‘Bling bishop,’ pastor from Paramus, is convicted on fraud and extortion charges
Lamor Whitehead, a 45-year-old pastor from Paramus known as the “bling bishop,” has been found guilty of multiple charges including wire fraud, attempted extortion and making false statements, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Whitehead, who also leads a church in Brooklyn, was convicted of two counts of wire fraud, one count of attempted wire fraud, and one count of attempted extortion, each carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Additionally, he was convicted of one count of making false statements, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Prosecutors revealed that Whitehead, under the guise of aiding one of his parishioners in purchasing a home, convinced her to invest about $90,000 of her retirement savings. Instead of fulfilling his promise, Whitehead diverted the funds for personal use, splurging on luxury items and other expenses. When pressed for repayment, he resorted to continued deception, officials said.
Furthermore, Whitehead attempted to extort $5,000 from a businessman and later sought a $500,000 loan, falsely promising favorable actions from the mayor of New York City in exchange. Knowing he could not deliver on these promises, Whitehead’s actions amounted to attempted fraud and extortion.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “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. Whitehead’s reprehensible lies and criminal conduct have caught up with him, as he now stands convicted of five federal crimes and faces time in prison.”
In another instance, Whitehead submitted a fraudulent application for a $250,000 business loan, fabricating bank statements to inflate his financial standing.
Adding to his legal woes, Whitehead was found to have provided false statements to FBI agents during a search of his New Jersey mansion. He falsely claimed to possess only one cellphone while concealing the existence of another, regularly used device.