An Orange County man who already pleaded guilty to charges of grand larceny in December again pleaded guilty to similar charges Tuesday stemming from an investment scheme, according to Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman’s office.
William Vogt, 57, of New Hampton, posed as millionaire designer Bill Bolland who ran Bill Bolland Haute Couture, defrauding victims out of more than $400,000 over a three-year period and keeping the money in what he promised was a tax-free account he held at a major financial institution. Vogt pleaded guilty in New York County Supreme Court on Tuesday to second-degree grand larceny charges after using false promises to secure high-return investments in various businesses.
An investigation by Schneiderman’s Criminal Enforcement and Financial Crimes Bureau found that Vogt convinced a victim in Manhattan to invest in fictitious ventures at Credit Sunrise, VOSS Water Co. and cooperative apartments between 2011-2014. He made no investments with the money and instead used the money toward personal expenses, including rent and making shopping purchases at Home Depot, Target and ShopRite.
“This defendant pulled out several tricks to defraud his investors,” Schneiderman said.
Vogt previously pleaded guilty to third-degree grand larceny in Ulster County Court in December after running a similar scheme that defrauded a Wilkes Barre, Pa. resident out of more than $36,000 beginning in June 2012.
Vogt will be sentenced on Aug. 4 to 5 to 10 years in prison for the New York County charges if he pays $120,000 restitution to the victim and signs a confession of judgment for the remaining amount. If he is unable to pay the restitution, Vogt will serve 6 to 12 years in prison and be required to sign a confession of judgment for the entire amount stolen of more than $350,000.
He will be sentenced on July 19 to 2 to 4 years in prison on the Ulster County charges if he pays $36,720, or 3 to 6 years if he cannot pay restitution. The New York County and Ulster County sentences will run concurrently.
Vogt was originally indicted in New York County in January 2015 and charged with two counts of second-degree larceny, four counts of third-degree grand larceny, nine counts of second-degree forgery, and three counts of violations of the Martin Act, all felonies.
