Stefan Pildes is facing federal wire fraud charges.
Stefan Pildes is facing federal wire fraud charges.Federal prosecutors arrested the organizer of New York City's controversial SantaCon bar crawl Wednesday after they say he allegedly kept a lot of the holiday joy for himself.
Stefan Pildes, 50, is facing federal wire fraud charges that accuse him of siphoning hundreds of thousands of dollars in charitable funds for his own use, including for concert tickets and vacations. SantaCon is an event held annually in December in which thousands of attendees dress as Santa Claus and other holiday characters and travel to bars and restaurants throughout the day. Revelers dressed as holiday characters participate in the annual SantaCon pub crawl in New York, on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025.The event is billed as "a charitable, non-political, nonsensical Santa Claus convention that happens once a year to spread absurdist joy" that charges attendees tickets that cost between $10 and $20, the indictment said. "When one Attendee, for example, asked what she would receive for purchasing a ticket, the SantaCon Email responded, in part, 'your donation goes to charity and it is only a few bucks and that good feeling will warm your heart faster than whiskey and gingerbread,'" the indictment said. But of nearly $3 million Pildes raised since 2019, he allegedly diverted more than half to an entity he used as a slush fund, according to an indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court. Prosecutors allege Pildes used the money for personal expenses, including $365,000 to renovate a lakefront property in New Jersey, $124,000 toward the lease of a "luxury Manhattan apartment," a "$100,000 investment in a boutique resort in Costa Rica founded by a personal friend," and a nearly $3,000 birthday dinner, the indictment said. He is charged with one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.He is allowed no contact with any of the organizers of Santa Con, the judge said.The bar crawl has become a controversial event in Manhattan with from local leaders and residents accusing some intoxicated Santa-dressed revelers of causing disturbances during the day.ABC News' Ivan Pereira contributed to this report.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
SantaCon Organizer Charged With Wire Fraud for Allegedly Pocketing Charity FundsSantaCon organizer and president Stefan Pildes has been charged with wire fraud for pocketing more than $1 million in charity funds from the event.
Read more »
Christmas grift: NYC SantaCon founder allegedly stole charity cash to fund lavish lifestyleAuthorities said Stefan Pildes siphoned more than half of the proceeds raised from SantaCon each year to an entity he controlled so that he could renovate a…
Read more »
SantaCon founder charged with stealing from charityStefan Pildes, the founder of SantaCon, was arrested in Manhattan on Wednesday for allegedly pilfering more than half of the $2.7 million he raised for
Read more »
SantaCon Organizer Stefan Pildes Was Arrested for Wire FraudProsecutors say SantaCon organizer Stefan Pildes siphoned hundreds of thousands of dollars out of SantaCon for personal use, including a New Jersey renovation and a $100,000 investment in a boutique resort in Costa Rica.
Read more »
SantaCon Was a Con? Stefan Pildes Indicted on Wire Fraud.Stefan Pildes, the organizer of the Christmas bar crawl SantaCon, was indicted by federal prosecutors on Wednesday for allegedly diverting proceeds from charity to pay for luxury vacations and home renovations.
Read more »
SantaCon Organizer Accused of 'Santa Con' Fraud SchemeThe popular NYC holiday bar crawl SantaCon is under scrutiny as its organizer, Stefan Pildes, faces federal charges for allegedly orchestrating a holiday-season fraud scheme. Prosecutors claim Pildes diverted millions of dollars in ticket sales and bar commissions, meant for charity, into a personal slush fund and spent it on lavish personal expenses, defrauding thousands of attendees and businesses.
Read more »