The president of SantaCon, an annual event in New York City in December where thousands of young people dress up as Santa Claus and drink across the city, has been charged with wire fraud.
Prosecutors with the Southern District of New York say Stefan Pildes, 50, siphoned hundreds of thousands of dollars raised through the SantaCon charity for his own personal use.
"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," 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."
An attorney for Pildes has not yet been named in court documents.
