Warwick Street in Quincy, where Wolas had lived with his longtime girlfriend, said he kept a low profile. They said they never saw him driving his own car; he was always being picked up or dropped off by cabs.



Dougan said police are looking into whether Wolas used the same cab driver over the years.



Besides creating new identities, con men also practice patience when wooing potential investors, law enforcement experts say. In New York, Florida and Quincy, Wolas first established legitimate careers, achieving success and gaining credibility in each role. In New York, he was a partner and a leading litigator for the national law firm Hunton & Williams.



Christopher Hein, one of dozens duped in Wolas’ liquor-trading scheme in the 1990s, said he only met Wolas once or twice,describing him as “a very intelligent guy” who spoke multiple languages, including Russian, and who studied art.



Wolas reportedly helped lure investors by bringing them to his Manhattan law office, giving his plan an air of legitimacy.



“He had a big job at Hunton & Williams,” Hein said. “He conducted his business in there, inside a beautiful office.”



Wolas was disbarred in 1997 after allegations surfaced of his fraudulent activities.



In Florida, Wolas re-emerged under new aliases and with a new profession as a securities broker who delivered on early investment deals before presenting the bigger con, which in Florida turned out to be investing in gold-mine leases.



“He’s just that convincing when he talks to you,” Ranew, the retired insurance agent in Florida said. “You just believe he’s telling the truth, and