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The Perfect Scam


May 17, 2019

Bobby Thompson was once a respected fundraiser, generating millions of dollars for his charity, the U.S. Navy Veterans Association. When a Florida journalist uncovers that the charity is a scam, Thompson goes on the run. Eventually he starts a new life as “Don Morsette” in Portland, Ore. Living in a boardinghouse and claiming to work as a consultant for Boeing, Thompson thinks he’s outsmarted the U.S. marshals hunting him. He even keeps a DVD of the movie “Catch Me if You Can” and $1 million in cash in a storage locker. But the marshals arrest him outside his home, ending their two-year manhunt. Although they know Thompson is the man they’ve been looking for, marshals still don’t entirely know who he is. Thompson refuses to give his real name, signing court documents as “Mr. X.” 

 

Who is Bobby Thompson, and what led him to steal money meant for veterans? Federal investigators are determined to answer these questions. While he sits in jail awaiting trial, they dive back into the case, speaking to people who knew the man who called himself Bobby Thompson. In the end, these conversations reveal two clues, a haircut and eye drops, that will ultimately uncover Thompson’s true identity.