Lamor Whitehead, also known as New York’s “Bling Bishop,” has been sent to jail before his sentencing for extortion and fraud.
Manhattan Federal Judge Lorna Schofield revoked Whitehead’s bail after he was found guilty of making false statements to the FBI, attempted extortion, attempted wire fraud, and wire fraud in March.
During his trial, Whitehead, who is a pastor at Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries, was accused of convincing someone to give him $90,000 from her retirement fund by promising to help her buy a new home. Instead, he used the money for luxury items.
The person who gave him the money believed in him as a “man of God.”
Whitehead also tried to extort $5,000 from a businessman named Brandon Belmonte. He later tried to get $500,000 from the same businessman and asked for a stake in real estate deals in exchange for favors from New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
“As a unanimous jury found, Lamor Whitehead abused the trust placed in him by a parishioner, tried to obtain a fraudulent loan using fake bank records, bullied a businessman for $5,000, tried to defraud him out of far more than that, and lied to federal agents,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said.
Whitehead wanted to stay out on bail until his sentencing, but prosecutors disagreed, saying he hadn’t taken responsibility for his actions.
He was sent to federal jail, and his sentencing was rescheduled to June 17.