Bishop Lamor Whitehead, the blinged-out Brooklyn pastor who made headlines in 2022 when he got robbed during Sunday service, has reportedly been convicted in Manhattan federal court of defrauding a parishioner, among other counts.
On Monday (March 11), the self-proclaimed bishop and real estate investor was also found guilty of attempted extortion, wire fraud and lying to the F.B.I., per The New York Times. A jury took around three hours to reach a verdict after prosecutors argued he forced victims to give him money. In addition, he was accused of bragging about access to New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
During the trial, the court heard that Whitehead persuaded a parishioner to invest around $90,000 with him to buy a house before spending the money on himself, paying for luxury goods and other items. In court, Whitehead tried to blame his parishioner’s son for the loss.
“He was a man of God,” victim Pauline Anderson said of Bishop Whitehead while sobbing. “I believed him as the leader of his church.”
Additionally, prosecutors claimed Whitehead misrepresented his relationship with the mayor to convince a local business owner to lend him $500,000.
“He was lying about the access, he was lying about the influence, he was lying about all of it,” the prosecutor said in his closing argument.
Judge Lorna G. Schofield is set to sentence Whitehead on July 1. He could face decades of prison time.
Meanwhile, Whitehead is also embroiled in a $360 million lawsuit with controversial YouTube personality Tasha K. In November, Whitehead’s lawyer asked a judge to remove him from the case, citing abuse and non-payment.