Federal investigators subpoenaed records about Philly lobbyist William Dunbar, who was key to Mayor Parker’s campaign, sources say
None of the sources said they were aware of an investigation centered on Parker.
Federal investigators last summer issued subpoenas for documents and financial records related to William F. Dunbar Sr., a Philadelphia lobbyist who was a close confidant of Mayor Cherelle L. Parker during her 2023 campaign, according to three people with direct knowledge of the probe.
Dunbar, who has extensive political ties, was a key member of Parker’s informal “kitchen cabinet” of unpaid advisers during her 2023 run, and he ran her campaign, People for Parker, for most of 2024, the mayor’s first year in office. He has also raised money for U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and members of Philadelphia City Council, and he co-chaired Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 2023 inaugural committee.
The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive legal matter, said federal investigators in the summer of 2025 issued subpoenas to multiple associates of Dunbar’s, compelling them to produce records related to his business and political dealings. One source described the investigation as “fairly broad.”
None of the sources said they were aware of an investigation centered on Parker.
Dunbar, 42, declined to comment Thursday.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia declined to comment. No charges have been filed in relation to the probe.
A Parker campaign spokesperson declined to comment on her behalf.
Records show that Parker’s campaign increased its spending on legal services in 2025, around the time that the sources said the subpoenas were issued. The Inquirer reported this week that the campaign has paid its law firm, Dilworth Paxson, about $108,000 since the start of 2025, according to campaign finance reports. It paid the firm less than $15,000 during the 2023 election year and about $19,000 in 2024. People for Parker did not respond to a request for comment on what was driving the increased legal bills.
During the 2023 election, the campaign was led by campaign manager Sinceré Harris and senior adviser Aren Platt. Dunbar and several other informal advisers, however, were part of Parker’s inner circle, helping with strategy and fundraising.
In 2024, Dunbar officially joined the campaign for the first time after Platt and Harris became chief deputy mayors in Parker’s administration. Both have since resigned from city government. Platt later returned to the campaign to serve as executive director of People for Parker.
Dunbar has never been personally paid by People for Parker, according to campaign finance records. The campaign made rent payments to his firm, Dunbar Public Affairs & Associates, totaling $22,850 from March 2024 to November 2024.
Parker’s campaign parted ways with Dunbar in late July 2024. Dunbar at the time said it was the mayor’s decision to take the campaign in a different direction.
“I’m very much still an informal senior adviser but because of a different set of priorities, the mayor has decided to manage her politics herself,” Dunbar told The Inquirer at the time. “My business has continued to grow as we work to support our clients.”
Parker added: “Will has been a valued friend to me, and let me just say that life is good right now [for Dunbar] and business is good and it’s growing.”
Dunbar, an Overbrook Park native who got his start in politics working for former U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah (D., Philadelphia), has developed an extensive political network through fundraising and advising campaigns. He worked in government affairs for Comcast before expanding his lobbying portfolio after Parker’s victory in the 2023 election.
Dunbar in recent years registered as a city government lobbyist on behalf of several clients, including Comcast, the Philadelphia School District, the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia, Jackmont Hospitality, and several other companies, according to public disclosures. Dunbar’s lobbying registration had been listed as “expired” in city records Friday, but was changed to “submitted” after the initial publication of this story.
Dunbar worked with the school district as a subcontractor for a Harrisburg lobbying firm, DT Firm.
“In June, the DT Firm informed the District [that] Mr. Dunbar was no longer a subcontractor with the firm,” district spokesperson Naima DeBrest said in a statement.
DeBrest did not respond to a question about whether the district received a subpoena. The DT Firm declined to comment.
Comcast and the chamber also declined to comment.
Jackmont, which operates concessions at Philadelphia International Airport and also runs two TGI Friday’s locations in Philadelphia, did not respond to a request for comment.
Staff writer Ryan W. Briggs contributed to this article.
