The Brooklyn, New York “bling bishop” notorious for showboating his luxury items has been found guilty of scamming and exploiting a 58-year-old woman who saw him as “a man of God.”
Following a two-week trial, Lamor Whitehead was convicted of several charges, including 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, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office Southern District of New York.
“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.
Officials alleged that Whitehead convinced a parishioner, Pauline Anderson, to give him the $90,000 out of her retirement fund to help her purchase a new home. He reportedly used the money at luxury stores like Louis Vuitton to pay his bills, according to reports.
After receiving no update, Anderson asked for her money back, but officials said he kept making excuses and lying. This sparked a legal battle between the two.
“He was a man of God,” Anderson said, per The New York Times. “I believed him as the leader of his church.”
Her son, Rasheed Anderson, initially viewed Whitehead as a “spiritual father,” the outlet reported. The 30-year-old testified in court that he met Whitehead at a service in 2020. Since then, he officiated his wedding and played a role in helping him buy his home. Rasheed Anderson testified that Whitehead was supposed to take Pauline Anderson’s money, buy and renovate an investment property, and then give it back to her a short time later, the newspaper reported.
Prosecutors said that Whitehead also tried to extort $5,000 from a man identified by outlets as Brandon Belmonte, a businessman. He later circled back to convince Belmonte “to lend him $500,000 and give him a stake in certain real estate transactions.”
In exchange, according to the DA, he promised “favorable actions” from New York City Mayor Eric Adams, although he knew he couldn’t fulfill that obligation.
During his testimony, Whitehead alleged that an FBI agent alluded to wanting to target Adams, but he declined to be an informant, the New York Times reported.
The bishop was thrust into mainstream media after gunmen stole $1 million in jewelry during a livestreamed service at his Brooklyn church, Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries, in 2022. He recently offered to officiate the funeral of one of the suspects, whom U.S. marshals shot in January.
The bishop seemingly responded to the conviction in several Instagram posts on Tuesday. He plans to appeal the 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,” he wrote, reiterating that the FBI wanted him to turn against the city’s mayor. “After this, Jesus will still get the glory. Stay Tuned for this new chapter called…truth and vindication.”
