Bishop Lamor Whitehead, the pastor who made headlines in July 2022 for being robbed of more than $1 million in jewelry during a church service that was live-streaming was arrested on Dec. 19 for allegedly defrauding a member of his congregation.
Whitehead was charged with two counts of wire fraud, one count of extortion, and one count of making material false statements.
Feds say that the bishop allegedly scammed one of his members out of $90,000 of her retirement savings by promising to buy her a home. Instead, he used the money on luxury goods and clothing for himself.
In another incident, Whitehead extorted a businessman for $5,000 and asked the man to lend him $500,00, as he promised he could obtain favorable actions by the government in exchange for cash and interest in real estate transactions.
After his arrest, FBI Assistant Director Michael Driscoll made a statement saying “If you are willing to attempt to obtain funds through false promises or threats, the FBI will ensure that you are made to face the consequences for your actions in our criminal justice system.”
In 2006, Whitehead was convicted of identity theft charges for using the personal information of several people to buy cars and motorcycles. He was sentenced to up to 30 years in prison but was released for good behavior in 2013.
