‘Wolf of Airbnb’ Konrad Bicher indicted by feds in illegal NYC sublet scheme
A wannabe rental shark who calls himself the “Wolf of Airbnb” was indicted in a scheme to illegally sublet more than a dozen Manhattan apartments while he refused to pay rent, federal prosecutors said Thursday.
Florida resident Konrad Bicher, 31, fraudulently obtained more than $565,000 in COVID-19 relief funds — even as he claimed he couldn’t pay landlords because of the pandemic, the indictment alleges.
Meanwhile, Bicher listed the units on sites like Airbnb and operated them as “mini hotels,” said Damian Williams, said US Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
“Bicher abused Government programs and tenant protections intended to benefit New Yorkers in crisis, and he will have to answer for his conduct,” Williams said in a statement.
Bicher and associates allegedly leased at least 18 properties in the Big Apple beginning in February 2019, then listed them as short-term rentals — in violation of the contracts and New York City law, prosecutors claim.
Even though the self-proclaimed “Wolf” was raking in dough by listing the units — including to film crews at a $97-an-hour clip – he blamed the pandemic for not being able to meet the terms of his lease, prosecutors alleged.
When the leases expired, he refused to vacate and even continued to sublet the properties, which was explicitly forbidden in the leases, the complaint claims. He failed to pay at least $1 million between 2019 and April 2022 based on fair market value, even as he made more than $1.1 million in income on the properties, according to prosecutors.
It’s illegal to offer comparable units for rent in the city for fewer than 30 days, according to city law.
In spring of 2021, Bicher made at least four applications through the federal Payment Protection Program and fraudulently received $565,000, prosecutors said.
Bicher, who was known to flaunt a luxurious lifestyle and private-jet trips on his social media accounts, told the Real Deal in February he came up with his nickname because it means “someone who is hungry and ruthless enough to get on top of the financial ladder.”
“They compare the ferocity to that of a wolf, because wolves are territorial, vicious and show no mercy when provoked,” he told he outlet in a text.
In a lawsuit earlier this year, a landlord claimed Bicher illegally sublet a unit at ritzy 450 W. 42nd Street. A doorman allegedly noticed people coming and going with suitcases and camera equipment, and officials said he offered 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 agreement to pay me to leave? Otherwise, I’ll keep the unit for years and litigate.”
An Airbnb spokesperson said the company “sought to cooperate fully” with the FBI during its investigation.
“This type of activity has no place on our platform, and we previously banned this Host from Airbnb,” the rep said.
Bicher, who was slapped with two counts of federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, faces up to 42 years in prison if convicted.
