The flamboyant Brooklyn bishop accused of swindling a parishioner’s mother out of her life savings and blowing the cash on designer clothes and flashy supercars has been sentenced.
Jurors in Manhattan Federal Court found Lamor Miller-Whitehead, 47, guilty of five counts, including wire fraud, attempted extortion and lying to FBI agents about having another cell phone.
The charges stemmed from three separate schemes and carry up to 45 years in prison.
Whitehead, notoriously known as the ‘Bling Bishop’, ran a church in Canarsie called Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries.
He was accused of swindling Pauline Anderson, an elderly single mother, out of $90,000, promising to buy her a house. Instead, prosecutors said, he spent the money on luxury items.
Brooklyn Bishop Lamor Miller-Whitehead, 47, was found guilty Monday of five counts, including wire fraud, attempted extortion and lying to the FBI.
The charges stem from three separate incidents and carry a sentence of up to 45 years
Whitehead became known as the ‘Bling Bishop’ as he wore designer clothes and drove a Rolls-Royce around town
Last month, Whitehead appeared in court wearing a $2,250 Fendi backpack.
Before his long record of deception came to light, the Rolls Royce-driving bishop was “trusted by many in his community,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Greenwood said at the time.
“The defendant abused that trust by lying over and over again,” she said.
‘He lied about how much money he had. He lied about his business plans. And he lied about having influence over powerful people. All with the goal of getting money and property to fund his extravagant lifestyle.’
She accused Whitehead of convincing the elderly woman, a former nurse, that he would use her retirement savings to buy a permanent home and renovate it for her to live in.
“And she believed the defendant — a man who, at the time, had become a mentor and spiritual advisor to her son,” Greenwood continued.
Whitehead eventually spent the money on designer clothes and a BMW down payment.
When the victim’s son tried to get his mother’s money back, Whitehead said in a text message that he asked God to ‘exact vengeance’ on the man.
Two other schemes targeted a moneylending company and a Bronx businessman.
Prosecutors said the bishop prepared false bank statements to secure a $250,000 loan, claiming he had millions in a business account that actually contained less than $6.
He was also accused of trying to extort $5,000 from Brandon Belmonte, the owner of a Bronx auto body shop, after a repair job.
Prosecutors alleged that Whitehead further tried to convince Belmonte to loan him $500,000 and give him a stake in real estate deals, insisting that his connections to city officials could give them preferential treatment and score them millions.
Belmonte himself was hit with federal bank and wire fraud charges in August 2023. The 39-year-old was accused of running a financing scheme through his car rental business as well as an insurance fraud.
He appeared in court last month wearing a $2,250 Fendi backpack
Whitehead (pictured with lawyer Dawn Florio) was accused of defrauding a parishioner’s mother out of her life savings and blowing the money on luxury clothes and a BMW down payment
Two other schemes saw him target a moneylending company and the owner of a Bronx auto body shop
Records show Whitehead lived in a $1.6 million home in Paramus, New Jersey. He was arrested in December 2022 but was released after posting $500,000 bail
Records show Whitehead lived in a $1.6 million home in Paramus, New Jersey, and owned several apartment buildings in Hartford, Connecticut.
He was arrested in December 2022 in connection with the cases pending in federal court, but was released after posting $500,000 bail.
The preacher also made headlines for his ties to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who he unsuccessfully ran to succeed as Brooklyn borough president in 2021.
Adams declined to endorse Whitehead in the race and criticized him for using his name in a ‘misleading’ campaign ad, according to text messages shown during the trial.
Dawn Florio, an attorney for Whitehead, plans to appeal the sentence. She insisted during the trial that the evidence presented did not support the charges.
Whitehead’s sentencing before Judge Lorna G. Schofield is scheduled for July 1.