Controversial Brooklyn Bishop Lamor Whitehead fabricated bank records in an attempt to finance his million-dollar New Jersey mansion, federal prosecutors charged in a new indictment Wednesday.
To get a mortgage approved for the sprawling Paramus estate, Whitehead, 44, altered bank records to make it appear that an LLC he controlled had an average balance of more than $2 million — when it actually had less than $10, the feds allege.
“As we allege today, Whitehead carried out several duplicitous schemes in order to receive funds from his victims. Additionally, when speaking with authorities, Whitehead consciously chose to mislead and lie to them. 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 you’re actions in our criminal justice system.”
FBI Assistant Director Michael J. Driscoll said
Bishop Whitehead “fabricated bank records for AMS LLC, from at least in or about October 2018 up to and including…February 2019, in an effort to obtain a mortgage in excess of $1.3 million to fund a purchase of a home in Paramus, New Jersey,” the indictment alleges.
Bishop Whitehead was arrested in December 2022 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York for fraud, extortion, and false statements after being accused of swindling a retired parishioner of $90,000.
Bishop Whitehead received national attention earlier in 2022 after an alleged abrupt robbery was captured via live stream during a church service in July.
Though Whitehead’s version of events have been widely disputed, as he tells it, the thieves demanded that he and his wife turn over all their jewelry, which included a $75,000 Rolex watch, a $75,000 Cavalier watch, a $25,000 Episcopal ruby-and-diamond ring, and a $25,000 Episcopal diamond ring, among other gem-encrusted baubles
