SantaCon organizer charged over alleged multi‑million dollar fraud

Federal prosecutors charged Stefan Pildes, organizer of New York's SantaCon, with wire fraud. Prosecutors say Pildes used the annual costume bar crawl, marketed as a charity fundraiser, to collect at least 2.7 million dollars between 2019 and 2024. Officials say the event flooded New York each December with costumed, often intoxicated participants while donations were diverted instead of reaching charities.