- The New York pastor whose expensive jewelry was stolen was once accused of defrauding a woman.
- The parishioner accused bishop Lamor Whitehead of a scam where he promised to help her buy a house.
The New York bishop who was robbed at gunpoint during a livestreamed service was once accused of conning a congregant out of her life savings, according to court documents — all while running his unsuccessful campaign for Brooklyn Borough president in 2021.
Bishop Lamor Whitehead, known for his designer clothes and luxury cars, raised eyebrows when police valued the worth of the jewelry stolen from him and his family on Sunday to be close to $1 million. Whitehead has over 1.6 million followers on Instagram, where he regularly goes live.
The parishioner, Pauline Anderson, sued Whitehead in September 2021, alleging that she gave him $90,000 to help her buy a home after she told him she had poor credit. Per court documents, she sued him and alleged he kept the money and lined his pockets for his political campaign.
The lawsuit, first reported on by The City, alleges that Whitehead first met Anderson after he helped her son Rasheed secure housing after an intensive surgery procedure.
Anderson alleged that Whitehead helped her get in touch with two lenders who said her chances of securing a mortgage were very low because of her credit. Then, Whitehead asked Anderson to move her retirement savings into her personal bank account and offered her a deal.
"Mr. Whitehead proposed that Ms. Anderson should invest her money into his company, Defendant LWI, and offered to use the money to purchase a home for her, to make any needed repairs to the property so that it would be habitable for Ms. Anderson, and then return any unused portion of the "investment," Anderson's attorneys wrote in the lawsuit. "When Ms. Anderson expressed reservations because she had no other income with which to support herself, Mr. Whitehead offered to provide her with $100.00 per month to live off of until the purchase and renovation of the property was complete."
By January 2021 and the ensuing months, Anderson alleged she had only received one payment of $100. She contacted Whitehead to ask for a refund, but he said he was busy campaigning for Brooklyn Borough president and had used the "investment" as a "donation," according to texts shared in the lawsuit.
"And for the record, anything that was given to me is a Donation unless it's attached to a contract! I was making investments that's what I Do!" Whitehead texted in a message to Anderson, according to an exhibit in the suit. Anderson alleged in the lawsuit that she never received a contract, and is seen asking Whitehead for a contract in text messages.
According to the lawsuit, as the deal went sour, Whitehead blamed the breakdown on Anderson's son's behavior, calling him a "liar" and the "devil."
"All of this because of what? Because you took money that you refuse to pay back and now you're quoting scripture to serve your purpose! This is so offensive and did you just go there. You said you were a man of integrity!" Anderson texted Whitehead in May 2021, alerting him that she would contact authorities about the alleged scam.
Whitehead had served five years in state prison for defrauding others and for grand larceny, according to The City.
In response to questions about his past and the lawsuit, Whitehead held a press conference Friday evening to pull the focus back on the robbery.
"My wife has not stopped crying. My daughter has not stopped crying yet. My members have not stopped crying yet," Whitehead said in the conference. "Nobody's empathizing with my church!"
He also said that the focus on his lifestyle was tied to his race.
"Why do we always gotta tear Black men down?" Whitehead added. "As soon as a Black man has a tailored suit, he's a criminal."
Attorneys for both parties did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.