The New York pastor who was robbed of more than $1 million in jewelry during a live-streamed church service has been accused of stealing a parishioner's life savings.
Brooklyn Bishop Lamor Whitehead is facing a lawsuit alleging that he convinced churchgoer Pauline Anderson to liquidate her savings and pay him a $90,000 "investment" to buy a home for her that was never actually purchased.
According to Anderson's Brooklyn Supreme Court lawsuit, Whitehead offered to help her purchase a home after she was unable to get a mortgage because of her bad credit.
Anderson trusted the bishop with the hefty sum “because he was a supposed man of the cloth and had previously helped her own son secure housing for himself,” the lawsuit states.
Whitehead, instead, allegedly used the $90k to buy a $4.5 million apartment complex for himself, The City reports.
The pastor also had agreed to pay Anderson $100 per month because the savings she gave him was her sole income source.
However, Whitehead only paid her once, the suit says. When Anderson asked about the status of her home, Whitehead allegedly told her he was busy with his election campaign for Brooklyn borough president.
Anderson also claims that Whitehead later said that he was investing her money into his company and had no obligation to pay it back.
“Ms. Anderson was instead left with nothing but a vague promise by Mr. Whitehead to pay the funds back in the future followed by an assertion that he had no further obligation to do so,” the lawsuit claims.
She is seeking $1 million in damages for the pastor's "morally reprehensible acts” and for “losing her entire life savings."
News of the lawsuit comes after Whitehead was robbed at gunpoint while delivering a sermon at Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries in Brooklyn, New York.
The Brooklyn pastor was been accused of being "flashy" as he donned a maroon suit, long gold chain, and a large ring at the time of the incident.
"It's not about me being flashy. It's about me purchasing what I want to purchase," Whitehead said following the jewelry heist. "If I worked hard for it, I can purchase what I want to purchase."
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