$1m probe entrepreneur Jonathan William Parker may be in Brisbane

AN ENTREPRENEUR under investigation over the misappropriation of more than $1 million is believed to have set up in Brisbane, prompting a warning for southeast Queenslanders to be on alert.

Failed entrepreneur, Jonathan Parker, under investigation for misappropriating more than $1 million is believed to have set up in Brisbane.

AN ENTREPRENEUR under investigation over the misappropriation of more than $1 million is believed to have set up in Brisbane, prompting a warning for southeast Queenslanders to be on alert.

Jonathan William Parker, 34, is on the radar of Queensland Police, NSW Police and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.

Authorities are probing alleged irregular transactions totalling $1.06 million from one of Parker’s Sydney-based IT companies to various bank accounts.

Jonathan William Parker, 34, is on the radar of Queensland Police, NSW Police and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.

Much of the money was raised by investors in Townsville and their attempts to recoup the funds have been met with inaction by Parker and investigators alike.

“He’s a master manipulator,” Townsville woman Marianne Agius said. She and her two brothers invested $250,000 in Parker’s company, called Freenet, which he claimed was backed by Google and Motorola.

Parker (inset) told Ms Agius his vision was to sell free internet to shoppers at places like supermarkets subsidised by advertisers.

She later learnt the shares she bought in Freenet were never registered with ASIC.

Parker’s former father-in-law Sid Jackson lost more than $110,000 in Freenet and has questioned why the authorities are yet to act. “It’s passing the buck. They’re very disinterested in everything,” he said.

The social media activity of Parker’s 22-year-old girlfriend Kassandra Quarmby has led investigators to suspect Parker is in the Brisbane area, after leaving north Queensland late last year.

Ms Quarmby, who is the mother of Parker’s infant daughter, made several posts to Facebook from both Brisbane and New Beith, in Logan City, last month.

Ms Quarmby is not the subject of any investigation.

Emails obtained by The Courier-Mail show authorities have been investigating Parker since at least 2013.

ASIC did not respond when asked about the Freenet investigation and QPS chose not to comment.

Parker has never been charged. He did not respond to The Courier-Mail’s calls.