SCAM ARTIST POSING AS A FASHION MOGUL TRICKS INVESTOR OUT OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS

WILLIAM VOGT

An upstate man posed as an internationally renowned fashion mogul to dupe an investor out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, Manhattan authorities charged Tuesday.

William Vogt, 56, posed as the namesake of fashion house Bill Bolland Haute Couture to persuade his victim to pony up $350,000 — purportedly for business ventures including a tax-free account at Credit Suisse, stock in the VOSS Water Company and even a political donation to Hillary Clinton, court documents show.

Vogt, of Orange County, allegedly solicited the funds from 2011 to 2014 but never invested the cash. Instead he used it to pay his rent and fuel his not-so-haute tastes like shopping sprees at Home Depot, Target and Shoprite, prosecutors alleged.

The dumpy-looking fraudster was hauled into Manhattan Supreme Court in cuffs Tuesday looking nothing like a style icon.

“He has been defrauding victims posing as a fashion mogul and says he has investments, business connections, real estate transactions — then he takes their money and uses it for himself,”

Assistant Attorney General Isaac Gilwit told Justice Thomas Farber.

Vogt tried to make the shady transactions look legitimate by sending bogus emails from Credit Suisse, Voss Foundation, Morgan Stanley and a law firm, authorities said.

Vogt is a predicate felon with a long history of similar scams going back to 1987, said Gilwit arguing he be held without bail. “The current indictment came while he was on parole,” he said. “He has a bench warrant history and is a parole violator.”“Remand in my view is only for homicide,” said the judge. “I’ll set $4 million bond over $2 million cash.”

Vogt pleaded not guilty to 18 counts of grand larceny, forgery and securities fraud.

Authorities believe he swindled several other investors but he hasn’t yet been charged for those crimes.

If convicted, Vogt faces up to 15 years in prison.

“Whether you are a big bank or a fraudster looking to make a quick buck, defrauding investors is a serious crime in New York,” said Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, whose office is prosecuting the case.

“This individual allegedly went to outrageous lengths, including creating a fake identity, to trick his victim into trusting him with hundreds of thousands of dollars."