Handcuffs are the only thing he is currently wearing.
On Monday, a jury sentenced “Bling Bishop” Lamor Whitehead, the famously showy Brooklyn pastor who reportedly boasted that Mayor Eric Adams mentored him, to nine years in jail for stealing a parishioner’s mother’s retirement fund, among other offenses.
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The convicted fraudster, known for wearing fine suits, ostentatious jewelry, and driving a Rolls Royce, appeared in Manhattan federal court wearing muted brown jail garb and gave a meandering speech in which he claimed to have “remorse” for his victims.
However, Whitehead refused to accept responsibility for defrauding them, and the judge rejected his apologies.
“I don’t see any remorse for your conduct,” Judge Lorna Schofield told Whitehead before handing down his sentence.
“You don’t seem to understand the consequences of your crimes or the facts.”
In March, Whitehead, 45, was convicted of defrauding Pauline Anderson, a 58-year-old nurse and the mother of one of his flock at Canarsie’s Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries, of $90,000 she had given him to invest in a house he had promised to buy and fix up.
Instead, the flamboyant priest, known as the “bling bishop,” spent the money on personal needs, including Louis Vuitton purchases and BMW automobile payments, according to authorities.
Anderson broke down in court Monday as she described the cruel toll Whitehead’s crime had taken on her, which she claimed drained the whole amount she had saved for retirement.
Whitehead “broke my heart, my spirit, and my soul,” she claimed.
Rasheed, Anderson’s 30-year-old son, noted that the convicted scammer’s crime had a “devastating impact” on his family.
“I was used and taken advantage of, and because of that, every day I have to see my mother suffer,” he told the judge.
Whitehead was also found guilty of attempted extortion for using his alleged contacts with the mayor to get an auto body shop owner to grant him $500,000 in exchange for “official favors” from Hizzoner.
Additionally, a court found him guilty of lying to a bank to secure a $250,000 loan and to FBI investigators during a raid on his New Jersey estate.
Prosecutors said Whitehead was aware at the time that he would be unable to receive the favors he promised. The case does not accuse Adams of any misconduct.
“Whitehead did not just steal from other accused criminals; he also stole from faceless financial organizations and from unsuspecting parishioners. “He stole from all of them,” prosecutors from Manhattan US Attorney Damian Williams’ office stated in a pre-sentence court filing.
Whitehead drew public attention and followers with his flamboyant, expensive, luxury lifestyle, which included his home, Rolls-Royce, and expensive suits. “His crimes also funded all of those things,” the feds claimed.
With his feet chained together and court marshals watching, Whitehead spoke for almost 20 minutes Monday at a podium set up in the courtroom, maintaining his innocence and describing himself as a “pillar of the community.”
“I’m very remorseful,” he stated. “I hate to see anyone hurt.”
The fallen bishop named city and state officials with whom he claimed to have collaborated on youth mentoring and Thanksgiving turkey giveaway programs in recent years, including Adams, NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, and state Attorney General Letitia James.
“I’ve done untold turkey giveaways,” remarked the man.
None of those officials appeared in court, but Adams did show support for him when asked about the sentencing during an unrelated press conference.
“Bishop Whitehead is in my prayers, and I hope the best for him,” the mayor told reporters.
Dawn Florio, Whitehead’s attorney, begged the judge to show “mercy” and release him from custody, instead placing him on supervised release.
“Your honor, I am an honorable man, and my children need me,” Whitehead begged during his speech.
“Allow me to be the poster child of another chance,” he stated.
Schofield announced that the pastor will undergo three years of post-release supervision following his release from federal custody.
She cautioned that Whitehead has a history of “crimes of dishonesty” and is at a “high risk of recidivism.”
Before establishing his church in 2013, Whitehead had already served five years in jail after being convicted of a different $2 million identity theft operation that entailed purchasing luxury cars after taking out credit lines in other people’s identities, according to officials.
In July 2022, a gunpoint robbery of the fraudulent pastor and his wife during a livestreamed service made national headlines. Whitehead’s lawyer, Florio, believes he is now suffering from “post-traumatic stress disorder” as a result of the incident.
The judge sentenced Whitehead in May after deciding that his attempted extortion conviction was a “crime of violence” that necessitated his imprisonment.
According to authorities, Whitehead displayed private case records during a livestreamed service on April 30 and used a Bible psalm to frighten Pauline Anderson.
According to the feds, Whitehead allegedly remarked at the time, “Touch not my anointed,” citing Psalms 105.
