The New York pastor who was both robbed of $1 million worth of jewelry during a church service and accused of stealing a parishioner's life savings has been found guilty of extortion and fraud.
Lamor Whitehead, known as the Brooklyn "Bling Bishop," was convicted of one count of making false statements to the FBI, one count of attempted extortion, one count of attempted wire fraud, and two counts of wire fraud after he allegedly scammed and exploited 58-year-old parishioner Pauline Anderson, per New York Times.
During a two-week trial, Whitehead, pastor at Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries, was accused of convincing Anderson to give him $90,000 of her retirement fund under false promises of helping her purchase a new home. The bishop reportedly used the money to pay for luxury items.
Anderson gave Whitehead the money, believing he was a "man of God."
“I believed him as the leader of his church,” Anderson said.
According to prosecutors, Whitehead also attempted to extort $5,000 from a businessman identified as Brandon Belmonte. He later tried to convince the man “to lend him $500,000 and give him a stake in certain real estate transactions" in exchange for “favorable actions” from New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
“As a unanimous jury found, Lamor Whitehead abused the trust placed in him by a parishioner, tried to obtain a fraudulent loan using fake bank records, bullied a businessman for $5,000, tried to defraud him out of far more than that, and lied to federal agents,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement.
Whitehead testified that an FBI agent wanted to target Adams, but he declined to be an informant. He reportedly plans to appeal his conviction.
“The story isn’t over. It’s just a new chapter…stay [tuned]. God is still God. They can all laugh now and talk,” Whitehead wrote on social media. “After this, Jesus will still get the glory. Stay Tuned for this new chapter called…truth and vindication.
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