Albert Verlinde’s neighbor, with whom he is in the homeowners’ association, seems to go down in the history books as one of the Netherlands’ biggest fraudsters ever. “They met together about their building.”
It is one of the most bizarre reconstructions to appear in the media this year: the story that NRC published last week about the unmasking of tech millionaire Pieter Vos. As boss of the Amsterdam software company Rodeo, he was until recently celebrated as one of the country’s most successful tech entrepreneurs, but that is now over.
200 million euros
Pieter turns out to be the pivotal figure in one of the largest fraud cases our country has ever known. He managed to raise millions from investors by completely making up turnover figures and customer numbers. While in reality the company had hardly any customers, he portrayed Rodeo as a global player with lucrative deals at Google and Meta.
With smooth talk and self-prepared financial statements, he convinced an American billion-dollar fund to invest no less than 200 million (!) euros in Rodeo in the summer of 2022. They just forgot to check with Google and Meta whether they were really doing business with Pieter. They did demand a financial director and good supervision.
Large-scale fraud
Pieter presents matters very nicely: he reports a turnover of 57 million euros at the end of 2023 and states that he already has a thousand customers in the United States. That is also what investors and commissioners hear, but the staff knows better, according to NRC: “They see that there is hardly any interest in their product.”
“I thought: either things are going very well, or it is all wrong and Pieter is committing large-scale fraud,” says a former employee. “I just couldn’t imagine the latter.”
Castle in the air
When Pieter is finally pushed aside by the chairman of the supervisory board last March, it turns out that everything is a pipe dream. “Real panic arises when Schevernels (his replacement, ed.) asks the head of the sales department for an overview of the number of customers,” writes NRC.
“Once the overview has been conjured up on a computer screen, Schevernels asks whether it concerns customers from the Utrecht region. No, the sales manager assures him. Rodeo really only has a few hundred customers. Worldwide.”
And the turnover? Not 57 million euros, but several hundreds of thousands of euros. And the bank balance is not 15 million euros, but less than 10,000. Where has that investment of 200 million euros gone?
Throwing money
Pieter seems to have lived happily ever after. “Shortly after the deal with PSG, he texted an acquaintance a photo of his new Jaguar E-type Cabrio. It has become a dark blue,” according to NRC. “The arrival of PSG has made him filthy rich. After the investment, he has 21 million euros in his personal BV, according to a bankruptcy report.”
Three days after the deal, Pieter also buys an apartment in a luxury residential complex near Museumplein for more than 3.5 million euros. “There are two parking spaces, Vos buys four additional spaces in the underground parking garage for 400,000 euros,” said the newspaper, which also reported on the purchase of a black Ferrari.
Albert’s neighbor
Although the very expensive house in Amsterdam will be registered in Pieter’s name, he himself will sit on the board of the building’s Owners’ Association. “There he meets with his new neighbor: showbiz expert and musical entrepreneur Albert Verlinde,” NRC reveals.
What?! The Albert Verlinde? The man who knows who Gordon argued with in the morning and where Lucille Werner buys her eggs? Between the homeowners’ association agenda items, he didn’t overlook one of the biggest fraudsters ever, did he? To the outside world, Pieter has completely disappeared, but does Albert know where he and his husband are?
That Pieter man also pinches him. “My husband has come to pick up some personal items from the office. Please don’t report him to the police. He is not a thief,” Pieter emailed Rodeo staff.
Unreachable
Pieter suddenly seems to no longer exist at all, just like his husband. “He changes his LinkedIn photo into a picture of a beach. He no longer answers his phone. Pieter Vos seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth. The founder disappears without a trace and is unreachable,” said NRC.
The newspaper went to the building where Albert also lives. “According to two sources, he was recently spotted in Amsterdam, but when NRC rings the doorbell at his apartment near Museumplein, no one answers the door. The doorman says he hasn’t seen Vos for months.”
Where is Peter?
It is almost inevitable that Albert knows more about this. And if not, it would be useful if he could play the HOA detective, because the authorities are looking for this alleged fraudster worth millions. The Public Prosecution Service has one the day before yesterday criminal investigation announced to him. Oops, oops, oops.
A blessing in disguise for Albert: some spaces will soon become available in the parking garage. But perhaps he can first check whether there is still anything in the VvE fund…