Skip to content

Livable Streets Foe Unmasked as Mini-Madoff

Earlier this week Suffolk County prosecutors charged Donald MacPherson, proprietor of a Manhattan S&M dungeon, with orchestrating a $50 million mortgage fraud out in Southampton. If, like me, you have only a fleeting familiarity with the subterranean torture fetish community, you're probably wondering, "Who is Don MacPherson?"

Earlier this week Suffolk County prosecutors charged Donald MacPherson, proprietor of a Manhattan S&M dungeon, with orchestrating a $50 million mortgage fraud out in Southampton. If, like me, you have only a fleeting familiarity with the subterranean torture fetish community, you’re probably wondering, “Who is Don MacPherson?”

Well, in addition to running the aforementioned shell game and bondage business, he pens a blog called Soho Politics, where he’s been known to rail against car-free streets, bike lanes, and other measures to make the public right-of-way more pleasant for pedestrians, cyclists, and bus riders. Followers of the downtown community board scene knew MacPherson as an ally of the Soho Alliance’s Sean Sweeney on CB 2, from which the alleged scammer recently resigned. Now the world knows him as the whips-n-chains guy who made a fraudulent fortune off the real estate bubble.

Photo of Ben Fried
Ben Fried started as a Streetsblog reporter in 2008 and led the site as editor-in-chief from 2010 to 2018. He lives in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, with his wife.

Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.

More from Streetsblog New York City

‘Rate Evaders’: Auto Insurance Address Fraud Soars Under Hochul’s Watch

April 21, 2026

MTA Workers Park All Over Sidewalks Outside Astoria Facility

April 21, 2026

Tuesday’s Headlines: Cops Are Doing It Wrong Edition

April 21, 2026

Non-Profits, City Officials Put Pressure On Lawmakers To OK Gov. Hochul’s ‘Stop Super Speeders’ Effort

April 20, 2026

‘A Solution, But To What Problem?’ Experts Say AVs Are The Elephant In The Room, But There’s Still Time To Figure Out Their Role

April 20, 2026
See all posts