Rolls-Royce-Driving Brooklyn Pastor Who Got Robbed Last Week Pleads for Sympathy, But Won't Reveal His Debts
“Nobody’s empathizing with my church!”
A Brooklyn pastor who has attracted headlines for being robbed of jewelry during an online service—and allegedly stealing money from one of his parishioners—complained about recent stories detailing his finances and spending habits, while refusing to answer questions about his debts, The City reported.
Lamor Miller Whitehead, the bishop at Leaders of Tomorrow International Churches in Canarsie, Brooklyn, ran for Brooklyn borough president in 2020. Whitehead has been described as living a "flashy" lifestyle, driving a Rolls-Royce and wearing suits printed with the Gucci logo, in addition to visible jewelry. He attracted headlines last week when gunmen robbed him of jewelry he was wearing during a live-streamed service. Reports have estimated the value of the jewelry at $1 million, although Whitehead has claimed that's false.
A lawsuit filed in Brooklyn Supreme Court last year alleges that Whitehead persuaded Pauline Anderson, 56, to invest $90,000—almost her entire life savings—in one of his businesses, promising he could help her buy a home despite her bad credit history. In early 2021, after not receiving any funds, Anderson says Whitehead told her that he was treating her investment as a donation to his campaign for borough president.
Additionally, the developers of a $1.6 million New Jersey house that Whitehead purchased won a $335,000 judgment against him for that has not been paid, The City reported.
At a press conference, Whitehead said that since the robbery, "My wife has not stopped crying. My daughter has not stopped crying yet. My members have not stopped crying yet," he said. "Nobody's empathizing with my church!"
"I was looking at my daughter with a gun…in her face. Eight months old," said Whitehead. "And daddy could not save her, because if I moved, a lot of lives could have been gone."
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During the press conference, Whitehead said that pastors, even those with criminal records, should be allowed to carry firearms for protection. He said that news outlets that were questioning his finances were guilty of racism. "Why do we always gotta tear Black men down?" he said. "As soon as a Black man has a tailored suit, he's a criminal."
Last week, a Brooklyn court determined that Anderson's case against Whitehead will continue. In addition to the judgment on the New Jersey house, Whitehead owes more than $260,000 in a 2009 Manhattan Supreme Court judgment over an unpaid personal loan for a home purchase.
Whitehead and his attorneys have refused to comment on those debts, The City reported.
Beginning in 2008, he served five years in New York state prison after being convicted of identity theft and grand larceny.
Whitehead has close ties to New York City Mayor Eric Adams and has appeared at several public events with him. "No one in this city should be the victim of armed robbery, let alone our faith leaders and congregants worshiping in a House of God," Adams said in the New York Daily News on Monday about Whitehead being robbed during church services. "The NYPD is investigating this crime and will work tirelessly to bring the criminals involved to justice."
