In 1955, suspense writer Patricia Highsmith published a novel, The Talented Mr. Ripley, about a young man who runs a number of grifts in New York City to keep himself afloat. In spite of the fact that Tom Ripley is completely untrustworthy, a chance encounter with a wealthy man results in Ripley being dispatched to the Italian Riviera to retrieve the man’s wastrel son who is busy squandering his trust fund, and with whom Ripley is distantly—very distantly—acquainted.
Ripley soon becomes obsessed with the errant son and contrives to live the same life of wealth and indolence. Needless to say, the plot thickens. Ripley murders the son and assumes his identity. He goes on to dispose of others who are poised to discover his crime and expose him. Having dispensed with his adversaries, the novel ends with Ripley absconding with the trust fund, evading consequences for his crimes and living happily ever after.
It seems that truth, if not stranger than fiction, isn’t too far distant. Let us consider the strange-but-true tale of George Anthony Devolder Santos. As of this writing, his purported résumé is as follows:
- Attended the elite Horace Mann High School in Manhattan.
- Attended Baruch College, where he played volleyball with such ferocity that he later required two knee replacements.
- Was the grandson of Jewish Holocaust survivors.
- Worked for Goldman Sachs and…
