Wilhelm Voigt (13 February 1849 – 3 January 1922) was a German con man and
impostor. In his most famous exploit, Voigt masqueraded as a
military officer of the elite
Prussian Guards in 1906, rounding up a number of
Imperial German Army soldiers under his "command", "arresting" the Mayor of
Köpenick, and "confiscating" 4,002
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 20 months 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.