'Wolf of Airbnb' gets prison time for defrauding landlords
Prosecutors said he used the pandemic as an excuse not to pay landlords more than $1 million in rent.
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NEW YORK (AP) — A Florida man who boasted that he was the “Wolf of Airbnb” was sentenced Monday to over four years in prison for defrauding New York City landlords and a federal pandemic-relief government program.
Konrad Bicher, 32, of Hialeah, Florida, was sentenced in Manhattan federal court by Judge Lorna G. Schofield.
The prison term of four years and three months came after Bicher pleaded guilty a year ago to a wire fraud charge. He was also ordered to forfeit $1.7 million and pay $2.2 million in restitution. He declined to speak at the sentencing.
Prosecutors said Bicher operated at least 18 Manhattan apartments as “mini-hotels” while using the pandemic as an excuse not to pay landlords more than $1 million in rent from 2019 to April 2022. They said he also got government-guaranteed loans through a program meant to provide relief to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a sentencing submission, Bicher's attorney argued for leniency, blaming landlords for some of the Manhattan apartment troubles.
In a submission by prosecutors, the government said Bicher fought lawsuits from landlords by falsely claiming he was suffering from coronavirus-related hardships and by lying about his residency and use of the units to benefit from the refuge of tenant protections offered in New York City.
Prosecutors said he was living in Florida during the fraud and traveling for leisure.
They said Bicher bragged to the media and friends that he was the “Wolf of Airbnb” and said the expression was meant to refer to the “Wolf of Wall Street,” the title of a memoir by former stockbroker Jordan Belfort, who made a fortune on penny stocks before blowing much of it on a wild and lavish lifestyle and going to prison for financial crimes.
In a release, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams noted that Bicher had enjoyed referring to himself as the “Wolf of Airbnb."
"But as today’s sentence underscores, those who partake in such callous and fraudulent conduct will answer for their crimes, no matter their self-given title,” Williams said.