Bishop Lamor Whitehead of Brooklyn was robbed at gunpoint of all his jewels and things during his first sermon one Sunday two months ago, according to the New York Daily News. A new report says two suspects connected to the incident were arrested and are facing federal robbery charges.
The Bishop gathered a lot of skepticism following the incident and even questions of whether he or not he actually orchestrated the robbery.
The incident was caught on livestream, but has since been deleted. It showed a group of armed men walking up on the pulpit to steal the bishop’s jewelry, according to CBS News. Thankfully, no one was hurt but Whitehead said he was the main target. The cost of the jewelry stolen was initially estimated to be a total of $400,000 but was eventually increased to about $1 million, according to the NYPD.
Suspects Juwan Anderson and Say-Quan Polock were arrested in connection to the incident. A third suspect is still being sought.
More on the incident from NY Daily News:
“I’m extremely happy,” Whitehead told the Daily News. “My wife was crying when she heard the news. We’re waiting for the last one to be arrested so we can move on with our life.”
A source with knowledge of the investigation told The News there was no indication Whitehead played any part in the robbery. Police believe the crooks were strangers to Whitehead but targeted the bishop and his wife because they knew he often wore expensive jewelry in the pulpit, the source added.
As expected, some critics were skeptical about Whitehead’s loftiness and thought the entire incident was a scheme for insurance money. Whitehead previously said in a sermon that he’s “God’s chosen vessel” and that ‘He’ didn’t tell him what he could and couldn’t wear, via NY Daily News. Sure enough, he stepped out in a Gucci suit the Sunday after the robbery.
While the two suspects await arraignment, Whitehead has to answer to a congregation member suing him for scamming her out of her life savings (welp).