SantaCon Founder Accused Of Stealing More Than $1M In Charity Funds

NEW YORK CITY — The founder of SantaCon is accused of stealing more than $1 million of charitable funds in an apparent fraud scheme, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Stefan Pildes, the organizer of SantaCon, is facing federal wire fraud charges and is accused of defrauding ticketed attendees and operators by saying the proceeds would go to charities all while he instead pocketed most of the funds for himself.

The scheme lasted from 2019 to April 2026, during that time SantaCon generated $2.7 million in proceeds.

According to prosecutors, Pildes used the stolen funds on renovations at a New Jersey property, a luxury car purchase, trips to Hawaii, Las Vegas and Vail as well as renting a luxury apartment, among other things.

SantaCon is an annual bar crawl in December where participants dress up as Santa Claus throughout Manhattan.

“Pildes allegedly stole Christmas from tens of thousands of victims and deprived local charities of more than one million dollars,” James C. Barnacle, Jr., the FBI assistant director in charge of the New York field office, told CNN in a statement.

Pildes pleaded not guilty to the charges on Wednesday. He was released on a $300,000 bond.