The “Wolf of Airbnb” sentenced to prison in New York

Konrad Bicher, the self proclaimed “Wolf of Airbnb” is sentenced to prison in New York.
The nickname was apparently an attempt to copy the hero of the movie “The Wolf of Wall Street” starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
Konrad Bicher has been tried and sentenced to prison in New York for over 4 years for defrauding apartment owners in the city as well as a federal government program to fight the pandemic.
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.
In addition to paying the rent, prosecutors also said he stole more than $565,000 in government pandemic aid.
Bicher’s attorney asked for leniency, blaming the landlords for some problems in the Manhattan apartments.

The Sentence

Bicher, 32, of Hialeah, Florida, was eventually sentenced to 4 years and 3 months in prison, confessing a year ago to the fraud.
He was also ordered to pay $2.2 million in restitution.
The “Wolf of Airbnb” did not say a word while being sentenced to prison.
US lawyer Damian Williams said: “Bicher enriched himself by abusing government tenant preference programs designed to help people and businesses during one of the worst economic and public health crises in history. He bragged about his schemes to his friends and on social media, proudly referring to himself as the “Wolf of Airbnb.” His conviction today sends the message that those who engage in such cruel and fraudulent behavior will be held accountable and punished for their crimes, regardless of the titles they give themselves.”