Bishop Lamor Whitehead Wiki

 Bishop Lamor Whitehead Biography

Bishop “Bling” Lamor Whitehead, the flashy Brooklyn pastor who made headlines earlier this year when he was held up at gunpoint during a church service, was arrested by federal agents Monday for allegedly defrauding a member of his congregation, among other charges.

Whitehead, who preaches a “prosperity gospel” at his Canarsie church, drives a Rolls-Royce and often wears expensive jewelry and Gucci suits, was charged with two counts of wire fraud, one count of extortion and one count of false material statements. , federal prosecutors said.

If he is convicted, he faces a maximum of 65 years in prison.

The feds allege Whitehead defrauded one of his parishioners out of $90,000 of his retirement savings by promising to use the cash to buy him a home and instead spend it on luxury items and clothing, according to the indictment.

In another alleged scheme, Whitehead extorted $5,000 from a businessman and asked the man to loan him $500,000, promising he could “obtain favorable shares of the New York City government” in exchange for the cash and interest on the real estate transactions. roots, says the indictment.

“Your campaign of fraud and deception of him now stops,” US Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement after Whitehead’s arrest.

“If you are willing to attempt to obtain funds through false promises or threats, the FBI will ensure that you face the consequences of your actions in our criminal justice system,” FBI Deputy Director Michael J. Driscoll added in a statement. .

Whitehead attracted media attention on July 23 when three suspects broke into his church, Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries, during a livestreamed service and robbed it at gunpoint for jewelry estimated at up to $1 million.

Charged

Two men, Juwan Anderson and Say-Quan Pollack, both 23, were charged in Brooklyn federal court with the brazen robbery. Their trials are scheduled to begin early next year.

The flamboyant pastor has had ties to Mayor Eric Adams since at least 2013 and also made headlines in May when he tried to broker the surrender of an accused subway shooter and claimed to have spoken to Hizzoner while the suspect was on the loose.

Whitehead was convicted on identity theft charges brought by state prosecutors in 2006 for using multiple people’s personal information to purchase cars and motorcycles.

Statement

Whitehead called the campaign worker’s lawsuit “frivolous.”

Her attorney, Dawn Florio, said her client was innocent of the federal charges.

“Bishop Lamor Whitehead is not guilty of these charges,” Florio said in a statement. “He will vigorously defend these allegations. He feels that he is being attacked and that a victim is turning him into a villain.”