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The federal fraud trial of Brooklyn’s “Bling Bishop” Lamor Whitehead started Monday afternoon with prosecutors arguing he lied, cheated and stole to fund his lavish way of life.
Whitehead, 47, a Rolls-Royce-driving bishop, has pleaded not responsible to wire fraud, tried extortion and making false statements to the FBI.
“This can be a case about fraud, a couple of conman who instructed lie after deceive sufferer after sufferer,” Assistant U.S. Legal professional Jessica Greenwood instructed jurors throughout her opening assertion in the beginning of Whitehead’s trial.
The sometimes ostentatious spiritual chief sat in a Manhattan courtroom carrying a darkish swimsuit and listening attentively as prosecutors laid out their case towards him. Whitehead is accused of defrauding the mom of considered one of his parishioners out of her retirement financial savings, trying to defraud and extort an area businessman, and mendacity to the FBI.
NYC ‘BLING BISHOP’ ACCUSED OF DEFRAUDING PARISHONER OF RETIREMENT MONEY TO FUND LUXURY LIFESTYLE: INDICTMENT
The Brooklyn preacher who prosecutors say looted a parishioner’s retirement financial savings and tried to extort a businessman to gas his lavish way of life went on trial Monday, Feb. 26, 2024, in Manhattan federal court docket. (AP Photograph/Mary Altaffer, File)
Greenwood mentioned Whitehead’s purpose was to get cash and he had costly tastes. “The defendant was keen to lie, cheat and steal to maintain up the looks of wealth,” she mentioned.
The jury listened because the prosecutor described how Whitehead allegedly focused a single mom. She mentioned he satisfied the lady to offer him $90,000 of her retirement financial savings and believed that Whitehead was going to help her find a house.
As an alternative, prosecutors say, the defendant spent the cash on himself – on Louis Vuitton luggage and funds for a BMW, amongst different issues.
Prosecutors additionally mentioned Whitehead leveraged his friendship with New York Metropolis Mayor Eric Adams to extort money from an area businessman. Whitehead is accused of promising favors from Adams in trade for $500,000. He allegedly promised Brandon Belmonte, a physique store proprietor, that Adams would “do no matter I would like.”
NYC BISHOP ROBBED OF $1M IN JEWELRY MID-SERMON FILES $20M LAWSUITS AGAINST SOCIAL MEDIA CRITICS CLAIMING HOAX
Bishop Lamor Whitehead speaks throughout a information convention in Brooklyn on July 29, 2022. Whitehead faces trial two years after a grand jury lodged wire fraud and tried extortion costs towards him. (Theodore Parisienne/New York Day by day Information/Tribune Information Service by way of Getty Pictures)
The bishop and the mayor grew to become mates whereas Adams served as Brooklyn’s borough president earlier than he was elected to steer the town. Requested in regards to the allegations final week, Adams instructed reporters authorized filings by the prosecution “acknowledged that clearly [Whitehead] didn’t have authorization and there was no connectivity to the actions of [the] mayor or borough president.”
Belmonte complained to federal authorities, who opened an investigation into Whitehead in 2022 that led to his arrest about six months later.
Protection lawyer Daybreak Florio, enunciating into the mic, instructed jurors there’s a “lack of proof” and that the federal government’s case has “holes in it.”
Florio denied the costs towards her consumer and mentioned the lady was cheated by her personal son, who borrowed the cash to purchase a house for himself, leaving his mom with nothing. She additionally mentioned the allegations of extorting an area physique store proprietor should not true, and that it’s actually a civil dispute between the 2 males, not a felony matter.
NYC ‘BLING BISHOP’ FACES TRIAL FOR FRAUD CHARGES PROSECUTORS SAY FUELD LAVISH LIFESTYLE
Lamor Whitehead leaves federal court docket on Sept. 28, 2022, in Brooklyn, New York. (Barry Williams/New York Day by day Information/Tribune Information Service by way of Getty Pictures)
Florio urged the jurors to evaluate the credibility of the witnesses and to maintain an open thoughts as a result of their “thoughts have to be like a parachute.”
Whitehead has been free on $500,000 bail since his arrest, which got here solely months after he was the sufferer of a theft when $1 million in jewellery was stolen from him by gunmen who stunned him throughout a church service.
Amongst pretrial evidentiary rulings, the decide agreed to exclude point out of Whitehead’s felony conviction for id theft and grand larceny, which resulted in a five-year jail stint, though it could possibly be introduced up if he decides to testify.
Whitehead grew to become a bishop when he based the Leaders of Tomorrow Worldwide Ministries in 2013.
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The Brooklyn preacher owns a $1.6 million house in Paramus, New Jersey, and an condominium in Hartford, Connecticut.
Whitehead has pleaded not responsible to all the costs. The trial is anticipated to final a couple of week and a half.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
Prosecutors say Bishop Lamor Miller-Whitehead lied, cheated and stole to get wealthy
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