SantaCon Leader Stefan Pildes Charged with Stealing $1 Million from Charity
Stefan Pildes, who organized New York City's SantaCon bar crawl, has been charged with stealing more than $1 million from charity donations. Prosecutors say he took over half the money raised during five years of the event that was promoted as helping charities.
Stefan Pildes ran SantaCon, a massive bar crawl where thousands of people dress as Santa and drink their way through New York City bars each December. He promoted it as a charity event that raised money for good causes.
But federal prosecutors say Pildes was running his own con game. Over five years, he "siphoned" more than half of all donations for himself, stealing over $1 million total.
"Instead of donating the millions of dollars he raised, he ran his own con game," said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton in announcing the charges.
Pildes controlled a nonprofit called Participatory Safety Inc. that organized SantaCon. The event draws huge crowds each year, with participants paying fees and making donations they believed were going to charity.
The case highlights how popular events can be used to hide fraud. SantaCon has been controversial for years due to rowdy behavior, but many participants thought their money was at least helping good causes.
This shows how charity scams can hide behind popular events that seem fun and harmless. People who donated to SantaCon thinking they were helping good causes were actually funding someone's personal spending instead.
Pildes will face trial on wire fraud charges. Details about which charities were supposed to receive the money are still emerging.
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