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'Bling Bishop' claims innocence on podcasts, violates bond and gets sent to jail
By
Samantha Max
Published May 20, 2024
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Samantha Max / Gothamist
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Samantha Max
Published May 20, 2024
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A Brooklyn pastor who calls himself a mentee of Mayor Eric Adams was sent to federal jail Monday, the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York confirmed.
A jury convicted Lamor Whitehead earlier this year on multiple federal charges, including wire fraud, attempted extortion and making false statements to law enforcement. Prosecutors said he tricked a parishioner’s mother into giving him $90,000 to buy her a home, which they said he instead spent at Foot Locker and Louis Vuitton. The U.S. attorney’s office also accused him of trying to swindle thousands of dollars from a Bronx businessman, claiming he could spin the money into special treatment from the mayor and millions of dollars in earnings.
“It was all lies,” Assistant U.S Attorney Jessica Greenwood said during opening statements in February.
Whitehead, who now faces the possibility of decades behind bars, has been out on bond while he awaits sentencing this summer. A judge revoked his bond after receiving a message alleging he had been making “false accusations” against prosecutors, the FBI and his alleged victims, according to a court filing from earlier this month. The message also cited his appearance on a podcast with another prominent pastor and a podcast that Whitehead has launched, called “Not Guilty.”
“I urge you to take action as Mr. Whitehead is not taking accountability for his actions and must stop this behavior immediately,” the message stated.
Whitehead’s defense attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Additional information about the judge’s decision was not immediately available.
Whitehead is also known as the “Bling Bishop” for his self-professed love of designer clothing, jewelry and fancy cars. In 2022, he was robbed at gunpoint while delivering a live-streamed sermon in his Canarsie Church, and a video of the incident went viral. Police said a group stole more than $1 million in jewelry from Whitehead and his wife.
Two men pleaded guilty to federal robbery charges, and law enforcement killed a third while trying to arrest him earlier this year.
During a recent podcast interview with another high-profile minister, Jamal Bryant, Whitehead attempted to poke holes in the federal case against him and denied any wrongdoing. He said he has never taken a salary from his church and made his money through real estate. He also boasted about his close relationship with the mayor.
Adams has said in the past that he mentored Whitehead but more recently has tried to distance himself from the bishop. Whitehead said during the podcast interview that federal officials were trying to use him to build a case against the mayor.
“Everyone knows that me and Eric are close,” Whitehead said. “I am one of the top three closest to him. Period.”
Tagged
public safety
brooklyn
Samantha Max
Samantha reports on whether New Yorkers feel safe and whether the institutions that are supposed to protect them are working. Before coming to WNYC/Gothamist, she spent three years covering the criminal justice system in Tennessee for Nashville Public Radio. Her reporting on Nashville's police department received multiple awards, including the Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize. Samantha was also part of the inaugural class of Report for America, a service journalism program that sends up-and-coming reporters to local newsrooms across the country. She is a Northwestern University grad, a Baltimore native and fluent in Spanish. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal: samanthamaxwnyc.93.
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