Pastor Lamor Whitehead Arrested on Fraud Charges – NBC New York (47)

NEW YORK – A notorious New York City pastor with a criminal record and a long list of questions about his lavish lifestyle now faces federal racketeering and fraud charges.

Lamor Whitehead was arrested Monday morning on an indictment in Manhattan, the US attorney’s office said.

Whitehead, which attracted international attention the following summer of stealing $1 million worth of jewelry during a Sunday livestream servicehe allegedly defrauded a parishioner of $90,000 in retirement savings to buy himself luxury items, the government said.

In a press conference earlier this year, Whitehead dismissed questions about the alleged theft of parishioner funds and chastised reporters for even asking.

In another case, prosecutors say Whitehead extorted $5,000 from a businessman and then tried to get that same person to lend him $500,000 in exchange for “favorable actions by the New York City government, which Whitehead knew that you can’t get”.

Prosecutors also say Whitehead lied about having multiple cell phones while executing a search warrant from the FBI. It wasn’t immediately clear when this happened.

Whitehead, 45, of Paramus, who previously served five years in prison on identity theft charges, now faces up to 20 years in prison on each of wire fraud and extortion charges.