Report: SantaCon fraud charges met with a collective 'shocking, said no one'

From 2024: A neon "Fuck Off" Santa at Joyface on Avenue C 

Photo by Stacie Joy 

The indictment of SantaCon president Stefan Pildes on fraud charges this past week hasn't exactly sparked an outpouring of sympathy across New York, including EVG commenters. 

As The Guardian reports, the response from many New Yorkers — particularly in neighborhoods like the East Village that have long been dealing with the annual bar crawl — has been more eye-roll than outrage.

Prosecutors allege that Pildes, a New Jersey resident, diverted hundreds of thousands of dollars raised under the event's charitable banner for personal use. The organizer has pleaded not guilty to one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence. 

Pildes is out on a $300,000 bond. Among the conditions of his release — "no involvement … in the promotion or organizing of the event called SantaCon."

Still, for critics of SantaCon, the charges seem to confirm long-held skepticism about an event often associated more with public disorder than philanthropy. 

Some bar owners, residents and elected officials told The Guardian the news landed less as a shock and more as validation of concerns they've voiced for years. 

Here's Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal: 

I'm not surprised about the charges, but I am surprised that it took so long for someone, for a prosecutor, to look under the hood of this organization.

I've been working to try to get SantaCon to follow a set of community guidelines since 2013, and when we first began that effort, they wouldn’t even disclose who was their president or CEO. They called him 'Santa’s Elf,' and he remained anonymous. 

That gives you some indication as to the level of opaqueness and, frankly, just disregard and contempt that the organizers have had for the community since this nonsense first kicked off.

The FBI also released a bulletin saying they are "seeking victim information in SantaCon investigation." 

Per the bulletin: 

The FBI's New York Division is seeking to identify potential victims of Stefan Pildes, who organized and operated the annual SantaCon event in New York City, from at least 2019 to present. Pildes was recently charged with wire fraud. The FBI believes Pildes primarily targeted SantaCon attendees who purchased tickets to the event, as well as bars that participated in the event, between the timeframe of October 2019 to present. 

Find more info here.