Bishop Lamor Whitehead Given 9-Year Prison Sentence

The 45-year-old bishop was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $85,000 in restitution and forfeit $95,000.

Lamor Whitehead, known as the “Bling Bishop,” was found guilty in March of wire fraud, attempted wire fraud, attempted extortion, and making false statements to federal law enforcement agents. Whitehead was given a nine-year sentence in federal prison on June 17.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York, announced the prison sentence ordered by U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield.

In a written statement, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said, “Lamor Whitehead is a con man who stole millions of dollars in a string of financial frauds and even stole from one of his own parishioners. He lied to federal agents, and again to the Court at his trial. Today’s sentence puts an end to Whitehead’s various schemes and reflects this Office’s commitment to bring accountability to those who abuse their positions of trust.”

The 45-year-old bishop is also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $85,000 in restitution and forfeit $95,000.

Whitehead was found guilty on March 11 after prosecutors proved the pastor of Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries in Brooklyn scammed the retirement savings of one church member, attempted to extort a businessman, and committed loan fraud.

Prosecutors stated that the bishop persuaded one of his church members to invest about $90,000 of her retirement savings with him after promising to use the funds to help her buy a home. Whitehead allegedly spent the money on luxury items and personal expenses. Once the parishioner demanded the money back, Whitehead evaded her inquiries.

Whithead’s crimes included the extortion of a businessman for $5,000. After the success of the extortion, he attempted to extort the person for $500,000. Whitehead framed this extortion as a loan while promising him a stake in real estate transactions. The disgraced bishop levered his relationship with Mayor Eric Adams to deceive his victims.

Whitehead also submitted a fraudulent application for a $250,000 business loan. The bishop produced doctored bank statements claiming millions of dollars in bank assets and hundreds of thousands of dollars in monthly revenue.

After Whitehead was convicted, his attorney, Dawn Florio, stated the verdict would be appealed.