Federal prosecutors began their fraud and extortion case against a high-profile Brooklyn pastor with ties to Mayor Eric Adams on Monday by referring to him as a “con man” who tricked people into giving him money so he could keep up his lavish lifestyle.
Witness testimony in the case continues in federal court in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday.
In her opening statement on Monday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Greenwood claimed Bishop Lamor Whitehead, also known as the “Bling Bishop,” swindled $90,000 from a parishioner’s mother on false promises that he would buy her a fixer-upper home and remodel it before she moved in. Instead, the prosecutor alleged, he spent the money at Louis Vuitton, Foot Locker, Grubhub and on luxury car payments.
Prosecutors said Whitehead also allegedly tried to coerce a Bronx businessman into giving him $5,000 — and then an additional $500,000 — on false promises that Adams would treat them favorably and they could make millions of dollars.
“It was all lies,” Greenwood said.
At an unrelated press conference last week, the mayor said he was aware that his name would likely come up at trial, but said Whitehead name-dropped him to make promises without any authorization.
“People always use the names of people,” Adams said. “But the investigators made it clear that he made promises on something he could not deliver. That’s what was stated.”
Greenwood alleged Whitehead deceived lenders by including doctored bank statements in a loan application that showed he had millions of dollars in his account, when she said he actually had only $6. She claimed Whitehead also lied to the FBI by telling agents he had one cellphone when he really had at least two.
Whitehead pleaded not guilty and has steadfastly denied the allegations against him. He has accused his critics of painting him unfairly as a villain. His defense attorney, Dawn Florio, said during her opening statement that her client is determined to fight his charges “like…
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