Connect with us

Northeast

'Bling Bishop' lashes out at FBI after being convicted of fraud, attempted extortion, lying to feds

Published

on

'Bling Bishop' lashes out at FBI after being convicted of fraud, attempted extortion, lying to feds

Join Fox News for access to this content

Plus special access to select articles and other premium content with your account – free of charge.

Please enter a valid email address.

By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News’ Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive. To access the content, check your email and follow the instructions provided.

Having trouble? Click here.

Lamor Whitehead, a Brooklyn preacher nicknamed the “Bling Bishop” for his ostentatious clothes and flashy cars, claimed Tuesday that his conviction for defrauding an elderly parishioner and trying to extort a business owner was part of a larger scheme by the FBI of trying to make him become an informant against New York City Mayor Adams.

Whitehead, 45, posted a video message to his 1.3 million followers on Tuesday from inside his Rolls-Royce, saying he refused to dish on Adams to the FBI. Adams’ campaign has faced a federal corruption investigation.

Advertisement

“This wasn’t about me…. I was not going to be an informant for the FBI against NYC Mayor Eric Adams,” Whitehead wrote in the caption of the video. 

“This was politically driven,” Whitehead said. “This was about Mayor Eric Adams.”

BROOKLYN’S ‘BLING BISHOP’ LAMOR WHITEHEAD DENIES STEALING FROM PARISHIONER’S MOTHER ON DAY 1 OF FRAUD TRIAL

Lamor Whitehead, left, with Eric Adams, then Brooklyn borough president, walking at the West Indian Parade in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, on Sept. 5, 2016. (Stefan Jeremiah)

Whitehead was found guilty on five counts, including wire fraud, attempted extortion and making false statements to federal law enforcement agents, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York.

Advertisement

Whitehead was convicted of inducing Pauline Anderson to invest around $90,000 of her retirement savings with him by promising to use the money to help her buy a home. 

Instead, prosecutors say Whitehead splashed the money on luxury goods from Louis Vuitton and Foot Locker as well as car payments. When Anderson demanded to be paid back, Whitehead lied to avoid returning the money, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. 

Whitehead also extorted Bronx auto body shop owner Brandon Belmonte for $5,000 and then attempted to convince the businessman to lend him $500,000 and give him a stake in certain real estate transactions in return for favorable actions from Adams, even though prosecutors say Whitehead knew he could not obtain the favors he promised, prosecutors said. 

NYC BISHOP ROBBED OF $1M IN JEWELRY MID-SERMON FILES $20M LAWSUITS AGAINST SOCIAL MEDIA CRITICS CLAIMING HOAX

Whitehead, of Paramus, New Jersey, faces decades in prison.

Advertisement

“Bling Bishop” Lamor Whitehead, left, was convicted of wire fraud on Monday but claims that the trial arose after he refused to become an FBI informant against Mayor Eric Adams, right. (Instagram/ @iambishopwhitehead)

“As a unanimous jury found, Lamor Whitehead abused the trust placed in him by a parishioner, tried to obtain a fraudulent loan using fake bank records, bullied a businessman for $5,000, tried to defraud him out of far more than that, and lied to federal agents,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said.

“Whitehead’s reprehensible lies and criminal conduct have caught up with him, as he now stands convicted of five federal crimes and faces time in prison.”

Whitehead claimed he was “targeted” and vowed to appeal. 

He said the FBI showed up to his home on June 8 looking for information on the mayor and told him he was not under arrest but that they had a search warrant to take his phone.

Advertisement

“And what they said to me, was, ‘we don’t want you, we want the mayor of New York [City],’” he said. “And just because I was not going to be a federal informant… the FBI said they [were] going to make my life a living hell, and that’s what you guys are seeing.”

Whitehead said he is innocent. The FBI investigation into Adams burst into the public domain in November when the home of one of his campaign consultants was raided. 

The FBI told Fox News Digital it would not be commenting on Whitehead’s claims.

Bishop Lamor Whitehead speaks during a news conference in Brooklyn on July 29, 2022. (Theodore Parisienne/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

In a July 2021 Instagram post, Whitehead posted a collage of photographs of himself with Adams before Adams assumed office, writing, “Congratulations to my mentor, friend and someone who I can say really help me become a man!”

Advertisement

Whitehead had sought to follow in Adams’ footsteps by becoming the Brooklyn borough president.  But Adams would not endorse Whitehead and admonished him for using his name in a “misleading” campaign ad, according to the New York Times, citing text messages prosecutors showed during the trial.

Whitehead sought Belmonte to give him a loan of $500,000 while promising him access to Adams. 

One of Whitehead’s lawyers played down his client’s relationship with Adams at the trial, saying that he could get a meeting with Adams “faster than most people” – and that statement, he contended, was true. But prosecutors also showed messages from Whitehead to Adams in early 2022 that went unanswered, the New York Times reports. 

Adams told reporters last month that legal filings by the prosecution “stated that clearly [Whitehead] did not have authorization and there was no connectivity to the actions of [the] mayor or borough president.” 

At a press briefing earlier today, Adams said he had no part in the investigation and that prosecutors in the case said there were “no benefits coming from government.”

Advertisement

Pauline Anderson, meanwhile, said she trusted Whitehead to buy her a house since she could not afford one due to low credit. 

“He was a man of God,” she said, according to the New York Times. “I believed him as the leader of his church.”

“Bling Bishop” Lamor Whitehead claims that his trial arose after he refused to become an FBI informant against Mayor Eric Adams. (Instagram/@iambishopwhitehead)

 

Whitehead has previous criminal convictions for identity theft and grand larceny, which resulted in a five-year prison stint.

Advertisement

He became a bishop when he founded the Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries in 2013. 

The Brooklyn preacher owns a $1.6 million home in Paramus, New Jersey, and an apartment in Hartford, Connecticut. 

Whitehead has been free on $500,000 bail since his arrest, which came only months after he was the victim of a robbery when $1 million in jewelry was stolen from him by gunmen who surprised him during a church service.

Fox News’ Maria Paronich, Chris Pandolfo and The Associated Press contributed to this report.  

Read the full article from Here

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Pennsylvania

Wind advisory for part of Pennsylvania for Friday and Saturday – winds gusting up to 50 mph

Published

on

Wind advisory for part of Pennsylvania for Friday and Saturday – winds gusting up to 50 mph


On Thursday at 1:38 a.m. a wind advisory was released by the National Weather Service valid from Friday 8 a.m. until Saturday midnight for Westmoreland Ridges, Fayette Ridges and Higher Elevations of Indiana as well as Mercer, Venango, Forest, Lawrence, Butler, Clarion, Jefferson, Beaver, Allegheny, Armstrong, Washington, Greene, Westmoreland, Fayette and Indiana counties.



Source link

Continue Reading

Rhode Island

Rhode Island hockey star, whose trans father gunned down family, scores game-winning goal — sending team to championship

Published

on

Rhode Island hockey star, whose trans father gunned down family, scores game-winning goal — sending team to championship


The Rhode Island hockey player whose family was gunned down by his deranged trans father during one of his games last month scored the winning goal to send his team to the championship — as he honored his slain relatives.

Blackstone Valley School’s star captain Colin Dorgan netted the game-winning goal — in double overtime — Wednesday night in Providence before his Beavers teammates mobbed him on the ice, celebrating their berth to the Division II final.

The senior defenseman, wearing a patch on his uniform with the initials of his mother, brother and grandfather, called it “the greatest moment of my life,” according to WPRI.

Colin Dorgan celebrates scoring the game winning goal for the Blackstone Valley School’s on March 11, 2026. X / @wpri12

Dorgan, who attends North Providence High School but plays for the Blackstone Valley co-op team, found himself in an offensive position and took a leading pass into a breakaway before sniping the puck past the goalie with 48 seconds left in double overtime.

Advertisement

“My good buddy fed me the puck, and I could hear the crowd. It was a surreal moment,” Dorgan told the outlet after the game.

While his teammates mobbed Dorgan, Blackstone Valley School’s head coach Chris Librizzi was overcome with emotion.

“I literally cried like a baby, the floodgates opened,” Librizzi said. “When I saw him open, I knew he was golden.”

Dorgan was on the ice at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket on Feb. 16 when his father, Robert Dorgan, opened fire in the stands, killing his ex-wife, Rhonda Dorgan; their adult son, Aidan Dorgan; and his ex-father-in-law, Gerald Dorgan.

Dorgan wore a heart-shaped patch on his uniform with the initials of his mother, brother and grandfather. X / @wpri12
Robert Dorgan opened fire on his ex-wife and their adult son while at Colin’s game on Feb. 16, 2026.

Gerald’s wife, Linda, and family friend Thomas Geruso were both critically wounded in the shooting.

Advertisement

The crazed gunman, who identified as transgender and also went by Roberta Esposito, then turned the gun on himself.

After the shooting, it was revealed that the 56-year-old gunman had recently undergone gender reassignment, and his trans identity and unhinged personality were a source of multiple family court battles leading up to the shooting.


Follow The Post’s latest coverage on the Rhode Island high school hockey shooting


The maniac gunman had also shared surnames with his in-laws because he and his ex-wife, who married in 1992, were first-cousins once removed.

Colin Dorgan praised his teammates for supporting him after the unimaginable loss he experienced last month.

“We have to stick together,” he said. “It’s a hard time for everyone. We have each other’s back, and we truly love each other. These are my brothers.”

Advertisement
Colin Dorgan with his mother, brother and sister. Facebook/Rhonda Dorgan
The crazed gunman, who identified as transgender and also went by Roberta Esposito, turned the gun on himself after the shooting. Facebook/Roberta Esposito
Colin Dorgan praised his teammates for supporting him after the unimaginable loss he experienced last month. X / @wpri12

Librizzi revealed he took in Dorgan and his sister, Ava, after they lost their family in the tragic shooting.

“We got together every single day,” Librizzi said. “We skated, worked out, or had dinner at night together for 14 days straight. I believe that made a difference.”

Fans inside the Schneider Arena at Providence College erupted with joy after Dorgan’s goal.

The overtime hero acknowledged the fanatics during his celebration, posing with his arms wide open, mouthing “Let’s go,” after the win, according to video from WPRI.

“I know every person out there loves me, and I love them, too,” Dorgan said.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Vermont

An ICE operation in Vermont leads to violent clashes between protesters and police – The Boston Globe

Published

on

An ICE operation in Vermont leads to violent clashes between protesters and police – The Boston Globe


Protesters blocked a law enforcement vehicle.Paul Heintz/Globe Photo

Federal authorities deployed flashbang devices and pepper-sprayed those who refused to allow police cars to depart.

The incident began around 7:30 a.m., when federal authorities attempted to detain a man in a busy neighborhood of South Burlington, according to local and State Police. The man fled in a car and struck several other vehicles — including two operated by ICE officials who were attempting to box him into a parking lot, police said. The man was seen entering a nearby house.

Migrant Justice, a Vermont-based activist group, activated its rapid response network, prompting supporters to arrive at the house and block its doors so that authorities could not enter. As a dozen masked ICE officers stood sentry, more activists joined the scene throughout the day — chanting, singing and, at times, hurling insults at authorities.

Police shut down traffic for several blocks around the house, which is located between a middle school and a shopping center, not far from Interstate 89.

Advertisement

Grace Oedel, a nonprofit executive and rabbi, was among those leading the crowd in song. In an interview, she compared ICE’s actions to those that took place in Nazi Germany, where relatives of hers were killed.

“This is completely, clearly immoral, abjectly racist, dehumanizing policy,” she said. “And it is our human duty to stand for our neighbors and make sure everyone and everyone’s children are safe.”

At times during the day, the protest took on a carnival-like atmosphere. Rae Beecher, a South Burlington resident, carried over a charcoal grill and set it up outside the house to cook hotdogs.

“I am here as a person who abhors what is going on here and also fights for the freedom of eating, as well,” Beecher said, rotating hotdogs with grilling utensils. “I feel like my duty as a neighbor is to make sure that everybody is fed in every circumstance.”

But the mood turned darker around 5 p.m., when a law enforcement official in an unmarked vehicle pulled up in front of the house and announced to the crowd that a federal judge had issued a criminal arrest warrant for the person they believed was inside.

Advertisement

Dozens more federal, state and local police officers arrived — many in tactical gear, holding rifles aloft — and pushed their way through the crowd, entering the house with the help of a battering ram. Officers shoved several people to the ground.

“ICE, out! ICE, out!” protesters chanted.

Protesters blocked a law enforcement vehicle.Paul Heintz/Globe Photo
A protester outside an immigration enforcement action in South Burlington, Vt., on Wednesday recovers from the apparent use of pepper spray by police.Paul Heintz/Globe Photo

Nearly half an hour later, police escorted two women and a man from the house to an unmarked SUV, but it remained trapped at the scene as protesters lined the street on either side. Some threw dirt, banana peels and water bottles at the cars. Officers donned respirators and fired pepper spray projectiles. Some police vehicles escaped by crossing the median and speeding away before protesters could stop them.

Four members of the crowd were detained by local and state law enforcement and quickly released, according to South Burlington Police Chief Bill Breault.

The fate of those inside the house was unclear. ICE did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

According to Seven Days, a Burlington newspaper, the warrant was issued for Deyvi Daniel Corona-Sanchez, a Mexican man who faced previous charges for criminal trespass and driving under the influence. It was not clear whether Corona-Sanchez was among the three occupants of the house.

Advertisement

At a press conference Wednesday night at South Burlington City Hall, local and state police sought to distance themselves from the actions of their federal counterparts. They said their departments had complied with state policies limiting cooperation with federal authorities on immigration matters — and were focused on keeping protesters and officers safe.

Breault criticized what he called “poor decision-making and planning” by federal authorities — citing their decision to apprehend someone in a busy neighborhood as children were heading to school.

“That would not have been how I would have done it,” he said. “I will be clear about that.”


Paul Heintz can be reached at paul.heintz@globe.com. Follow him on X @paulheintz.





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending