SantaCon organizer allegedly ran actual con

Turns out the real SantaCon was the fraud we made along the way.

The man behind New York’s annual SantaCon, a festive sea of red suits, public intoxication, and supposed charity, has been charged with wire fraud after prosecutors say he siphoned off more than half of the $2.7 million raised, treating a holiday fundraiser as a personal revenue piggy bank.

“Stefan Pildes, the president of SantaCon, allegedly pocketed over half of the proceeds generated by his nonprofit to make personal purchases,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. “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.”

“When individuals exploit charitable causes for personal gain, they undermine the trust our communities place in organizations meant to serve the public good,” said IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Jennifer L. Piovesan. “IRS-CI remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to uncover deceptive financial schemes and ensure those who abuse their positions for personal enrichment are held accountable.”

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From at least November 2019 through April 2026, PILDES defrauded tens of thousands of individuals and small business owners who participated in a popular, Christmas-themed event organized and promoted by PILDES, referred to as “SantaCon.” SantaCon is a ticketed bar crawl that takes place annually in December in New York City, during which over approximately 25,000 attendees dress as Santa Claus and other holiday characters and travel to participating bars and restaurants throughout the day. At all relevant times, PILDES served as the president of and controlled the nonprofit entity that organizes SantaCon called Participatory Safety, Inc. (”PSI”).

Department of Justice

Turns out the real SantaCon was the fraud we made along the way.