More On: Lamor Whitehead
'Flashy' NYC bishop who was robbed of $1 million in jewelry allegedly stole $90,000 from congregants
In a lawsuit filed last year, a church member said that the flashy Brooklyn pastor who was robbed of more than $1 million in jewelry during a live-streamed church service stole $90,000 from him.
Bishop Lamor Whitehead, who is known for showing off his Gucci suits, diamond-encrusted chains, and fleet of luxury cars, is said to have a history of swindling and even spent time in prison for identity theft and grand larceny.
Pauline Anderson, who is 56 years old, sued the Rolls-Royce-driving clergyman in Brooklyn Supreme Court. She said that he convinced her to give him her life savings and a $90,000 "investment" in November 2020 so that he could buy and fix up a house for her.
The suit, which was first reported by The City on Thursday, also says that Whitehead agreed to pay Anderson $100 per month because her savings were her only source of income.
Whitehead, who was 44 at the time, allegedly only made one of the $100 payments to Anderson in January 2021. When Anderson asked about the status of her home in the months that followed, Whitehead allegedly told her over and over that he was busy with his campaign for Brooklyn Borough President.
The suit says that in the end, Whitehead didn't help Anderson find a home. Instead, he used the money as a down payment on a contract to buy a $4.4 million home for himself in Saddle River, New Jersey.
Anderson met Whitehead in 2020 through her son Rasheed Anderson. According to the lawsuit, Anderson didn't know about the Saddle River home until Whitehead sent Rasheed an email about the purchase by mistake.
The deal to buy Saddle River didn't go through. But, according to The City, Whitehead did buy a $4.5 million apartment complex in Hartford, Connecticut.
The lawsuit claims that Anderson was told she couldn't get a mortgage because of her bad credit. That's when Whitehead stepped in and offered to help.
Even though Anderson had "reservations" about giving Whitehead such a large amount of money, she did so "because he was supposed to be a man of the cloth and had helped her own son find a place to live," the lawsuit says.
The suit says that he later told her that he was putting the money into his business and didn't have to pay it back.
“Ms. Anderson was instead left with nothing but a vague promise by Mr. Whitehead to pay the funds back in the future followed by an assertion that he had no further obligation to do so,” the filing charges.
Anderson is seeking $1 million in damages for Whitehead’s “morally reprehensible acts,” and for “losing her entire life savings” the filing claims.
Case is still going on.
Court records show that Whitehead hasn't filed any papers or had an attorney show up on his behalf.
The outgoing pastor has known Mayor Eric Adams since at least 2013. He made headlines again in May when he tried to get an accused subway shooter to turn himself in and said he had talked to Hizzoner while the suspect was still on the run.
On Sunday, three men with guns robbed Whitehead during services at the Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries in Canarsie. They got away with a lot of valuable things, including a Rolex watch worth $75,000.
Later, he defended his way of life by saying that his public displays of wealth didn't cause the robbery at gunpoint, even though some people said that his "blinged-out" look could have made him a big target.
Thursday, a message was left for Whitehead at the congregation, but he did not answer right away.
Since Anderson is still being sued, his lawyers wouldn't say anything.
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