SantaCon is run by a conman who siphoned millions of dollars meant for New York charities, federal prosecutors in Manhattan charged Wednesday — describing the leader of the annual crimson plague as a grinch who “stole Christmas from tens of thousands of victims.”
Stefan Pildes was charged with wire fraud in an unsealed indictment accusing him of diverting to a slush fund at least half of the roughly $2.7 million raised for charity by SantaCon participants from 2019 to 2024. The feds say he also dipped into funds that weren’t siphoned, treating the pot of cash like his personal piggy bank.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said the leader of the notorious pub crawl promoted it “as an event grounded in charitable giving, but instead of donating the millions of dollars he raised, he ran his own con game.”
“He took advantage of New Yorkers’ generous holiday spirit to finance his lifestyle through personal expenses, big and small,” Clayton said in a statement. “No matter how you dress it up, fraud is fraud.”
Pildes, 50, of Hewitt, N.J, was arrested early Wednesday and was expected to appear before Manhattan Magistrate Judge Katharine Parker. He could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the racket.
SantaCon has generated proceeds through ticket sales to participants and commissions to the bars and restaurants that host them. Prosecutors say both attendees and small business owners have been defrauded, with Pildes pilfering the funds to pay for extensive renovations on a lakefront property in New Jersey, concert tickets, luxury vacations, pricey meals and a sports car.
“Pildes allegedly stole Christmas from tens of thousands of victims and deprived local charities of more than one million dollars. The FBI continues to root out scrooges that greedily exploit the goodwill of New Yorkers,” FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. said Tuesday.
The booze-fueled revelry draws at least 25,000 attendees each December to the ire of many New Yorkers disgusted by inebriated St. Nicks vomiting and urinating in the streets.
This story will be updated.