Popular NYC SantaCon charity fundraiser was more con than Claus, authorities say
NEW YORK– A SantaCon charity fundraiser that floods New York City with drunken young people in red and white Santa costumes every holiday was aptly named: a scam, federal authorities said in arresting its organizer.
Stefan Pildes, 50, of Hewitt, New Jersey, was arrested Wednesday and was awaiting arraignment in Manhattan federal court, where an indictment charging him with wire fraud was unsealed.
Federal authorities said he donated to charity only a small fraction of the $2.7 million he raised from SantaCon events from 2019 to 2024.
A message seeking comment was sent to a lawyer for Pildes. The accused was scheduled to make a first appearance before a magistrate judge on Wednesday.
Authorities said he siphoned more than half of the proceeds raised each year to an entity he controlled so he could fund his personal needs, including renovating a lakefront property in New Jersey, concert tickets, luxury vacations, extravagant meals and a luxury vehicle.
