Brooklyn 'Bling Bishop' Fraud, Extortion Trial Kicks Off

BROOKLYN, NY — Brooklyn's so-called "Bling Bishop," who has ties to Mayor Eric Adams, is slated to begin a federal trial Monday on accusations of stealing a parishioner's retirement savings and attempting to extort a businessman to fund his extravagant lifestyle.

Lamor Miller-Whitehead, 47, is set to begin jury selection Monday after a grand jury charged him with wire fraud, attempted wire fraud, attempted extortion and making false statements to federal law enforcement.

"If you are willing to attempt to obtain funds through false promises or threats, the FBI will ensure that you are made to face the consequences for your actions in our criminal justice system," FBI Assistant Director Michael J. Driscoll said.

In court filings, Manhattan federal prosecutors said Whitehead swindled a parishioner, lied to the FBI and falsified bank documents, in addition to extorting the businessman.

Prosecutors said that Whitehead "falsely represented" that he would help the businessman gain "favorable actions" from the New York City government via a specific New York City government official, who’s referred to in court papers as "the official."

Another of the charges relates to a former parishioner, who contends Whitehead convinced her to invest nearly $90,000 of her life savings into a real estate scheme.

The stolen funds were used to fund Miller-Whitehead's luxurious lifestyle, which included driving a Rolls-Royce and wearing high-end apparel, investigators said.

Miller-Whitehead has pleaded not guilty.

The bishop first became world-famous for a live-streamed robbery where gunmen burst into his rented Canarsie event space during a sermon, robbing him and his wife of what police said was over a million dollars of jewelry.

Two of the gunmen were caught back in 2022, police said