complete consciousness, I remembered we had not gotten home from the ball game last night until eleven. No time for a hot bubble bath this morning, and it wouldnt soften this boot camp lifestyle anyway. I want a husband to proportion this load.

An Officer and a Gentleman

Then one day he arrived-Frank, my knight in shining armor He didnt just talk of slaying dragons, he went right to work on them. He chased away an unfit boyfriend who had eased himself into Sophies life. He successfully confronted an unscrupulous male vendor in one of my most challenging business situations, saving my business and $5,000. His persuasive manner and loving cooking enticed my daughter to eat meat once again. Because he made it his business to cook her favorite meat dishes, she regained her health after having developing serious anemia from a fad Vegan diet.

Frank and I had met casually at the post office. A few telephone conversations later and he arrived at my place of business in uniform to take me out to lunch. Tall, dark, and handsome, Frank was an achieved Air Force Academy graduate, officer, pilot, and church-going man. After 14 years of waiting, my dream was about to come true. God owed me this one.

A Dream Wedding

The day was pristine, the air crystalline, and the sea around us a sparkling turquoise as we spoke our vows to one another. Overlooking the ocean from the Captains bow, we could see forever-this was a beautiful prelude to our future life together. It was August 7, 2000. Because this was a second marriage for each of us, we agreed a quiet wedding cruise would be romantic. Frank arranged for Sophie to have a private room onboard ship so that she could be my maid of honor. I can nevertheless envision our breathtaking wedding on the ship floating on the Caribbean Sea. It was simple, elegant, and tranquil-a heaven-sent marriage.

I vowed to dedicate all my being toward my husbands happiness. Once home, already the mundane took on a quality of special-ness. Frank took us to church, to dinner, and on movie dates. He continued to court me, politely including Sophie. Frank remembered holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries with flowers. Following our wedding, he booked a honeymoon cruise for later. My perfect husband had come to life.

Peace, as tranquil as the eye of a storm, enveloped our household. It was interrupted only by the normal minor adjustments each of us had to make to married life. Then Frank was promoted to major. I was disappointed when I was not invited to the ceremony. At the last minute, my team flew in from Washington D.C. I barely knew about it, Frank explained. He atoned by hosting a dinner and inviting non-military friends to celebrate his new rank. Then came 911. The Air Force put Frank on red alert for a combat mission to Afghanistan.

On September 18, my major rose early and kissed me good-bye. Proudly, I posted Franks photo amidst the other servicemens photos on our church bulletin board and fervently prayed for my major to come home alive. He arrived home ten days later. I noted others were gone longer. Back from a top-secret mission, I tried to decode his dark moods and silence. Just part of his responsible character, I reasoned. He often reminded me of his top-secret clearance and I…I just submitted to his stifling gag order.

The Honeymoon Is Over

Tension arose in our marriage when I began to pressure Frank for dependent military identification. Sophie needed an athletic physical and I needed dental work. But Frank dragged his feet about finalizing our military benefits.

Then there was the delayed honeymoon. As I was finally and happily packing for the cruise, Frank cracked his tooth on a fruitcake nutshell. We cancelled the trip just hours before we were to leave. Everyone knew the ships onboard dentist could have taken care of Franks tooth, but he refused to go. And I cried my heart out. Our honeymoon trip was over before it started.

I began to be besieged by mounting insecurities and suspicions. I ask Frank to join me in marriage counseling so that we could confront trust issues and financial concerns. He said the problem was mine-that I had not in addition conquer my fear of trusting men. In good faith, I had shared my assets with Frank and conveyed half interest in my home to him; but it seemed he wasnt willing to proportion anything with me. What was mine was ours, and what was his was nevertheless his. To assuage my fears, he finally agreed to attend marriage counseling with Dr. T

The Truth Comes Out

Then one day while I was cleaning, I found airplane tickets and receipts showing a Philippine destination at the time of his supposed Afghanistan mission. A travel agency, not the military, had issued the tickets to Frank. Torn between betraying Frank and learning the truth, I wanted to pretend I had not seen this. But if I were to deny the truth, I would betray myself. I had to find a logical explanation.

At our next counseling session, I confronted Frank about the Philippines. He explained hed been stated to perform a special mission under civilian cover. His reluctant, but assured, manner conveyed a top-secret aura. My feelings were mixed. I was ashamed that I had disrespected Franks career, but I was relieved by his explanation. And I was confused because there was nevertheless a without of clarity. Our counselor advised me to accept Franks explanation at confront value, but his confront showed growing concern.

My mind became a battlefield of conflicting questions. Why cant I just trust him? Why had Frank misled me about his missions destination? How do other officers wives manager these situations? I would have loved my knight in shining armor forever had not fractures in his armor continued to appear. His top-secret missions just werent adding up.

Now my sister and Sophie became suspicious. They ran an Internet background check and learned Frank wasnt an Air Force Academy graduate, pilot, or major. He was not a college graduate either. It was all a lie! But they were certain that at this point I would not believe such allegations. So they delayed telling me.

Spy Wife

Confusion with Franks credit and identity because his complete name was rather shared, brought increasing public embarrassment. The time had come to combat my imaginings once and for all. I sent an inquiry to the United States Air Force in Washington D.C. to find out if Frank might possibly be impersonating an officer.

A pilot friend had become suspicious of Franks without of aircraft knowledge. He volunteered to search Franks social security number by some connections he had. I took him up on it. About then a city detective spoke with me. He had recently arrested Frank on a $37,000 check fraud charge. Frank had professed mistaken identity. Mistaken identity or identity fraud?

I began to think about confronting Frank, but would I endanger myself …and Sophie? Would he tell the truth? I have to know who he is…or isnt, my mind screamed. Looking back, I cant pinpoint the exact moment when I knew who he wasnt. The real Frank is buried beneath multiple layers of cover-ups. So instead of confronting him only to rouse another cover-up, I became a spy wife! For 22 minutes each day while he showered, I searched his wallet for evidence; nervously scampering down to my office to make copies of everything I could get my hands on.

in addition, I was heartsick when I heard from the local Office of Special Investigations (OSI) that Franks shiny patent leather shoes, pilots wings, medals, and insignias, werent Air Force issued, and the so-called housing allotment from the US Treasury turned out to be a meager disability check.

Major Checkmate

As spy wife, I felt like an amateur playing chess with a seasoned master. Clearly, I had to find some irrefutable evidence. Only that would show the truth to be more believable than Franks lies. Apprehensive about the danger I might be in, I played the devoted wife, while I continued spying. I needed to know his real identity and agenda.

My sister and Sophie finally revealed the results of their investigation to me. We formed an ad hoc spy team. At that point, we only knew who Frank was not, but piece-by-piece, our spy team assembled the bigger picture. We found that Frank was 10 years younger than he claimed to be. We learned that he had used numerous social security numbers. His true social security number led us to a criminal history fraught with dismissals and probations for felony fraud offenses. We deduced I wasnt his second wife, but his fifth. Hed fathered at the minimum four children, in addition claimed only one.

We tracked down two of Franks former wives in town, and both were remarkably understanding and helpful. Both had unresolved issues with Frank. He had used their credit cards already during our marriage. The former wives joined our spy team and together we pressed credit card fraud charges against Frank.

Dr. T, now wise to Franks game, used our last counseling session to influence Frank to return his interest in my character. Youre an Air Force Major, right? Frank nodded yes. You dont need her money, do you? Dr. T challenged. Determined to preserve his false identity, our major boldly signed the deed. Dr T. had a notary standing by to make it legal. Outside, an angry Frank proclaimed, Im finished with marriage counseling! Because Frank had impersonated an officer/pilot and traveled to the Philippines shortly after the 911 terror attacks, a possible terrorism connection couldnt be ignored.

Then a question arose in my mind. Could I be considered an accomplice to in any case Frank had done? I decided I had to cooperate fully with the OSI. As the OSI prepared to arrest Frank for impersonating an officer, they requested I keep a log of the times Frank went out in uniform. Had I awakened on the scene of a 007 movie? I wondered. Next time he dresses in uniform, page me, and well arrest him, the OSI major ordered.

Legal Rights and Wrongs

 Frank put on his uniform and left the house. So, as instructed, I paged the OSI. Their response shocked me. We arent going to arrest him; hes never been military and isnt in our jurisdiction. I asked how they knew. We ran his social security number, he replied. Which one? I asked incredulously. The one on his military ID. I couldnt believe my ears. You ran his false social security number on his false military ID to determine hes never been military? Yes, the officer replied unflinchingly.

More of the unbelievable was in addition to come. On July 7, 2002 Id had enough. Frank had long since quit contributing financially to our family. It had only been a show of credibility anyway. Weary of supporting him while awaiting his arrest, and satisfied with the proof of fraud that we had accumulated, I decided to seek an annulment. I changed the security code to my home. Frank, not to be deterred, broke in. Sophie and I called police. Frank told them he had a right to break into his own home. The police asked for his identification for their report. Frank could not produce valid identification.

As police questioned Frank, Sophie quietly dashed upstairs to his office. Because she had been investigating him and had come up with so many inconsistencies between his stories and truth, she was sure he had fake IDs stashed somewhere. In the thorough dark recesses of his closet, she reached into a tuxedo jacket pocket and hit a goldmine of false ID cards, credit cards, and cash Frank had taken from my purse. My drivers license was there too. She discretely handed them to the officer. In moments Frank was arrested for false ID. Frank wasnt, however, charged with the theft of my cash or drivers license. Community character cant be stolen, police explained. Not knowing how Frank might retaliate should he discover my spying, I played dumb and reacted with utter shock when informed of his false identity.

The police took him away, but shortly afterward they came back to warn us. Frank had been released by the FBI and he was walking home. They advised us to get out and stay in other places for safety. They couldnt arrest him because the FBI now had jurisdiction. Why the FBI let him go is nevertheless a mystery. I have a right to be here, declared Frank when I called home to ask him to leave. My neighbor had called the police for Frank and they had helped him break into my house. The police told me that without divorce papers or a restraining order, Frank had a right to be there!

After months of my assisting the OSI and FBI, Frank was free and making me a refugee from my own home. already though Frank had fake military ID and the FBI knew it, the FBI declined to charge him. It was unbelievable! The following day I filed for a permanent restraining order and moved home as soon as the police escorted Frank out. Next, I endured a series of nerve-wracking hearings to fight for a long-lasting restraining order. Frank hired an attorney, but because my finances had been depleted by his embezzlement, I had to represent myself. Franks exes, Darla and Delia, joined me in court and held my hand to keep me brave. Thanks to a discerning female estimate and perceptive witnesses, we won the case! I had become spy wife, detective, and now an attorney.

Uniform Magic

Frank had used his imaginary military rank like a magic wand to unprotected to his desires. His uniform disarmed people, overruled suspicion, and granted him moment authority. With a fraudulent credit report, he acquired a $10,000 loan in uniform from a military credit union. In uniform he sweet-talked a teller into cashing a large counter check on my business account. The account went negative and was closed. It took nine months, copies of the annulment, restraining order, and notarized fraud affidavits to reopen that account.

In uniform my hero secretly borrowed money from my dearest friends, explaining that my business was undergoing adversity and that I was too proud to ask for help. Frank borrowed thousands-thousands for which I was liable. Franks case went from the United States Air Force (OSI) to Homeland security, to the FBI and, finally, to the Colorado Attorney General. An agent came to retrieve evidence-uniform and medals. The FBI investigation finally concluded, but in another episode of the unbelievable, the agent explained, Ms. Nelson, the attorney general has decided not to take enforcement action against Frank.

They had deemed Franks impersonation was not prosecutable, because he hadnt cost society at the minimum $100,000 within two years! And to further compound the unbelievable, no one bothered to inform the local police that they now had jurisdiction to pursue the impersonation charge.

One More Time

The knock at my door on October 20, 2003 startled me. I opened it to a police officer whom Frank had corralled to come get a jacket from my home. I was conquer with fear, and the officer had to calm me down so I could locate the restraining order. Although illegal for Frank to be within 100 yards of my house, he stood in the front yard and taunted me for hours. The con artist had cunningly applied one more legal ruse to violate the restraining order and avoid arrest-for the fourth time.

Once they understood Franks game, police scrambled to arrest him for something-military license plates became their focus. Collaborating with the FBI, police were told not to arrest Frank for the plates. He had been in the military in1976! What? The OSI had earlier declined to arrest Frank for impersonation because they said hed never been in the military! Finally the police gave up and wrote him a ticket for driving without a license.

Story Update

Despite documentation of fraud and impersonation of a military officer that was provided to the OSI and FBI, Frank has in addition to be charged with any of these crimes. He is nevertheless not in jail. The Selective Service and United States Air Force records via the Public Information Act, verify that this man was indeed in the military (Air Force) from 1972-1976. But when I married him, he was no longer in the military and was certainly never a major.

I was able to get an annulment and was released from possible financial or criminal liability produced by and during my marriage to Frank. Sophie graduated from college and has moved on to her career. Im spending more and more time away from the city where this all happened and where Frank nevertheless lives. We are fine now, but are determined never to be duped by a con man in uniform or any other dress again. We are also determined to do everything we can to help other women avoid the pain of relationship fraud.

Red Alert

You need to know whom you fall in love with. But how can anyone really know? Should we run a background check on everyone we date? How functional is that? Over 50% of online daters present a fantasy or false persona. I dont want to fill you with such suspicion that youll never fall in love again. But you must learn to ascertain the difference between your fantasy man and a real man.