A flashy New York bishop, who was famously robbed earlier this year in the middle of a church service, is now facing federal charges over an ungodly scheme that allegedly included swindling one of his parishioners and extorting a local businessman for his own enrichment, prosecutors revealed on Monday.
Lamor Whitehead, 45, was arrested and charged Monday with several crimes, including wire fraud, extortion, and making false statements, the U.S. Attorney’s Office Southern District of New York announced. If convicted, he faces upwards of 65 years in prison.
“His campaign of fraud and deceit stops now,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a Monday statement.
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Prosecutors allege Whitehead, the bishop of a small Brooklyn church called Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries, defrauded upwards of $90,000 from parishioners under the guise of investment help—before using the money on clothes and other luxury goods. In another scheme, Whitehead allegedly extorted a businessman out of thousands of dollars and promised to “obtain favorable actions by the New York City government.”
When federal authorities asked Whitehead about these alleged schemes, he allegedly hid a second cell phone on which he routinely discussed the matters.
Whitehead’s lawyer, Dawn Florio, said in a statement to The Daily Beast that her client “is not guilty of these charges” and will be “vigorously defending these allegations.” “He feels that he is being targeted and being turned into a villain from a victim,” Florio added.
Bishop Lamor Whitehead (in tan Gucci suit) photographed a a party in New York earlier this year.
Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage via GettyThe indictment marks the latest legal battle for Whitehead, a convicted felon known for his opulent lifestyle, political connections, and his Gucci suits and Rolls Royce.
In 2013, Whitehead was released from Sing Sing prison after being convicted of 17 counts of identity theft. On his website, Whitehead credited his time in prison, where he spent six years of his 11-year sentence due to good behavior, for bringing him closer to God. He founded the Leaders of Tomorrow Ministry that same year.
The church’s website touts his business experience, including “ owning his own mortgage firm and real estate firm,” and says he has “developed very valuable relationships with judges, congress men and women, senators and other lawmakers who now seek out his advice as well as his endorsement during their election processes.”
Earlier this year, Whitehead garnered national headlines after he and his family were robbed at gunpoint of hundreds of thousands of dollrs worth of jewelry during a live-streamed Sunday service. Two men were ultimately charged, however allegations quickly swirled that Whitehead had bilked a Brooklyn woman out of her life savings—prompting New York City Mayor Eric Adams to defend his friendship with Whitehead.
“The bishop lost his dad—Arthur Miller was his name—during a police incident,” Adams said during a July press conference. “I have always maintained relationships with people who have gone through traumatic experiences. My goal is to mentor people who go through crisis.”
Whitehead has likewise called Adams a “mentor, brother, and friend.”
In a statement to The Daily Beast after Whitehead’s arrest, Adams said he has “spent decades enforcing the law and expect everyone to follow it.”
“I have also dedicated my life to assisting individuals with troubled pasts. While these allegations are troubling, I will withhold further comment until the process reaches its final conclusion,” he said.
In Monday’s indictment, prosecutors allege that Whitehead attempted to use his profession—and politically connected influence—to swindle at least two people.
The indictment states that between April 2020 and July 2021, Whitehead elicited about $90,000 from a woman who attended his church, telling her he would use the money to help her get home and then invest any remaining money in his real-estate business.
But shortly after the parishioner transferred the funds out of her retirement savings, Whitehead used it to buy thousands of dollars in luxury goods, the indictment says.
Then in April 2022, Whitehead attempted to convince a local businessman to lend him around $500,000 and give him a stake in certain real-estate transactions in exchange for Whitehead obtaining “ favorable actions by the New York City government...that would enrich [them] both.”
“Whitehead knew that he had no ability to obtain such actions,” the indictment states, adding that the bishop told the businessman “that they would make ‘millions.’” Prosecutors allege Whitehead also “used threats of force to obtain $5,000” from a business owned by the same man.
When federal authorities executed a search warrant on Whitehead, the indictment states that the bishop falsely said he only owned one cell phone.
