A Brooklyn pastor known for his extravagantly lavish gear and expensive whips was taken into custody by the feds, according to a press release from the Department of Justice.
On Monday, U.S. District Attorney for Southern New York Damian Williams and the FBI’s Assistant Director of the New York Field Office Michael J. Driscoll disclosed that Bishop Lamor Whitehead was indicted on two counts of wire fraud, one count of making false statements and one count of extortion. The 45-year-old man, who resides in Paramus, New Jersey, was arrested on December 19 and stood before U.S. Magistrate Gabriel W. Gorenstein in court. His case was eventually assigned to U.S. District Magistrate Lorna G. Schofield.
In July, NewsOnyx reported that Whitehead was accused of swindling $90,000 from a parishioner at his Brooklyn-based church– Leaders Of Tomorrow International Ministries. Pauline Anderson filed a lawsuit against the flashy bishop after she claimed he coerced her into giving him the $90,000 in 2020 to “purchase and renovate” a house for Anderson. The suit claimed that Whitehead only gave her $100 as repayment. She said he blew her off for months as he pursued a failed bid to become Brooklyn’s borough president. Whitehead reportedly never made good on his promise to her.
The district attorney and assistant director made statements regarding Whitehead’s indictment and arrest.
Williams said, “As we allege today, Lamor Whitehead abused the trust placed in him by a parishioner, bullied a businessman for $5,000, then tried to defraud him of far more than that, and lied to federal agents. His campaign of fraud and deceit stops now.”
“As we allege today, Whitehead carried out several duplicitous schemes in order to receive funds from his victims. Additionally, when speaking with authorities, Whitehead consciously chose to mislead and lie to them,” Driscoll said. “If you are willing to attempt to obtain funds through false promises or threats, the FBI will ensure that you are made to face the consequences for your actions in our criminal justice system.”
The FBI alleged that Whitehead used Anderson’s money to purchase luxury goods instead of renovating the home he promised her. The organization also claimed that the fast-talking pastor also allegedly tried to scam a businessman out of $500,000 to give him a stake in real estate transactions for preferential treatment from the government in New York City. Whitehead knew the ask was unobtainable. He also allegedly extorted $5,000 from the man. During the execution of an FBI search warrant, the 45-year-old pastor lied to agents about having more than one cellphone. Ironically, they discovered that he had sent a text message to another phone describing it as “my other phone.”
If convicted, Whitehead faces a combined maximum sentence of 45 years in prison on the extortion, wire fraud and making a false statement charges.
