Convicted fraudster Lamor Whitehead, better known as the “Bling Bishop” of Brooklyn, was ordered to jail on Monday for violating the terms of his pre-sentencing bond.
Whitehead, whose nickname comes from his affinity for flashy jewelry, expensive suits, and luxury cars, was remanded to federal custody on May 20 by Judge Lorna G. Schofield of the Southern District of New York, a spokesperson for SDNY confirmed.
The spokesperson, Nicholas Biase, said Whitehead was jailed because the attempted extortion charge he was convicted of was “considered a crime of violence for [the] purposes of bail.”
This month, prosecutors sought to put the bombastic bishop behind bars for allegedly flashing sealed court documents to his followers in an April video posted on social media. Whitehead’s defense team had countered that he thought the documents were unsealed upon his conviction, the New York Post reported.
Biase confirmed that the judge declared Whitehead violated his bail by displaying the documents.
Whitehead’s lawyer Dawn Florio told amNewYork Metro that the bishop plans to appeal the ruling and “continue to fight for the truth.”
“We are deeply saddened by Judge Lorna G. Schofield’s decision to remand Bishop Lamor Miller Whitehead. While we respect the court’s authority, we firmly believe in Bishop Whitehead’s innocence and are committed to pursuing justice on his behalf,” said Florio. “We have full faith in the legal process and are confident that justice will ultimately prevail.”
The flamboyant preacher was convicted in March on charges he swindled a parishioner at his Canarsie parish out of her $90,000 life savings, which he said he would use to help buy her a house but instead spent on luxury items at Louis Vuitton and Foot Locker. A jury also found him guilty of attempting to extort a Bronx businessman out of $500,000 by lying about his closeness to Mayor Eric Adams — with whom he nonetheless shared a close relationship — and lying to the FBI about possessing a second cell phone.
Whitehead could face up to 85 years behind bars when he is sentenced in July.
Once a candidate for Brooklyn borough president, Whitehead burst into the public eye when he attempted to negotiate the surrender of a man accused of murdering someone on the Q train in 2022, ultimately failing to do so. Later that summer, he was robbed of $1 million in jewelry during a livestreamed sermon at his Canarsie parish.
Two men were hit with federal robbery charges for the plunder. A third alleged co-conspirator was shot and killed during a standoff with law enforcement at a New Jersey motel. Whitehead was arrested on the unrelated federal charges a few months later.
Whitehead, the extravagant pastor of Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries, contended he is innocent — claiming that the feds targeted him to make him turn state’s witness against Mayor Adams.
This would not mark Whitehead’s first foray into incarceration, having previously done five years at Sing Sing for identity theft charges.
This story was updated at 7:30 p.m. on May 20, 2024 with a statement from Whitehead’s lawyer Dawn Florio.
