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Philly mayoral candidate’s extensive legal troubles | Morning Newsletter

And solving Philly’s backlog of cold cases

Rep. Amen Brown making his opening statement at start of symposium hosted by Pennsylvania House Select Committee on Restoring Law and Order at the Penn State at the Navy Yard building 661 at the Navy Shipyard on Thursday, September 29, 2022.
Rep. Amen Brown making his opening statement at start of symposium hosted by Pennsylvania House Select Committee on Restoring Law and Order at the Penn State at the Navy Yard building 661 at the Navy Shipyard on Thursday, September 29, 2022.Read moreAlejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer
    by Taylor Allen
    Published 

    The Morning Newsletter

    Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter

Expect today to be mostly sunny and breezy with a high of 45.

Also, we’re launching a weekly real estate newsletter today written by star reporter Michaelle Bond. Housing impacts all of us, so sign up for the real estate news you can trust 🏠.

We have a lot of news today so let’s dive in.

Our lead story focuses on mayoral hopeful State Rep. Amen Brown and the long list of accusations against him involving legal and financial misconduct.

If you see this 🔑 in today’s newsletter, that means we’re highlighting our exclusive journalism. You need to be a subscriber to read these stories.

— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

Philly mayoral candidate Amen Brown’s business dealings left a trail of debt, lawsuits, and jilted partners

West Philadelphia State Rep. Amen Brown pitched himself as a self-made entrepreneur who rose from poverty. He’s one of the nine democrats vying to be the city’s mayor.

But an Inquirer review of financial documents, real estate records, and court filings over the past decades shows a disturbing picture:

  1. Daycare centers he owned accumulated thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes.

  2. He’s been sued multiple times by angry creditors.

  3. Former business partners say he broke contracts and cheated them out of investments.

Brown has accrued more than $100,000 in liens and judgements.

Some of these obligations are still ongoing. As Brown was seeking reelection to the state House last year, the City of Philadelphia sued him and a partner for more than $30,000 for unpaid taxes and penalties.

Continue to learn why Brown and his supporters see a path to the mayor’s office. 🔑

Solving the backlog of Philadelphia’s cold cases is up to one team

Philadelphia’s list of anonymous dead has grown to 225 since 1955, including 15 who died last year.

What we know: The majority were men, and more than half were Black, when race could be determined.

  1. Sixty-eight people were found in vacant lots or homes.

  2. Almost 60 more people were found washed up on the banks of or pulled from the city’s rivers.

A collaborative team from the Philadelphia Police Department, Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office, and District Attorney’s Office is taking a new look and have 30 separate investigations underway.

Notable quote: “We’re giving people back their names,” said Ryan Gallagher, Criminalistics Unit Manager at the Philadelphia Police Department’s Office of Forensic Science.

Gallagher convened the group after police used DNA testing last year to identify Joseph Augustus Zarelli in the 1957 “Boy in the Box” child homicide case.

Keep reading to learn how the group investigates unidentified deaths.

What you should know today

  1. Doug Mastriano wants to classify drag shows like strip clubs and adult bookstores because of a prom for LGBTQ youth in Bucks County.

  2. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris plan to visit Philadelphia Feb. 3.

  3. The San Francisco 49ers head coach said Charles Omenihu, who was arrested Monday and released on bail, will be allowed to play in Sunday’s NFC Championship game against the Eagles.

  4. Philly State Sen. Vincent Hughes said he won’t run for mayor.

  5. The James Beard Award list of semifinalists for 2023 includes veterans and newcomers. A “new” addition is chef Shigeru Fukuyoshi, who opened Sagami in Collingswood in 1974.

🧠 Philly Trivia Time 🧠

Which former Phillie was elected to the Hall of Fame this week?

A) Scott Rolen

B) Hector Neris

C) Jim Thome

D) None of the above

Find out if you know the answer.

What we’re...

📱Introducing: The man behind the twitter account, Liza Minnelli Outlives, that became an unlikely source for breaking news.

👀 Watching: Luxury development will replace East Kensington’s Viking Mills following artist evictions.

🧩 Unscramble the Anagram 🧩

Hint: the fan who became the “Eagles Pillar Guy”

DIARIES JAG

We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Send us your own original anagram to unscramble if you’d like. Cheers to Mike Leone, who correctly guessed Wednesday’s answer: Disney hole. Email us if you know the answer.

Photo of the Day

Thank you for starting your day with The Inquirer. I’ll be back tomorrow ☀️.