A wannabe rental shark who calls himself the “Wolf of Airbnb” was indicted in a scheme to illegally sublet greater than a dozen Manhattan residences whereas he refused to pay lease, federal prosecutors stated Thursday.
Florida resident Konrad Bicher, 31, fraudulently obtained greater than $565,000 in COVID-19 reduction funds — at the same time as he claimed he couldn’t pay landlords due to the pandemic, the indictment alleges.
In the meantime, Bicher listed the models on websites like Airbnb and operated them as “mini inns,” stated Damian Williams, stated US Lawyer for the Southern District of New York.
“Bicher abused Authorities applications and tenant protections supposed to learn New Yorkers in disaster, and he should reply for his conduct,” Williams stated in a press release.
Bicher and associates allegedly leased not less than 18 properties within the Massive Apple starting in February 2019, then listed them as short-term leases — in violation of the contracts and New York Metropolis regulation, prosecutors declare.
Despite the fact that the self-proclaimed “Wolf” was raking in dough by itemizing the models — together with to movie crews at a $97-an-hour clip – he blamed the pandemic for not having the ability to meet the phrases of his lease, prosecutors alleged.
When the leases expired, he refused to vacate and even continued to sublet the properties, which was explicitly forbidden within the leases, the criticism claims. He didn't pay not less than $1 million between 2019 and April 2022 based mostly on honest market worth, at the same time as he made greater than $1.1 million in revenue on the properties, in response to prosecutors.
It’s unlawful to supply comparable models for lease within the metropolis for fewer than 30 days, in response to metropolis regulation.
In spring of 2021, Bicher made not less than 4 purposes via the federal Fee Safety Program and fraudulently acquired $565,000, prosecutors stated.
Bicher, who was recognized to flaunt an expensive life-style and private-jet journeys on his social media accounts, instructed the Actual Deal in February he got here up together with his nickname as a result of it means “somebody who's hungry and ruthless sufficient to get on prime of the monetary ladder.”
“They evaluate the ferocity to that of a wolf, as a result of wolves are territorial, vicious and present no mercy when provoked,” he instructed he outlet in a textual content.
In a lawsuit earlier this 12 months, a landlord claimed Bicher illegally sublet a unit at ritzy 450 W. forty second Road. A doorman allegedly observed individuals coming and going with suitcases and digital camera tools, and officers stated he supplied the unit for $97-an hour on Peerspace.
When he was served a cease-and-desist, he allegedly replied “Can we work out a settle settlement to pay me to depart? In any other case, I’ll hold the unit for years and litigate.”
An Airbnb spokesperson stated the corporate “sought to cooperate totally” with the FBI throughout its investigation.
“Any such exercise has no place on our platform, and we beforehand banned this Host from Airbnb,” the rep stated.
Bicher, who was slapped with two counts of federal wire fraud and aggravated id theft, faces as much as 42 years in jail if convicted.
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