Molly Conger

Boyce's mother would later say that the two became quite close in those months. Frank was, for reasons I spent way too long unsuccessfully trying to figure out, transferred to a prison in Maine sometime in early 1978. Boyce would eventually be transferred to Lompoc, a prison a few hours north of Los Angeles. And in January of 1980, Christopher Boyce escaped from prison.

The ensuing manhunt for the missing spy would last nearly two years, in part because Frank was planting false clues from Cape Town to California to lead investigators in the wrong direction. And that's where I have to leave you today. I do hope you'll come back next week for the second half of Frank's story. There's a serial killer, a mob boss, a jailhouse letter from his wife's boyfriend.

The ensuing manhunt for the missing spy would last nearly two years, in part because Frank was planting false clues from Cape Town to California to lead investigators in the wrong direction. And that's where I have to leave you today. I do hope you'll come back next week for the second half of Frank's story. There's a serial killer, a mob boss, a jailhouse letter from his wife's boyfriend.

The ensuing manhunt for the missing spy would last nearly two years, in part because Frank was planting false clues from Cape Town to California to lead investigators in the wrong direction. And that's where I have to leave you today. I do hope you'll come back next week for the second half of Frank's story. There's a serial killer, a mob boss, a jailhouse letter from his wife's boyfriend.

Frank stabs another guy. And for reasons I'm still not 100% clear on, there are a bunch of snakes.

Frank stabs another guy. And for reasons I'm still not 100% clear on, there are a bunch of snakes.

Frank stabs another guy. And for reasons I'm still not 100% clear on, there are a bunch of snakes.

I'm so glad you decided to come back for part two of the story of Frank Sweeney. If you didn't hear part one, you really need to. This isn't the kind of story you can pick up midway through.

I'm so glad you decided to come back for part two of the story of Frank Sweeney. If you didn't hear part one, you really need to. This isn't the kind of story you can pick up midway through.

I'm so glad you decided to come back for part two of the story of Frank Sweeney. If you didn't hear part one, you really need to. This isn't the kind of story you can pick up midway through.

You missed a cop getting shot with a machine gun in a New Jersey suburb, the Rhodesian Bush War, possible CIA involvement in an Australian political crisis, and we're just about to pick up with our escaped spy. The second 40 years of Frank's life are just as weird as the first 40. There's a serial killer, a mafia trial, two different secret wives, and a lot of misuse of the postal service.

You missed a cop getting shot with a machine gun in a New Jersey suburb, the Rhodesian Bush War, possible CIA involvement in an Australian political crisis, and we're just about to pick up with our escaped spy. The second 40 years of Frank's life are just as weird as the first 40. There's a serial killer, a mafia trial, two different secret wives, and a lot of misuse of the postal service.

You missed a cop getting shot with a machine gun in a New Jersey suburb, the Rhodesian Bush War, possible CIA involvement in an Australian political crisis, and we're just about to pick up with our escaped spy. The second 40 years of Frank's life are just as weird as the first 40. There's a serial killer, a mafia trial, two different secret wives, and a lot of misuse of the postal service.

I'm Molly Conger, and this is Beard Little Guys. Beard Little Guys Now, when we left off last week, Frank was making friends in prison. His new friend in 1978 was Christopher Boyce, who'd just been convicted of espionage for selling documents he stole from his job as a CIA contractor to the Soviets. And then he escaped from prison.

I'm Molly Conger, and this is Beard Little Guys. Beard Little Guys Now, when we left off last week, Frank was making friends in prison. His new friend in 1978 was Christopher Boyce, who'd just been convicted of espionage for selling documents he stole from his job as a CIA contractor to the Soviets. And then he escaped from prison.

I'm Molly Conger, and this is Beard Little Guys. Beard Little Guys Now, when we left off last week, Frank was making friends in prison. His new friend in 1978 was Christopher Boyce, who'd just been convicted of espionage for selling documents he stole from his job as a CIA contractor to the Soviets. And then he escaped from prison.

Whether or not Frank was still in custody on the day Christopher Boyce escaped from prison is surprisingly hard to pin down. Several newspaper articles about Frank's role in the ensuing manhunt for the missing spy put his release a month before the escape, but others put it a month after. Seems like this detail would really matter, but no one seemed very concerned about it in 1980.

Whether or not Frank was still in custody on the day Christopher Boyce escaped from prison is surprisingly hard to pin down. Several newspaper articles about Frank's role in the ensuing manhunt for the missing spy put his release a month before the escape, but others put it a month after. Seems like this detail would really matter, but no one seemed very concerned about it in 1980.

Whether or not Frank was still in custody on the day Christopher Boyce escaped from prison is surprisingly hard to pin down. Several newspaper articles about Frank's role in the ensuing manhunt for the missing spy put his release a month before the escape, but others put it a month after. Seems like this detail would really matter, but no one seemed very concerned about it in 1980.

Newspapers that appeared to be quoting the same unnamed source from the U.S. Marshals published conflicting stories, with some saying Frank flew to South Africa shortly before Boyce's escape, and others putting that trip slightly after the escape, although both of these articles say it was exactly 23 days before or after.