Wilhelm Voigt

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Wilhelm Voigt
Voigt in 1910
Born	(1849-02-13)13 February 1849 Tilsit, East Prussia, Kingdom of Prussia
Died	3 January 1922(1922-01-03) (aged 72) Luxembourg
Occupation	Shoemaker
Known for	Disguising as a Prussian Captain and robbing 4000 marks (£625)

Friedrich Wilhelm Voigt (13 February 1849 – 3 January 1922) was a German con man and impostor. His most famous exploit was in 1906, when Voigt masqueraded as a military officer of the elite Prussian Guards, rounded up a number of Imperial German Army soldiers under his "command", arrested the Mayor of Köpenick for alleged political corruption, and "confiscated" more than 4,000 marks from the city treasury. Voigt then changed back into civilian clothing and disappeared with the money. The case was exploited for British propaganda about German militarism, but the German people overwhelmingly considered Voigt's exploit to be both clever and hilarious. Although Voigt was soon caught and served two years in prison, he became a folk hero as "the Captain of Köpenick" (German: der Hauptmann von Köpenick [ˈhaʊptman fɔn ˈkøːpənɪk] ^ⓘ) and was granted a full pardon by Kaiser Wilhelm II.