The Brooklyn pastor known for his affinity for bling has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for his web of lies and scams.
Bishop Lamor Whitehead was handed a 12-year sentence in Manhattan federal court on four counts and three years on a single count, the NY Daily News reports.
In March, Whitehead who led the Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries in Canarsie was found guilty of wire fraud, attempted extortion, and lying to the FBI among other charges.
Whitehead reportedly swindled “tens of thousands of dollars” from victims in separate schemes.
Whitehead asked that he serve no time.
The Grift That Kept Taking
Whitehead reportedly conned $90,000 from Pauline Anderson’s retirement savings. He claimed that he would invest the money in real estate and promised to find her a house.
Whitehead treated himself to some expensive gifts and flashy clothing.
“I trusted him,” Anderson said previously in court. “He said he had real estate experience. He was a man of God — he prayed for me in earnest. I believe in God, so I believed he would honestly help me to get this house.”
Brandon Belmonte, a Bronx businessman, said Whitehead talked him into loaning him half a million dollars and name-dropped Mayor Eric Adams. The Mayor was reportedly a mentee of Adams.
“Whitehead did not just steal from fellow alleged criminals; he did not just steal from faceless financial institutions; he did not just steal from trusting parishioners. He stole from all of them. He stole constantly. And he did it all by himself. Even money he brought in ‘legitimately’ was, in truth, a product of his frauds,” prosecutors wrote.
