Bishop Lamor Whitehead is facing charges of fraud, extortion, and making false statements. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York announced the charges on Monday (Dec. 19) along with the Whitehead’s arrest.
His charges involve a former parishioner, a businessman, and the FBI. Per the official statement, he’s accused of defrauding his congregant, attempting to defraud and extort the businessman, and then lying to the FBI during an investigation.
While the charges are new to the public, the congregant’s claims of Whitehead defrauding her are not. Pauline Anderson filed a lawsuit against the bishop in 2021, alleging he swindled her out of $90,000. The supposed plan involved Whitehead assisting the older woman with buying and renovating a home, but that didn’t happen.
Instead, Whitehead allegedly used most of Anderson’s life savings on personal expenses. Now, the D.A.’s official statement shows they agreed with Pauline’s claims–and seek to prove it in a court of law.
“As we allege today, Lamor Whitehead abused the trust placed in him by a parishioner, bullied a business for $5,000 and then tried to defraud him for more than that, and lied to federal agents. His campaign of fraud and deceit stops now,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said.
The arrest statement claims Bishop Lamor spent Pauline’s investment “on luxury goods and other personal expenses.”
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