Scammer exposé. Everything in the facts sections below comes from a federal lawsuit filed by the SEC. These are allegations. No court has ruled on them.
Up to 80% a year. Thirty plus deals. Container homes in Atlanta. Airbnb units in Orlando. That was the pitch, according to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
On September 29, 2026, the SEC sued a 32 year old Georgia man named Lamar Deante Fletcher in federal court in Atlanta. The agency says he raised more than $4.25 million from about 100 people across the country for real estate deals that, according to the complaint, he never actually did.
If you hang out in real estate groups on Facebook, read this one slow. Because according to the SEC, that's exactly where he found people.
The Facts: What the SEC Filed
According to the SEC's litigation release and its complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia:
- From about April 2021 through November 2024, Fletcher allegedly sold more than $4.25 million in promissory notes and similar securities to roughly 100 investors.
- He raised the money through two companies he formed, Fletchers Capital Group, LLC and a Delaware multifamily real estate fund under the Fletchers name, which he alone controlled.
- The SEC says some of the deals promised returns as high as 80% or more on an annualized basis, with maturity dates ranging from a few weeks to a year.
- The SEC charges him with violating the antifraud provisions of federal securities law, Section 17(a) of the Securities Act and Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act.
- The SEC is asking the court for a permanent injunction, disgorgement with interest, and a civil penalty.
Where it stands: this is a civil case brought by the SEC. The SEC release does not mention any criminal charges. As of this week I did not find a court ruling or a public response from Fletcher. He has not been found liable for anything. If that changes, I'll update you.
What the SEC Says Happened
Everything in this section is the SEC's account, according to the complaint.
The setup
According to the complaint, Fletcher "needed money" in the spring of 2021. The SEC says he had a college degree in financial planning, so he knew the vocabulary. He started showing up in real estate investing communities on social media, including Facebook, and presented himself as an experienced investor whose companies bought property below market value.
The complaint says his PowerPoint pitch decks claimed Fletchers Capital had a "30+ deal track record of success." According to the SEC, neither he nor his companies did any meaningful real estate acquisitions, had no assets under management, and had almost no revenue outside of the money investors put in.
Two investors, two stories
The complaint lays out two examples.
Investor A. In August 2023, according to the SEC, this investor put in $75,000 on a "Promissory Note/Investment Agreement" that promised $90,000 back by August 24, 2024. The SEC says Fletcher told her the money was for a six unit container home land development at a specific address in southwest Atlanta. According to the complaint, he had no connection to any development on that property and didn't use her money for any real estate project.
Investor B. In June 2023, according to the SEC, this investor put in $25,000 on a note promising $30,000 back by October 20, 2023. The pitch, according to the complaint, was working capital to build a new home on Moreland Avenue in Atlanta. The SEC says he had no connection to that construction either.
The Orlando Airbnb play
According to the complaint, in early 2022 Fletcher pitched a "real estate arbitrage" strategy: rent high end apartments near the Orlando tourist corridor and list them on Airbnb or VRBO. The SEC says an April 2022 pitch deck claimed the strategy made $118,690 in profit from December 2021 through April 2022.
The SEC says he had no connection to those Orlando properties and made no profits for investors from that strategy. And here's the kicker, according to the complaint: even if he did have a connection, the leases at that property specifically prohibit renters from subletting units as short stay rentals.
Where the money allegedly went
According to the SEC, of the more than $4.25 million raised:
- More than $2 million went to personal expenses, including more than $790,000 in cash withdrawals and over $1 million in payments and transfers to over 300 recipients through Zelle, Apple Cash and Cash App.
- About $40,000 went to travel, more than $10,000 to exotic car rentals, plus rent, shopping and car payments.
- More than $2 million went to pay earlier or complaining investors, which the SEC calls Ponzi payments.
The fake letter
According to the complaint, when notes came due and he couldn't pay, Fletcher blamed project delays and problems with unrelated properties. The SEC says one investor got a letter, on a financing company's letterhead, saying Fletcher had been preapproved for more financing. When that investor called the financing company, the SEC says the company told them the letter was fabricated.
Both of his companies are now defunct, according to the complaint. Fletchers Capital was administratively dissolved in Georgia on September 19, 2025, and the Delaware fund's registration was cancelled on June 1, 2025. Neither was ever registered with the SEC.
My Take 💪🏾
This section is my opinion, not a fact from the court record.
Real talk. Nothing in this pitch, as the SEC describes it, was complicated. A slide deck. A big track record claim. A specific address so it feels real. A "Promissory Note" so it looks official. That's it. That's all it takes when people don't check.
And look at the numbers in the notes. Investor B was promised 20% in four months. Investor A was promised 20% in a year. Some deals, per the SEC, promised 80% annualized. Real investors don't need to beg strangers in a Facebook group for $25,000 at those rates. When somebody offers you that kind of return, ask yourself why they need YOUR money at that price instead of going to a bank or a hard money lender.
Same pattern I broke down in the Cesar Pina guilty plea. Same pattern prosecutors allege in the Greg and Danielle Parker case. Different names, same playbook: look successful, point at a property, promise big, and keep the money moving.
How to Protect Yourself Before You Invest With Anybody
- Pull the property records yourself. The SEC says a review of property records showed Fletcher had no relationship with the properties he pitched. That's a free search at the county level. Do it before you wire anything.
- Check who actually owns the address. If the person pitching you isn't on the deed and isn't under contract, ask for the contract. No contract, no deal.
- Look up the company. Check the state business registry for when it was formed and whether it's active. A "30+ deal track record" from a company formed last year doesn't add up.
- Ask if it's registered or exempt. Notes sold to the public are generally securities. Ask what registration or exemption they're relying on and who their securities attorney is.
- Verify every document at the source. Got a preapproval letter or bank letter? Call the lender yourself using a number you looked up, not the one on the letter. According to the SEC, that's exactly how one investor caught a fake.
- Follow the money. Wire to a title company or escrow you pick, never to someone's Cash App or personal account.
- Treat sky high fixed returns as a red flag. Real estate has risk. Anybody guaranteeing a big number fast is either lying or doesn't understand the business.
Case Watch: Greg and Danielle "Nikki" Parker: 11 days until hearing
Countdown: As of November 5, 2026 (Eastern), there are 11 days until the next scheduled federal court date for Greg Parker and Danielle "Nikki" Parker (also called Nicky).
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer and Cleveland 19, a federal grand jury in the Northern District of Ohio indicted Gregory Parker and Danielle Parker on conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud. Prosecutors allege they ran a Ponzi style real estate investment scheme aimed mostly at Cleveland area properties. Both are presumed innocent. A federal charge is an accusation, not a conviction.
Here is what the indictment alleges, according to those reports:
- The scheme allegedly ran from about January 2017 through December 2023.
- Prosecutors say investors were told they were buying Cleveland and East Cleveland properties that would be flipped into multifamily rentals with above market returns.
- The indictment alleges the Parkers used new investor money to pay earlier investors and to fund their own lifestyle, including private jet leases and a fleet of leased luxury cars.
- According to Cleveland 19, people were often charged $2,000 to $5,000 to join a mentorship program, then asked for down payments on properties that, according to investigators, sometimes never arrived, arrived without clear title, or were condemned or unlivable.
- The indictment focuses on 13 victims, and investigators say there may be more.
Next court date: According to a U.S. Department of Justice Victim Notification System update from early September 2026 (covered in my Parker trial reschedule post), the October 5, 2026 trial date was pulled. A pretrial conference is set for November 16, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Donald C. Nugent in Cleveland, expected by phone. Federal docket: 26 CR 00200.
Verification note: I rechecked public coverage this week (November 5, 2026). I did not find a later public docket entry that moved November 16. Some earlier PACER filings still mention the old October trial date because those motions were filed before the reschedule. If the court changes November 16, I will update this post.
If you believe you were a victim, FBI Cleveland asked people to reach out at ParkerInvestorTips@fbi.gov with "Parker Investor" in the subject line.
Learn It the Right Way
The best defense is knowing how real deals actually work: how contracts get signed, how title gets checked, how money moves at closing. That's what we break down every week inside The Closers Club. No guaranteed returns, no hype. Just how the business really works so nobody can sell you a fake one.
Sources
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Litigation Release No. 26656, September 30, 2026: SEC Charges Georgia Man in Connection with Alleged $4.25 Million Real Estate Offering Fraud
- SEC v. Lamar D. Fletcher, Complaint, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia, filed September 29, 2026
- The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 11, 2026: Greg Parker and wife indicted on federal fraud charges
- Cleveland 19 News, May 12, 2026: New Jersey couple indicted in alleged Cleveland area real estate investment scam
- Cleveland 19 News, May 13, 2026: FBI Cleveland looking for investment scam victims
- Tony The Closer, September 2, 2026: Greg and Danielle Parker trial rescheduled (DOJ victim notice, November 16 pretrial conference)
This post reports on allegations in a civil complaint filed by the SEC and on a pending criminal case. Allegations are not findings of fact. Everyone named is presumed innocent or not liable unless a court rules otherwise. This is not legal or financial advice.