Farewell to fraud artists: Vogel retires after 33 years of prosecuting cheats and swindlers

Jan. 16—Candace Vogel saw the dark side of human nature countless times during the 33 years she spent prosecuting fraud cases for the Erie County District Attorney's Office.

She prosecuted crooked lawyers, contractors, health care aides, accountants, bookkeepers, stockbrokers and investment advisers who stole thousands and, in some cases, millions of dollars from people who trusted them.

She pursued online "romance scammers" who stole the lifetime savings from victims after convincing lonely people they were in love with them.

She handled heartbreaking cases of elderly people whose savings accounts were looted by their loved ones, including sons, daughters and grandchildren.

Does Vogel trust anyone after more than three decades pursuing liars, cheats and thieves?

"Yes, I still do believe in the basic goodness of people," said Vogel, 79. "But I am very cautious in my dealings with people. Maybe even a little too cautious at times."

Vogel was interviewed by The Buffalo News one week after her mid-December retirement as chief of the Special Investigations Unit in the DA's Office. She estimated that she had investigated at least 100 fraud cases each year since becoming a full-time fraud prosecutor in 1989.

DA John J. Flynn, the sixth boss of Vogel's career, calls her an "outstanding public servant" and says he was honored to work with her.

"In the history of this office, it is rare for any prosecutor to have handled as many cases, and as many high-profile cases, as Candy Vogel has," Flynn added.

Some of the more disturbing cases from Vogel's vast caseload:

—In 2011, an attorney who lived in a $2.6 million mansion was sent to prison after admitting to swindling 53 of his clients out of $3.1 million.

—A confessed "shopping addict" admitted in 2017 that, over a period of years, she stole $500,000 from a doctor she worked for.

—In 2020, a man was convicted of using a false tale of hardship to cheat a 91-year-old priest out of $500,000.

—A former postal carrier in 2013 admitted that he befriended an elderly man on his route and stole $400,000 from him.

—Three former employees of a local business that sells sports cards and memorabilia admitted in 2014 that they stole $1.3 million from their employer.

—A kickboxing champion and seven other men admitted in 2005 that they used an identity theft scheme to steal $450,000 from local victims.

—In 2009, a funeral director buried a man and then stole $175,000 from his widow.

—In 1995, an ambulance attendant admitted stealing a credit card off a deceased man's body.

"Being a victim of fraud is nothing to be ashamed of," Vogel said. "White-collar crime is a very personal crime. It's not like stabbing someone with a knife, but the criminal works his way into the victim's life, earns their trust and then victimizes them in a very personal way."

Speaking of the scam artists she has prosecuted, Vogel said: "I don't believe that most of them set out to be criminals. Many are addicted to gambling or drugs, or have other problems. Many of them start out by borrowing from Peter to pay Paul. They borrow $50 from someone's account, paying it back in a few days. The next time, they borrow $75, then pay back only $50. Before they realize it, they're stealing and it gets out of control."

A few she has prosecuted are "pure criminals" who have no compassion for their victims, Vogel said. "For them, stealing from people who trust them is just business."

Vogel, who stands 4-feet-7 and jokingly calls herself "the fraud broad," laughed as she recalled running into one of her former defendants — who had served time for identity theft — in a local Wegmans store.

"He walked up to me with his wife and said, 'I want you to meet Mrs. Vogel, the woman who sent me to prison for seven years and helped me to straighten out my life,' " Vogel said.

Vogel did not become an attorney until age 42.

Her first husband, James Vogel, was also an assistant DA. Vogel said she loved to question him about his cases and enjoyed going to the Erie County Courthouse to watch high-profile trials.

After he died in 1982, Vogel — now raising two children as a widow — decided that she, too, would pursue a law degree. Then-DA Richard J. Arcara, now a federal judge, hired her in 1986. She worked at Buffalo City Court and in the Grand Jury Bureau before becoming a specialist in fraud prosecutions in 1989.

"I have been very fortunate to work with so many amazing, hard-working people over the years — police officers, court staff, secretaries and fellow prosecutors in my office," Vogel said. "So many of these people don't get credited when it comes time to write press releases about a case."

Vogel became a widow for the second time in 1998, after 16 years of marriage to attorney Howard Yood.

As a retiree, she hopes to spend more time with family, including 10 grandchildren, and to travel more. She also would like to use her experience to help some organizations to educate the public about swindlers and scam artists.

"I tell older people they really should give someone power of attorney — someone they can truly trust — to help watch over their affairs," she said.

Vogel also advises people to get several estimates and talk to experts when they need roofing or other major work done on their homes.

She said she also believes in the old adage that says, if something seems too good to be true, it usually is.

"It's not just the elderly who are susceptible to being cheated," she said. "It's all of us."

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