Brooklyn pastor ‘Bling Bishop’ sentenced to 9 years for fraud and extortion, US attorney says
CNN
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 trying to extort a businessman, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced.
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 trying to extort a businessman, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced. Whitehead was found guilty 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 are from three separate schemes. 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 news release from the US attorney’s office and court documents. “Lamor Whitehead is a con man who stole millions of dollars in a string of financial frauds and even stole from one of his own parishioners. He lied to federal agents, and again to the Court at his trial. Today’s sentence puts an end to Whitehead’s various schemes and reflects this Office’s commitment to bring accountability to those who abuse their positions of trust,” US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams said in the news release. One of Whitehead’s attorneys has previously said they plan to appeal. CNN has reached out to Whitehead’s lawyer for comment. Known for his Louis Vuitton suits and extravagant jewelry, Whitehead was a pastor at the Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries in Brooklyn. He made headlines in 2022 after he said he and his wife were robbed of $1 million worth of jewelry at their church.
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