Notoriously flamboyant Bishop Lamor Whitehead, who is both famous and infamous in the court of public opinion, is facing a mountainous amount of charges related to fraud, including some new indictments from the federal government.
The U.S. Department of Justice is accusing Whitehead of developing a complex scheme by which he allegedly purchased a $1.3 million home even though he only had $10 in his bank account at the time.
Before that, the U.S. Attorney’s Office alleges that Whitehead forged documents to try to obtain a $250K loan from the bank but was turned down. Later, he successfully repeated the process to procure a mortgage on an ostentatious mansion in Paramus, New Jersey.
Brooklyn "Bling Bishop" Lamor Whitehead used forged papers to secure a $1.3 million mortgage for a New Jersey mansion, prosecutors say
He "told a bank his business had $2 million in its coffers when it had less than $10" https://t.co/Oz8meyDOMI
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) March 13, 2023
The pastor of Leaders of Tomorrow International Churches is already answering to fraud, extortion, and charges of lying to federal investigators after being arrested in December 2022, according to Complex magazine. That arrest three months ago is tied to the accusation by the feds that Whitehead scammed multiple people out hundreds of thousands, including one of his parishioners, who said he stole $90K from her on the promise that he would enrich her.
In this March 2023 case, prosecutors from the Southeastern District of New York stated in the indictment that Whitehead “entirely fabricated a bank account that did not in fact exist.” Whitehead also allegedly sent the bank statements of an account with more than $2 million “when in fact during that time period [the business] had an average ending balance of less than ten dollars.”
Whitehead first made national headlines in the summer of 2022 when he was reportedly robbed by gunmen of more than $400K worth of jewelry in the middle of aservice. The video of the live robbery quickly went viral.
The minister, who is customarily outfitted in expensive designer suits and abundant jewelry, has since taken to the airwaves to defend himself on both his Instagram account and radio. He has called the arrests and indictments politically motivated attacks.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Co5pJfRpigj/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading
Whitehead went on the “Way Up With Angela Yee” midday radio show to explain the moment he realized he was being robbed in the middle of his Sunday service.
🚨 Part 1️⃣ : @iambishopwhitehead walks us through the viral moment when his family and congregation were robbed at gunpoint at his church. 📶🆙 full interview on @YouTube
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Follow @wayupwithyee ✨ pic.twitter.com/a93JRm6W1H— Way Up With Angela Yee (@wayupwithyee) March 10, 2023
Whitehead is countering local and federal investigators’ public pronouncements and trying to explain how he appropriated nearly $100K from one of his parishioners.
🚨 @iambishopwhitehead clears the air on the where the $90,000 went!
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Follow @wayupwithyee ✨ pic.twitter.com/EeKeqM34XH— Way Up With Angela Yee (@wayupwithyee) March 10, 2023
Whitehead is also purporting that FBI investigators are conspiring to neutralize him.
🚨 @iambishopwhitehead opens up about his recent arrest and why he believes the FBI is plotting on him ! Full interview on @youtube
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Follow @wayupwithyee ✨ pic.twitter.com/ZSss5CbWFg— Way Up With Angela Yee (@wayupwithyee) March 10, 2023