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…
