Sometime after arriving in NYC, he meets Mozzie. Little else is known about Neal, other than the fact he didn't finish high school, and that his extensive knowledge of art and history is apparently self-taught. It is implied that learning the truth about his father is what started Neal down the criminal path.
As a result, Danny leaves WitSec, changes his name back to Neal, takes on his mother's maiden name and moves to New York City. ( Stealing Home, Parting Shots)Īt the age of 18, Ellen tells Danny the truth about his father. Louis is later confirmed to be where Neal-as Danny Brooks-spent his childhood. Neal mentions that at the age of nine, he frequented a pool hall on his way home from school. After that, he states that " was never late again." ( Parting Shots) Later, he "got smarter" and forged his own bus pass. He exclaims that " actually worked," as it lasted a few days. Danny then made another more intricate attempt by barricading the roads in order to reroute the school buses to pass by his house. As he was often late for school, Danny attempted to solve this problem by setting the school's clock 30 minutes behind schedule, but the plan was thwarted almost immediately. ( Diminishing Returns, What Happens in Burma)Īccording to Ellen, Neal-as Danny-had a habit of conning people, even as a young boy. Neal was then raised under the belief that his name was Danny Brooks, and that his father was a police officer who died heroically. She-along with Neal and his mother-was later placed into Witness Protection as a result of her involvement in the case. Other evidences found indicated that James was a corrupt cop as well, and Ellen, who had been James' partner, had been forced to arrest James. Kathryn Hill, known by her alias of Ellen Parker, later reveals that Neal's father James had been arrested for the murder of a police officer when Neal was two years old. It was during this period that he "got really good with guns." However, at the end of the episode, Neal finally admits to Peter that his dad was a dirty cop and that his mother only told him what children would want to hear about their fathers. His mother told him that his father "went out in a hail of gunfire taking out a whole gang of bad guys," and Neal grew up wanting to be just like him. Neal mentions that his father died when he was two years old. ( Diminishing Returns, Parting Shots, Compromising Positions, Ancient History) Neal was born on March 21 in the late 1970s to a man named James Bennett and his wife, Mrs. These traits prove to be crucial necessities in his line of work and serve as an advantage in the many instances where his or another person's life is on the line. Neal is known for his good looks, his fitness, his brilliant out-of-the-box thinking, ability to talk, lie or charm his way out of (or into) anything, and charisma.
The last scene of the series shows him alive, free, and in Paris.
A year after his 'death', Mozzie gives Peter a key to a storage locker with evidence of the fact that Neal is in fact alive. In the series finale, he faked his death, "Neal Caffrey's Greatest Con," as Mozzie put it. To avoid staying in prison for another four years and to be able to continue his search for Kate, Neal offers to help find the criminal Burke is hunting, as long as he can be released into Burke's custody.Īfter successfully apprehending the criminal, Neal is allowed to serve his remaining four-year sentence on a work-release program as a consultant to the FBI. He is found once more by Peter, in whom he confides that Kate had left him, and he left prison to get her back. Extremely crafty and cunning, Neal was only convicted of Bond Forgery, which was just one of the many crimes he was suspected of.īut with only four months left on his four-year prison sentence, Neal escapes prison after a visit from his girlfriend, Kate Moreau. Neal was an elusive White Collar criminal, and after a three-year chase, he was eventually apprehended by FBI agent Peter Burke. Neal George Caffrey (born Neal George Bennett) is charming, sophisticated, and is considered to be one of the world's greatest con artists.