The Man in the Rockefeller Suit, a true crime review
Reality is a concept that has always been contested. Is it a single chain of events waiting to be discovered? Or is it a patchwork of the many different narratives we construct, each no more ‘real’ than the other?
The Man in the Rockefeller Suit is a true crime story about the serial conman and murderer Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, who “took to extremes his ability to construct assumed realities,” according to the author, Mark Seal. Seal, a journalist for thirty-five years, had written a Vanity Fair profile of Gerhartsreiter that made him a finalist for the 2010 National Magazine Award.
Book Summary
Gerhartsreiter, a German immigrant from the small town of Bergen, had dreamed of escape and a life of glamour from a young age. As an adolescent, he loved to play games where he would take on another identity. For instance, his one-time close friend Thomas Schweiger recounted that the 13-year-old Gerhartsreiter had called a government agency that registered cars and pretended to be a millionaire from Holland who wanted to register his two Rolls-Royces. Despite the clerk’s initial scepticism, Gerhartsreiter was able to persuade him.
To get out of his sleepy hometown, Gerhartsreiter would hitchhike along the autobahn (highways) to neighbouring towns and cities. He learned to speak flawless English by working as a tour guide and spent his free time watching old American movies. The pull of starting a new life led the 17-year-old Gerhartsreiter to arrive in America alone on a tourist visa (obtained through fraudulent means).
Aware that his tourist visa would only last six months, Gerhartsreiter applied to extend his stay as an exchange student. From then on, he would take on a series of false identities in a 30-year string of cons that would take him from rags to riches. By deceiving the rich into thinking that he was one of them, Gerhartsreiter was able to infiltrate their exclusive circles and climb up the social ladder.
His most outrageous deception was posing as a Rockefeller, using the name of one of America’s most powerful industrial, political, and banking families to hide his humble roots.
As ‘Clark Rockefeller’, Gerhartsreiter pretended to be an orphaned and blue-blooded heir to a fortune that was sadly encumbered by a lawsuit. Under this guise, he charmed and married a successful investment banker, Sandra Boss, who had no idea that he was an imposter.
Boss was completely taken in by Rockefeller’s attentiveness and sophistication; the two married within a year of meeting each other. However, their marriage fell apart as Rockefeller no longer felt the need to play the role of prince charming having ensnared his target. Unable to contribute any money to the family, he spent lavishly and deprived Boss of her own earnings. Finally, their divorce and the ensuing custody battle over their daughter, Snooks, exposed Rockefeller as a fraud. Not long after, human remains dug up behind a California home where he used to stay revealed an even more disturbing truth.
Personal reflection
If anything, Rockefeller or Gerhartsreiter’s story illustrates how gullible people are when they place too much value on appearances. When creating an assumed identity, Gerhartsreiter would always include a few elements of truth — but really, most of what he said could be easily disproved with a little research. Fortunately for him, his handsome face and effortless charm distracted his victims from what they did not want to see.
It seemed that Gerhartsreiter had cracked the code – although his personas could usually be debunked with a little research, his victims were easily taken in by his charm and overlooked small details which seemed ‘off.’ Gerhartsreiter also preyed on those who were lonely and desperate for validation. One of his victims was a widow who struggled with alcoholism and had a strained relationship with her son and daughter-in-law. Those like her may overlook inaccuracies in his story as long as he appeals to their ego and eases their pain. Lastly, Gerhartsreiter knew where he could find his desired victims. When arriving in a new location, the first thing he would do was join a church frequented by the wealthy inhabitants of the area. These church communities served as a convenient and relatively open entry point into the otherwise closed-off world of high society.
When speaking to Patrick Hickox, an architect and close friend of Rockefeller, the author, Mark Seal, referred to Rockefeller as a ‘con’. Hickox rejected the label, insisting on Rockefeller’s ‘loving and caring’ nature and his genuine love for his daughter.
“For Clark, things that are imaginary are very, very real,” Hickox explained while defending his old friend.
Rockefeller or Gerhartsreiter is someone who has grown so used to his assumed identities that he has grown into them. Perhaps that was why he was so convincing — he truly believed in the personas he constructed.
Strangely enough, the central character of the book remains silent. Everything the reader learns about Rockefeller is filtered through the interpretation of the author and the various people who had interacted with him. This leaves the reader wondering whether the character of Rockefeller the book presents is an accurate representation of the real person. It seems as though each person Seal interviewed for this book only saw a small part of Rockefeller’s identity, and thus, Seal had to stitch these imperfect parts together to form a picture of his subject.
Final Thoughts
If readers cannot be certain that the book presents an accurate image of Rockefeller then where does its value lie? When people consume ‘true crime’, it’s not the dry facts of the case which capture their attention. There is always a story behind the case which shocks, fascinates, and draws them in. Similarly, the rise and fall of a serial conman and killer resonates with the audience because of its depiction of an aspirational lifestyle. Gerhartsreiter starts off as a small town boy, transplants himself into a foreign country and rises in his new society by casting off his old identity and assimilating into the circles of the rich. The fact that this lifestyle is founded on lies and callousness only makes Gerhartsreiter a more compelling figure. Gerhartsreiter is a real-life Wolf of Wall Street; he does what many of us desire to do, but cannot due to our moral inhibitions and lack of ability.
Whatever the reality behind its subject may be, The Man in the Rockefeller Suit is a worthwhile read for fans of ‘true crime.’ The many twists and turns of this case will take readers on a surreal ride through the ballrooms and churches of American high society, affording a glimpse into this hidden world and the mind of a conman who managed to infiltrate it.
By: Joyce Lee