Bling Bishop Says He's Not Guilty Of Fraud In Social Media Tirade

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — Brooklyn bishop Lamor Whitehead sat in front of two smiling portraits of himself, hung side-by-side in his Paramus mansion, and protested he was innocent of fraud.

"I'm not guilty," the so-called Bling Bling Bishop said in the social media tirade posted Tuesday. "That's why I have a smile on my face."

Whitehead addressed his flock one day after federal officials charged the controversial bishop with fraud and two counts of extortion and pledged to fight the charges — and also the haters and the media.

“Just because you were arrested doesn’t make you guilty. Don’t drink the Kool-Aid," he told the camera, "I’m telling you all. You drunk it already. Don’t drink it again. Give it time.”

"You know who Bishop Lamor Miller Whitehead is," he told his audience.

Whitehead, recently named by New York Magazine as a "Reason To Love New York," was not especially well-known until his antics last spring involving himself with an accused subway shooter and his live-streamed robbery over the summer, combined with his display of riches and opulence, caught the eyes of New Yorkers and the world.

When he ran for Brooklyn Borough President in 2021 to replace friend and mentor Mayor Eric Adams, he came nearly last with barely over 4,000 votes.

Whitehead did blast past the competition though when it came to fundraising: his campaign raised $57, 517 from 660 contributions and took out nearly $185,000 in loans for his losing run, according to the New York City Campaign Finance Board.

Next-place candidate Pearlene Fields received over 5,000 votes while raising only $4,447 from 42 contributions.

That means Fields spent about 80 cents per vote received compared to Whitehead's $60.

"Does it make sense to you?" he asked his watchers . "If I wasn't a man of God then the enemy wouldn't be fighting me like he is."

In addition to numerous civil lawsuits — including one from a person who claims to have worked on his failed political campaign — Whitehead was arrested and charged Monday for fraud, extortion and lying to federal agents, according to the U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York and the FBI.

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

The U.S. Attorney's office contends Whitehead spent the money on a luxury shopping spree.