Lamor Whitehead sentenced to 9 years in prison for fraud and extortion, according to American lawyer

CNN
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Lamor Whitehead, a flashy Brooklyn pastor nicknamed the “Bling Bishop,” was sentenced Monday to nine years in prison after being convicted of using a parishioner's retirement savings and attempted to extort a businessman, announced the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Whitehead was convicted in March of two counts of wire fraud, as well as one count each of attempted wire fraud, attempted extortion and making false statements to federal law enforcement agents. The convictions come from three separate regimes.

In addition to his prison sentence, the 45-year-old New Jersey man “was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $85,000 in restitution and forfeit $95,000,” according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office and court documents. .

“Lamor Whitehead is a con artist who stole millions of dollars in a series of financial frauds and even stole from one of his own parishioners. He lied to federal agents and then to the court during his trial. Today’s sentence puts an end to Whitehead’s various schemes and reflects this office’s commitment to holding those who abuse their positions of trust accountable,” said the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, in press release.

One of Whitehead's lawyers has already announced his intention to appeal. CNN has reached out to Whitehead's attorney for comment.

Known for his Louis Vuitton suits and extravagant jewelry, Whitehead was a pastor at Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries in Brooklyn. He made headlines in 2022 after he said he and his wife had $1 million worth of jewelry stolen from their church.

Prosecutors said Whitehead defrauded one of his parishioners by convincing her to invest about $90,000 of her retirement savings with him so he could help her buy a home; however, he ended up spending the money on luxury goods and personal expenses, according to an indictment.

Whitehead also extorted $5,000 from a businessman, then tried to convince him to lend him $500,000 and give him an interest in real estate deals in exchange for receiving “favorable action from the New York City Government” which he knew he could not provide. the indictment says.

Whitehead used his ties to New York City Mayor Eric Adams to try to strike a deal, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a press release in March.

He also submitted a fraudulent application for a $250,000 business loan that included falsified bank statements, falsely claiming he had millions of dollars in the bank and hundreds of thousands of dollars in monthly income, according to the bureau's news release of the US Attorney.

Whitehead had “submitted similar fraudulent applications to various other financial institutions, stealing millions of dollars in the process,” the statement said.

And when he spoke to FBI agents who were executing a search warrant outside his New Jersey mansion, Whitehead made false statements, telling agents he only had one phone, even though He actually had two, according to the indictment.