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US: Konrad Bicher, the self-styled “Wolf of Airbnb” was sentenced to at least four years in prison for defrauding New York City landlords and a federal pandemic-relief government programme.
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. Prosecutors also said he stole over $565,000 from the government’s pandemic relief program and also failed to pay landlords more than $1 million in rent.
In a sentencing submission, Bicher’s attorney argued for leniency, blaming landlords for some of the Manhattan apartment troubles.
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.
US attorney Damian Williams said: “Bicher enriched himself by abusing Government programs and tenant protections intended to benefit people and businesses in need during one of the worst economic and public health crises in history. He bragged about his schemes to his friends and the media, proudly 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.”
