A Brooklyn pastor, extensively generally known as the “Bling Bishop,” was discovered responsible of a number of fees Monday in a case by which he was accused of stealing $90,000 from a parishioner and utilizing the cash to purchase luxurious objects, making an attempt to extort a enterprise man and promising favors from New York Metropolis Mayor Eric Adams in return for profitable offers.
Lamor Miller-Whitehead, 45, was convicted of two counts of wire fraud, one depend of tried wire fraud, and one depend of tried extortion, every carrying a most sentence of 20 years in jail. Moreover, he was convicted of 1 depend of constructing false statements, which carries a most sentence of 5 years in jail, in accordance with the U.S. lawyer.
Miller-Whitehead was a pastor on the Leaders of Tomorrow Worldwide Ministries, which he helped type after serving 5 years in jail for id theft and grand larceny. He lived in a $1.6 million mansion within the New Jersey metropolis of Paramus and owned a number of condo buildings in Hartford, Connecticut. In July, he made headlines when he was robbed of $1 million in jewellery in the course of his church service.
Prosecutors revealed that Miller-Whitehead, underneath the guise of aiding certainly one of his parishioners in buying a house, satisfied her to take a position roughly $90,000 of her retirement financial savings. As an alternative of fulfilling his promise, Whitehead diverted the funds for private use, splurging on luxurious objects and different bills. When pressed for compensation, he resorted to continued deception.
Moreover, Miller-Whitehead tried to extort $5,000 from a businessman and later sought a $500,000 mortgage, falsely promising favorable actions from the mayor of New York Metropolis in alternate. Understanding he couldn’t ship on the guarantees, Miller-Whitehead’s actions amounted to tried fraud and extortion, prosecutors mentioned.
“As a unanimous jury discovered, Lamor Whitehead abused the belief positioned in him by a parishioner, tried to acquire a fraudulent mortgage utilizing pretend financial institution data, bullied a businessman for $5,000, tried to defraud him out of excess of that, and lied to federal brokers,” U.S. Legal professional Damian Williams mentioned. “Whitehead’s reprehensible lies and legal conduct have caught up with him, as he now stands convicted of 5 federal crimes and faces time in jail.”
In one other occasion, Miller-Whitehead submitted a fraudulent utility for a $250,000 enterprise mortgage, fabricating financial institution statements to inflate his monetary standing.
Including to his authorized woes, Miller-Whitehead was discovered to have offered false statements to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) brokers throughout a search of his New Jersey mansion. He falsely claimed to own just one cellphone whereas concealing the existence of one other, frequently used system.
An lawyer for Miller-Whitehead, Daybreak Florio, mentioned they’re interesting the decision, in accordance with the Related Press. She had instructed jurors through the trial that proof in opposition to her shopper didn’t assist the costs.
Earlier than his arrest, Miller-Whitehead was an in depth affiliate of Adams, who served as Brooklyn’s borough president. In December 2022, when Miller-Whitehead was arrested on wire fraud and extortion fees, Adams mentioned: “I’ve spent many years implementing the legislation and anticipate everybody to comply with it. I’ve additionally devoted my life to helping people with troubled pasts. Whereas these allegations are troubling, I’ll withhold additional remark till the method reaches its last conclusion.”
The mayor’s workplace didn’t instantly reply to USA TODAY’s request for touch upon Wednesday.
Contributing: Related Press; Liam Quinn of The Document, a part of the USA TODAY Community