NEW YORK (AP) — A Florida man who boasted that he was the “Wolf of Airbnb” was sentenced Monday to over 4 years in jail for defrauding New York Metropolis landlords and a federal pandemic-relief authorities program.
Konrad Bicher, 32, of Hialeah, Florida, was sentenced in Manhattan federal court docket by Decide Lorna G. Schofield.
The jail time period of 4 years and three months got here after Bicher pleaded responsible a yr in the past to a wire fraud cost. He was additionally ordered to forfeit $1.7 million and pay $2.2 million in restitution. He declined to talk on the sentencing.
Prosecutors stated Bicher operated no less than 18 Manhattan flats as “mini-hotels” whereas utilizing the pandemic as an excuse to not pay landlords greater than $1 million in lease from 2019 to April 2022. They stated he additionally obtained government-guaranteed loans by way of a program meant to offer reduction to small companies through the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a sentencing submission, Bicher’s legal professional argued for leniency, blaming landlords for a number of the Manhattan condo troubles.
In a submission by prosecutors, the federal government stated Bicher fought lawsuits from landlords by falsely claiming he was affected by coronavirus-related hardships and by mendacity about his residency and use of the items to profit from the refuge of tenant protections provided in New York Metropolis.
Prosecutors stated he was dwelling in Florida through the fraud and touring for leisure.
They stated Bicher bragged to the media and pals that he was the “Wolf of Airbnb” and stated the expression was meant to consult with the “Wolf of Wall Avenue,” the title of a memoir by former stockbroker Jordan Belfort, who made a fortune on penny shares earlier than blowing a lot of it on a wild and lavish way of life and going to jail for monetary crimes.
In a launch, U.S. Legal professional Damian Williams famous that Bicher had loved referring to himself because the “Wolf of Airbnb.”
“However as immediately’s sentence underscores, those that partake in such callous and fraudulent conduct will reply for his or her crimes, regardless of their self-given title,” Williams stated.
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