Flashy Brooklyn Pastor Lamor Whitehead, robbed of $1 million in jewelry, has been accused of stealing $90,000 from a congregation member.
Congregant Pauline Anderson of the Leaders Of Tomorrow International Churches filed a lawsuit against Bishop Whitehead, alleging that he swindled her out of $90,000. In the suit, Anderson claimed the 44-year-old convinced her to liquidate her life savings and pay him the money in 2020, promising he would “purchase and renovate” a home for her. It also indicated that Whitehead allegedly only made one of the $100 payments to her in January 2021 and told her he was busy working on a now-failed campaign for Brooklyn borough president when she asked him about the status of her home.
“Mr. Whitehead fraudulently induced Ms. Anderson to liquidate her entire life savings to pay him the ‘investment’ of $90,000.00, promising to use the funds to purchase and renovate a house for her,” the lawsuit said. “Ms. Anderson was instead left with nothing but a vague promise by Mr. Whitehead to pay the funds back in the future followed by an assertion that he had no further obligation to do so.”
The 56-year-old congregant was previously introduced to the pastor by her son, who suggested she ask him for assistance regarding purchasing a home with a low credit score.
Anderson’s suit even alleged that Whitehead bought a $4.4 million home in Saddle River, New Jersey and that she found out about it when he mistakenly emailed her son a contract that listed his firm as the home buyer. She claimed the flashy pastor purchased his mansion while telling her he couldn’t give her the monthly allowance.
However, Whitehead’s lawyer, Brendan Kombol, denied his client purchased a home. Additionally, the pastor said Anderson’s claims were false.
“Her son was a member of my ministry who was removed because he was unintegral. It’s a lawsuit because of who I am,” he told the Daily News on July 28. “Everybody that tried to sue me because of my celebrity status is just gonna keep going in trying to do what they do.”
Whitehead made headlines after being robbed at gunpoint during a live sermon at his church in Canarsie, Brooklyn, on July 24. The gunman reportedly took off with $1 million worth of jewelry belonging to him and his wife, Asia K. DosReis-Whitehead.
