A New York judge sentenced Bishop Lamor Whitehead to nine years in prison plus three years of supervised release on Monday (June 17). The so-called “Bling Bishop” was ordered to pay $85,000 in restitution and forfeit $95,000.
Whitehead was convicted of wire fraud, attempted wire fraud, attempted extortion and making false statements to federal law enforcement agents in March. Prosecutors sought a 12-year sentence.
“I don’t see any remorse for your conduct,” Judge Lorna Schofield told Whitehead at his sentencing.
Whitehead, a controversial preacher with ties to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, scammed one of his parishioners and extorted a businessman. The “Bling Bishop” convinced a woman to give him $90,000 by promising to help her buy a home. Instead, he used the money for luxury items and personal expenses. He extorted $5,000 from a businessman and tried swindling another $500,000 from the same person by touting his connections to Adams.
“As the U.S. Attorney’s office said when they brought this case, the defendant ‘knew he could not obtain’ favors from city government,” a spokesperson for the mayor’s office told CNN in March. “With [his conviction], that was proven right.”
Whitehead first gained notoriety as the victim of a robbery at his church in July 2022. He was arrested on fraud charges in December 2022.
“Lamor Whitehead is a con man who stole millions of dollars in a string of financial frauds and even stole from one of his own parishioners,” Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement. “He lied to federal agents, and again to the Court at his trial. Today’s sentence puts an end to Whitehead’s various schemes and reflects this Office’s commitment to bring accountability to those who abuse their positions of trust.”
AllHipHop’s Chuck Creekmur spoke to Whitehead months before the preacher’s arrest. Check out the interview below.
