DA Conley's statement on Rockefeller's true identity

"I'd first like to say how proud I am to work with the men and women of the agencies represented here today. The investigators assigned to this case worked around the clock at home and abroad to provide us with the identification we've just announced. In so doing, they've developed the strongest evidence yet of who this defendant is and where he has been.

"When Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter's true name first surfaced, the initial reports and photo identifications simply were not sufficient for our criminal case. As prosecutors, we need more than a photo and a fading memory when we walk into court.

"By matching the major case prints Boston Police took from this suspect ten days ago to a piece of paper he touched 27 years earlier, the FBI's fingerprint technicians brought science to bear where mere suspicion had prevailed.

"I don't think any of us could have predicted the turns this case would take. Gerhartsreiter is at the center of the longest con I've seen in my professional career. But although the story is something out of a crime novel, the underlying offense is very real and very serious.

"At the heart of this case is a little girl. This defendant put her at risk, placed her in fear, and threw her family into turmoil. That he is her father doesn't excuse his actions. Massachusetts law is very clear on this point.

"In light of these developments, prosecutors will move to amend the complaint against this defendant to reflect his true name. We'll also consider additional charges as warranted.

"It's important to remember that children, defenseless boys and girls at the mercy of the adults around them, go missing with tragic frequency. What we saw in this location effort was unusual in its publicity, but not in our response. Every one of those cases is important to us, and every one of those cases warrants the public assistance and the media coverage that proved so helpful in bringing this little girl home."

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