SantaCon founder Stefan Pildes was mocked to his face after the FBI arrested him on wire fraud charges.
Prosecutors for the Southern District of New York alleged on Wednesday that Pildes diverted more than $2.7 million raised for charity to his personal expenses.
“As alleged, Stefan Pildes promoted SantaCon as an event grounded in charitable giving, but instead of donating the millions of dollars he raised, he ran his own con game,” U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement. “He took advantage of New Yorkers’ generous holiday spirit to finance his lifestyle through personal expenses, big and small. No matter how you dress it up, fraud is fraud. We are committed to protecting New Yorkers from those who exploit their enthusiasm and generosity.”
Following his release on $300,000 bail, reporters mobbed Pildes outside the New York courthouse.
“Would you like to comment on these charges against you?” one reporter asked.
“Do you think you’re getting a lump of coal for Christmas?” another reporter said.
A reporter noted that nearly $3 million was missing from SantaCon, but Pildes continued walking without responding.
“The FBI says you stole Christmas,” one correspondent pointed out.
“Our station has covered this for years,” another said, “and we just wanted to know if there’s any comment, anything you have to say to these people, anything to the allegations at all?”
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