‘More Than an Insult’: Ex-GOP Candidate Who Wanted to Attract Black Voters By Giving Out Kool-Aid, Watermelons Faces Felony Charges of Scamming Elderly Couples
A disgraced one-time New York state Senate hopeful who tried to canvass a Harlem neighborhood for votes with a racist event and then was busted for a rental fraud scheme is facing charges yet again — this time for a different scam. A New York grand jury recently indicted Jon Girodes on felony charges, including scheme to defraud and grand larceny, in connection with a tax preparation scam in which he's accused of swindling several clients out of $250,000. Girodes, 48, was a former Republican candidate who ran for the New York state Senate's 30th district in Harlem in 2016. Jon Girodes (Photo: Ballotpedia) He made national news headlines that year after publicizing his plans to host a fundraising campaign event in the borough, where he promised to hand out Kool-Aid, KFC, and watermelons to a primarily Black community. Harlem residents were outraged, calling the stunt racist and offensive. "And we're gonna donate like, uh, various foots in his a** if he try that," one Harlem resident told WNBC in 2016. “It’s more than an insult, and anybody with any sense would see that’s pathetically racist and insulting,” another community member said. https://twitter.com/savannah_lb/status/786319469534584832 Girodes defended his intentions, stating that he thinks "anyone who gives away free food to people is doing them a favor." ‘Dum! Dum!’: Trump’s Brag About His ‘Flawless’ Doctor’s Visit Blows Up In His Face When It Doesn’t Land the Way He Expected "Get a bunch of people who think it's offensive and let me go into their neighborhood and give it out for free and see if they take it," Girodes added. His hopes for the state Senate seat were quashed when he was arrested on grand larceny charges for running a Craigslist rental scam. Prosecutors say he listed a luxury midtown apartment online that didn't belong to him and offered to rent it out for $1,100 a month. He stiffed at least 10 people out of security deposits and rental advances for the unit. Then, on the renters' move-in days, he backed out of the rental agreements without returning their money and left them with no place to live. He was accused of stealing more than $63,000 from multiple prospective renters. He allegedly cheated one woman out of more than $11,000 alone, according to WABC. He pleaded guilty in July 2017 and was sentenced to at least three years in prison for the scam. He was also ordered to undergo psychological counseling. In a press release, Manhattan prosecutors say that Girodes is now embroiled in another indictment connected to a tax preparation business he ran called American Accounting Services Inc. From October 4, 2022, to July 31, 2025, he allegedly exploited his role as a tax adviser to steal at least $250,000 from two elderly couples and one medical student. Prosecutors say that Girodes promised to reduce his clients' tax bills and asked the victims to send him a portion of their tax liabilities in advance to be held in “escrow” while he negotiated with tax authorities on their behalf. "When clients sent Girodes the money as instructed, he stole the funds for his personal use," the press release states. "Over the subsequent months, Girodes repeatedly defrauded those clients by falsely claiming that the IRS and state tax authorities were demanding that additional funds be placed in escrow. At times, Girodes sent those clients forged letters from the IRS or DTF purporting to make these demands. When clients complied and sent additional funds to Girodes, he stole those funds as well." After the victims were defrauded, they were left to foot their tax bills with penalties and interest. WNBC reports that Girodes has pleaded not guilty in this case.
