American preacher Lamor Miller-Whitehead, has been convicted of multiple counts of fraud, including conning an elderly single mother out of $90,000 (£70,300).
The founder of Leaders of Tomorrow International Churches was convicted of wire fraud, attempted extortion and lying to the FBI by a federal court on Monday.
Dubbed the ‘bling bishop’ for his flashy lifestyle and extravagant spending habits, Whitehead was accused of defrauding an elderly parishioner out of her life savings and attempting to extort a local businessman.
He was accused of conning Pauline Anderson, an elderly single mother, with the promise of buying her a home that he would renovate for her. Prosecutors said, he instead spent the money on luxury items. The Brooklyn preacher has also been accused of lying to FBI agents about owning a second mobile phone, falsifying bank statements to secure a loan of $250,000 (£195,500) and attempting to extort an auto body shop owner for $5,000 (£3,908) following a repair job.
Known for driving a Rolls Royce and owning multiple homes, Whitehead previously made headlines after thieves stole $1m (£854,500) in jewellery from him during a livestreamed Sunday church service.
Whitehead was arrested in connection with the charges in December 2022, before being released on bail.
His attorney, Dawn Florio will appeal the verdict.
He is set to be sentenced in July.
