🏠A scam ecosystem | Morning Newsletter
And high stakes to get Philly City Council seats
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The Morning Newsletter
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Our lead story takes a closer look at the questionable business practices of a Philly real estate influencer.
— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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Real estate influencers Greg Parker Jr and his wife, Danielle “Nikki” Morris Parker, share a lavish lifestyle online. Greg, who goes by Big Bizzneesss on Instagram, has over 285,000 followers.
The duo share a rags-to-riches story of building an empire and encourage their 285,000 Instagram followers to do the same — for a price.
They promote investment seminars with tickets as low as $97 but then offer a range of upsells: a VIP pass for $297; one-on-one mentorship for $5,000 or more; and the chance to invest in Greg Parker’s handpicked properties at “rock bottom” prices.
Over the past two years, a growing number of their aspiring real estate investors have filed federal lawsuits in Philadelphia alleging that it’s a scam.
The RICO lawsuits accuse the couple and their companies of taking thousands of dollars from clients for mentoring that never happened and property sales that never went through. And if the sales did materialize, the properties were condemned or burdened with unpaid liens without the investors’ knowledge. Several plaintiffs allege they were conned into giving thousands of dollars to Parker for properties he didn’t own.
Continue reading about the breadth of their alleged scam that spans multiple cities and states.
What you should know today
The Philadelphia Police Department changed its narrative about the killing of 27-year-old Eddie Irizarry. The police now say that that Irizzary did not flee the traffic stop and never lunged at officers with a knife before an officer shot him multiple times.
Cheyney alum want the HBCU to be under federal control to transform the university. The state system disagrees.
The Sixers faced questions about trust during their series of five online forums about their plans for a downtown arena Tuesday night.
Just as Philly’s landlord-tenant officer moved to resume lockouts, a second tenant that was shot by a private security contractor during an eviction filed a lawsuit.
Starbucks must pay an additional $2.7 million to a former Philly-area manager who said she was fired for being white. This is on top of the $25.6 million in damages she was awarded in June.
Bruce Springsteen announced his Philly shows are postponed just hours before his first show was supposed to start, citing personal illness.
Six of Philly’s antique trolleys from the 1940s will return to Girard Avenue next month.
Philadelphia’s Republican Party appealed a judge’s ruling that kept City Councilmember Kendra Brooks and her Working Families Party running mate, Nicolas O’Rourke, on November’s ballot.
The takeaway: The stakes are high as the progressive Working Families Party attempts to oust Republicans from at-large Council seats that have historically been GOP seats.
This move comes after Philadelphia Common Pleas Judge Joshua Roberts rejected a Republican request to remove Brooks and O’Rourke because they filed statements of financial interests electronically instead of submitting hard copies.
Reminder: For seven decades, Democrats held five at-large seats on Council while Republicans had two. Brooks disrupted that in 2019 when she won her seat.
Keep reading to learn about the Republican Party’s argument for the appeal.
🧠Trivia time đź§
What year did Citizens Bank Park open?
A) 2004
B) 2000
C) 1998
D) 2010
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
💠Wondering: How you decide when and when not to tip. If you’re not sure, we have a tipping guide with insights from people working in the service industry.
👀 Watching: A former fundraiser for U.S. Rep. George Santos allegedly impersonated a congressional aide while soliciting contributions for the lawmaker’s campaign.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram 🧩
Hint: Home to the Ryan Observatory
DRANK YUP DRUM
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Elise Pizzi, who correctly guessed Wednesday’s answer: Franklin Institute.
Photo of the day
That’s it from me. Have a good Thursday! Thank you for waking up with The Inquirer.