Kriti Mehrotra
With Netflix’s ‘Big Mäck: Gangsters and Gold’ delving into the incredible tale of Donald Stellwag in his own words, we get a true insight into not only who he is but also his ominous experiences. After all, apart from being falsely imprisoned for a bank robbery he did not commit, he has also been implicated in a gold heist worth over €1.5 million and deemed a cunning fraud for his behavior. Though it was actually his business partner as well as caretaker Frank Vogel to have openly claimed the latter in this film — so now, if you simply wish to learn more about him, we’ve got you covered.
Who is Frank Vogel?
It was around the late 2000s that Frank first came across Donald (aka Big Mäck) through their professions, especially as he was based in Ghana while the latter owned an antiques/jewel store. The truth is he’d approached the entrepreneur with an offer of diamonds, yet he got a career opportunity in return since the West African nation was the second-largest producer of gold at the time. “I bought gold for him, bought him a couple of diamonds, and so on,” the self-proclaimed trustworthy associate said in the original production. “That’s where the idea to open a mine came from.”
Frank and Donald thus began working towards establishing a mine in Ghana, only for things to crumble apart once the latter, the financier, ostensibly ordered his partner to rush things along. “You had to grease a hand or two to make things move [down in Africa],” the former stated. “Things didn’t move fast enough for him; ‘We can’t wait that long. We already have the excavator there.’ So I told him, ‘You can’t do it; it’s going to collapse.’ He didn’t listen. He then said, ‘It’s my money. Do what I tell you.’ So I did, and it all came to a halt.”
Nevertheless, the duo managed to continue their working relationship to such an extent that Frank became one of Donald’s closest friends and, hence, caretaker upon returning to Germany. But this is not to say they’re like two peas in a pod because the former has never shied away from admitting the once falsely accused convict can be charming, gangsterish, as well as selfish. “I think there’s a battle going on inside him; good vs. evil,” he said. “No matter what he tells you, it’s always difficult to find out if it’s true or not. So I don’t even look into most things anymore… I’ve known this behavior as long as I’ve known him. It’s no use.”
This, alongside the fact that Donald has done gold business with a lot of people from all walks of life, is an obvious reason that Frank was not surprised when his name popped up in the 2009 heist. He has never explicitly given his input on whether he believes the “Drucker boss” was actually involved in the debased criminal act or not, yet it did seem like he kind of thinks he is innocent. That’s because, in the Netflix original film, he’d merely said, “it’s no surprise to me he knows someone who just got robbed by someone he also knows” — he made no direct comments regarding his alleged criminality.
Frank Vogel is Still Donald’s Primary Caretaker Today
From what we can tell, today, Frank continues to serve as Donald’s full-time primary caretaker in countryside Germany despite their differences since he hopes someone might do the same for him one day. “The reason is simple,” the 54-year-old expressed. “I am also fat. Maybe someday I will be in this [bedridden] situation too. I hope somebody will do for me what I’m doing for him now.”
The duo actually resides in Frank’s home to this day, from where he admittedly makes a living solely off of trading in whatever comes in, whether it be antiques, metals, or collectible items. “Everyone assumes since I live with [Donald], I must be doing somehing illegal,” the German native asserted at one point before adding this is not at all the case; he does an honest man’s work.
Read More: Where is Falk Simang Now?
