Philadelphia landlord who was registered to vote in two states now faces a third voter fraud charge

A besieged Philadelphia-area landlord is scheduled to plead guilty to federal charges of double voting in two elections — and he’s now facing state-level charges of unlawful voting in a third race.

Philip C. Pulley, who has homes in Montgomery County and Florida, is expected to enter a guilty plea in federal court next week, according to recent court filings.

In that case, which the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced in an Aug. 9 news release, Pulley is accused of voting more than once in the 2020 and 2022 elections. Prosecutors say he used a phony Social Security number to register to vote in Philadelphia while already registered to vote in Huntingdon Valley and Lighthouse Point, Fla.

Two weeks later — in a second criminal case that was not announced and has not been previously reported — the state Attorney General’s Office charged Pulley with voting in both Philadelphia and Montgomery County in the 2023 election.

In addition, voting records recently reviewed by The Inquirer show that Pulley appears to have double voted in the 2021 election, as well. He has not been charged in that election.

Pulley and his attorneys did not respond this week to requests for comment.

» READ MORE: The law finally caught up with notorious Philadelphia landlord Phil Pulley ... but for voting fraud

Pulley, 62, is a former longtime Republican now registered as a Democrat in Montgomery County. He registered as a Democrat in Philadelphia, but as Republican in Florida.

The landlord was the subject of an Inquirer investigation last week that, in addition to finding evidence of voter fraud, documented extensive problems at apartment buildings managed by his company, SBG Management Services.

Lawyers for the city have gone to court against SBG more than 300 times between 2014 and 2024, for maintenance issues or to file liens for unpaid utilities and delinquent taxes totaling more than $2.5 million. The buildings have been linked to nearly 1,000 code violations, with tenants and ex-employees of SBG saying Pulley sought to cut costs at every opportunity.

One of the buildings, Lindley Tower, partially collapsed in 2022, displacing about 100 people. The city is now seeking to demolish the property.

In April, tenants of another apartment building in West Oak Lane rallied outside City Hall with a large sign that read, “Philip Pulley Slumlord Bully.”

Contractors who have worked on Pulley’s apartment buildings and his waterfront home in Florida have also filed lawsuits saying he has not paid them.

Last year, the state AG’s office filed a consumer-protection suit against Pulley and his companies, accusing them of “deplorable conduct” for managing buildings with substandard living conditions and retaliating against tenants who complain. That case is ongoing.

The state and federal voter fraud investigations were prompted by a referral from Philadelphia City Commissioner Seth Bluestein. He said last month that his office began investigating the irregularities in June 2023.

Bluestein, a Republican, said the Pulley case shows that voter fraud, which is relatively rare, can be detected and prosecuted.

“This is not an indication of something that is widespread,” Bluestein said. “It is an indication, though, of when there are irregularities and fraud, of them being investigated and caught.”

A December 2021 Associated Press review found fewer than 475 potential cases of voter fraud in the six battleground states disputed by former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election. They would not have affected the outcome of the presidential election.

Staff writer Chris A. Williams contributed to this article.