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Accused SantaCon cheat Stefan Pildes actively flaunted his lavish lifestyle on Instagram — before being busted for allegedly funneling millions in charity cash from the annual Christmas-themed booze fest to bankroll his bougie vacations.
The founder of the notorious seasonal bar crawl, who was arrested Wednesday on wire fraud charges, shamelessly paraded himself globetrotting with his wife and friends on trips to Nevada’s Burning Man festival, the Las Vegas Sphere and ski getaways, videos on his Instagram account show.
Pildes, 50, was also seen blowing the would-be donations on a string of concerts last year, including Lady Gaga’s “Mayhem Ball” and David Byrne at Radio City Musical Hall.
He recently took a “legendary trip” to the Swiss Alps in February and planned to return to the Sphere this week to see Phish, a rock band he regularly catches at the Las Vegas attraction, according to his social media profile.
The accused fraudster also repeatedly showcased his lakefront New Jersey property in a flurry of posts dating back to 2016 – which federal prosecutors said he allegedly renovated with the stolen funds.
Other social media posts included skiing excursions to Lake Tahoe, Vermont and Colorado and several outings to music festivals across the tri-state.
Pildes, of Hewitt, New Jersey, was charged with one count of wire fraud for allegedly hemorrhaging SantaCon’s funds on luxurious vacations to Hawaii, Colorado and Las Vegas, along with extravagant Michelin star meals and a high-end car, according to a federal indictment.
Prosecutors said the disgraced party promoter — known for throwing hula-hooping bashes — diverted more than half of the over $2.7 million the boozy event raised in ticket sales into a “slush fund” for himself between 2019 and 2024.
Participants were told that proceeds from the beloved Big Apple bar crawl would go to good causes such as “fighting hunger” and “arts funding” — with the event’s website stating that proceeds go “directly to Santa’s charity drive,” according to the indictment.
“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,” US 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.”
Pildes pleaded not guilty in Manhattan court Wednesday and was released on a $300,000 bond.
He faces up to 20 years in prison, if convicted.
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