The dramatic resolution of a high-profile robbery case involving Bishop Lamor Miller-Whitehead, with the fatal shooting of suspect Shamar Leggette by U.S. Marshals, intersects with the bishop's own spiraling legal challenges.
Whitehead, who leads Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries and is known for his lavish lifestyle (resulting in the nickname, the "Bling Bishop"), faces a series of serious accusations that extend far beyond his role as the victim of a $1 million jewelry heist during a 2022 livestreamed sermon.
Leggette's death concludes a tense manhunt, providing some closure to the robbery case.
"It took a sense of relief off of us because this has been a very traumatizing experience," Whitehead remarked, acknowledging the emotional burden of the past year.
The 41-year-old Leggette was on the run for a year before was shot and killed by U.S. Marshals Wednesday at a New Jersey hotel as they attempted to arrest him. The NYPD had been looking for him since the robbery in which Leggette and two other robbed the bishop, his wife, daughter and other congregants in the middle of a service.
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"Nobody reported it, but this man was captured about maybe 15, 20 minutes away from where I live," Whitehead said.
But Whitehead's relief is overshadowed by escalating legal troubles, with allegations of fraud and extortion casting a pall over his ministry.
"That straight destroyed my ministry, man. A lot of people left my ministry because of, of the scandal and the lies," he said.
The bishop's legal woes began to mount after the robbery. A former parishioner accused him of defrauding her out of her life savings, a claim that later became part of a federal indictment against the bishop. He faces charges of lying to the FBI, extorting a businessman out of $5,000, and attempting to swindle him into a $500,000 loan and a stake in a real estate deal, falsely promising government favors he knew he couldn't deliver.
The case is set for trial in Manhattan Federal Court in February.
Compounding these accusations, federal filings in May revealed that Whitehead allegedly orchestrated an illegal “straw donor scheme” during his failed 2021 campaign to succeed Adams as Brooklyn’s borough president. Though currently not charged in connection with this scheme, it adds another layer to his already complex legal situation.
Whitehead has consistently maintained his innocence, claiming he was "set up" and specifically blaming Brandon Belmonte, the Bronx businessman he's accused of extorting. In March, Whitehead filed a lawsuit against Belmonte for libel and slander.
Belmonte himself was arrested in August on federal bank and wire fraud charges, accused of running a financing scheme through his luxury car rental business and an insurance scam.
"Brandon Belmonte lied to the FBI, just completely lied," he said, noting that the charges not only were an indictment on him, but also targeted Mayor Eric Adams, whom Whitesaid said he considered a mentor.
"It was an assassination against the mayor of New York and a black pastor. This was a form of racism," Whitehead said. "My relationship with the mayor of New York, him being a mentor of mine, opened up a door for a person that lied."
Mayor Adams has previously called the allegations against Whitehead troubling and wouldn't comment any further until the case is over.
Despite it all, the bishop has remained committed to forgiveness. Regarding Leggette's death, he said, "I forgave him… I would eulogize him because, you know, his family shouldn't feel that I'm upset."
Whitehead also did not rule out a potential future in politics, saying he's "contemplating on running for office again, to help my community."
