1 00:00:01,800 --> 00:00:06,920 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeart Radio, Hey 2 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:11,480 Speaker 1: brain Stuff, Lauren bog Obam here. The twenty one century 3 00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:14,840 Speaker 1: is a scammers paradise. The Internet has made it easy 4 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:19,120 Speaker 1: to snatch any dewy eyed persons. Dollars or identity were 5 00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:22,560 Speaker 1: only one phone call, malicious link, or credit cards swipe 6 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:27,200 Speaker 1: away from fraud or extortion these days. But scams certainly 7 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:30,400 Speaker 1: aren't a modern invention. Plenty of people in the past 8 00:00:30,440 --> 00:00:34,479 Speaker 1: fell victim to sneak oil salesman and smooth talkers. It 9 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:36,640 Speaker 1: took a bit more effort to swindle people out of 10 00:00:36,640 --> 00:00:40,000 Speaker 1: thousands of dollars in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, 11 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:44,000 Speaker 1: but it was possible, and longtime con artist George C. 12 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:49,199 Speaker 1: Parker was a pro at it. At the time, millions 13 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:52,520 Speaker 1: of immigrants seeking better lives entered the United States through 14 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:57,320 Speaker 1: the Golden Door that is New York City. Largely impoverished 15 00:00:57,360 --> 00:01:01,360 Speaker 1: and hopeful, these immigrants were the perfect targets for opportunistic 16 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:06,360 Speaker 1: tricksters like Parker. Cunning and ruthless. Parker took advantage of 17 00:01:06,480 --> 00:01:10,240 Speaker 1: naive immigrants and tourists by selling them buildings and monuments 18 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:15,399 Speaker 1: that he never owned. To begin with, Parker's Brooklyn Bridge 19 00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:19,360 Speaker 1: grift likely began in the eighteen eighties. The ruse was 20 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:23,040 Speaker 1: relatively simple. Parker would scout out marks who had recently 21 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:25,760 Speaker 1: arrived in New York City, convinced them that he owned 22 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:29,520 Speaker 1: the Brooklyn Bridge, and sell it to these eager investors 23 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:33,039 Speaker 1: for as much as fifty thou dollars. He charmed his 24 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:36,440 Speaker 1: victims into thinking that they would easily profit by charging 25 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:39,840 Speaker 1: people for access to the bridge. Soon they would try 26 00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:42,640 Speaker 1: to set up poll booths on the roadway, But their 27 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:46,120 Speaker 1: new venture, pitched as a lucrative business and promising start 28 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:48,720 Speaker 1: to life in the Big Apple, was destined to fail. 29 00:01:49,440 --> 00:01:51,920 Speaker 1: Police would shut down their attempts to control the road, 30 00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:54,960 Speaker 1: and all their dreams of getting rich off of driver's 31 00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:58,840 Speaker 1: pocket change were dashed. It was such a pervasive grift 32 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:02,200 Speaker 1: that eventually pro sessors of Ellis Island started handing new 33 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:06,440 Speaker 1: arrivals cards warning them you can't buy public buildings or streets. 34 00:02:08,320 --> 00:02:12,520 Speaker 1: Parker was a career fraudster. At times he posed as 35 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:15,360 Speaker 1: a prison warden or the captain of a ship. He 36 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:19,720 Speaker 1: had at least six pseudonyms. In The New York Times 37 00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:23,480 Speaker 1: reported then a man named William mcclundie, also known as 38 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:27,200 Speaker 1: io U O'Brien, was arrested. As it turns out, this 39 00:02:27,320 --> 00:02:30,240 Speaker 1: was just another one of Parker's aliases. In this case, 40 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:32,640 Speaker 1: he used it to sell someone ten lots that Pete 41 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:36,640 Speaker 1: didn't own, and detectives found Parker measuring a backyard in 42 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:41,000 Speaker 1: Asbury Park. Another New York Times article reported only that 43 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:43,359 Speaker 1: he was captured. He told the police he would have 44 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:46,160 Speaker 1: been able to sell the place for seventeen thousand dollars. 45 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:50,920 Speaker 1: It's unlikely that Parker sold Brooklyn Bridge as many as 46 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:53,720 Speaker 1: two times a week for years, which some sources say 47 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:56,760 Speaker 1: that he claimed to have done, but Parker did manage 48 00:02:56,760 --> 00:03:00,520 Speaker 1: to sell the bridge many times. He also sold the 49 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:04,640 Speaker 1: Statue of Liberty, Madison Square Garden, Ulysses S. Grants Tomb, 50 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:09,800 Speaker 1: and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. But he couldn't avoid 51 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:13,880 Speaker 1: getting caught, and he went to jail several times for larceny, forgery, 52 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:18,919 Speaker 1: and impersonating a police officer. Of course, that didn't stop 53 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:22,840 Speaker 1: his cons Parker escaped a stint at Raymond Street jail 54 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:25,560 Speaker 1: one New Year's Day by putting on clothes that a 55 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:30,400 Speaker 1: sheriff took off and then waltzing out the door. However, 56 00:03:30,639 --> 00:03:35,240 Speaker 1: after decades of scheming on fifty dollar check sent Parker 57 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:39,240 Speaker 1: to prison for good. According to a contemporary news article, 58 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:44,440 Speaker 1: the check quote bounced back with startling elasticity. Under New 59 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:47,520 Speaker 1: York law, people convicted of a fourth felony had to 60 00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 1: be imprisoned for life, so in a judge sentenced Parker 61 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:56,440 Speaker 1: to life in Sing Sing. Parker died there in seven 62 00:03:56,560 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 1: and was buried at the prison cemetery. The Brooklyn Bridge 63 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:04,240 Speaker 1: racket lost steam after the nineteen twenties, since more people 64 00:04:04,280 --> 00:04:08,080 Speaker 1: were aware that it was fraud, but Parker's infamy lives 65 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:10,800 Speaker 1: on in a phrase that you might have heard if 66 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:13,000 Speaker 1: you believe that I have a bridge in Brooklyn to 67 00:04:13,080 --> 00:04:20,839 Speaker 1: sell you. Today's episode is based on the article Meet 68 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:23,320 Speaker 1: the con man who sold the Brooklyn Bridge many times 69 00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:25,640 Speaker 1: over on how stuff works dot com, written by Eve's 70 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:28,440 Speaker 1: Jeff Cote. Brain Stuff is production of iHeart Radio in 71 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:30,640 Speaker 1: partnership with how stuff Works dot Com, and it's produced 72 00:04:30,640 --> 00:04:33,679 Speaker 1: by Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts from my Heart Radio, 73 00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:36,760 Speaker 1: visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 74 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:38,120 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.