Second man sentenced in church stickup of Brooklyn ‘Bling Bishop’ Lamor Whitehead

One of the men who robbed Brooklyn “Bling Bishop” Lamor Whitehead during a live-streamed sermon got much than 5 years down bars Tuesday — and his sentencing justice dismissed the thought that the crooked clergyman was lying astir the worth of the stolen jewelry.

Juwan Anderson, 26, was sentenced successful Brooklyn Federal Court for his relation successful the caught-on-video 2022 heist, which progressive driving his 2 equipped accomplices to the bishop’s Canarsie religion and plucking the bling disconnected of him arsenic helium laic prone connected the ground.

Brooklyn Federal Court Judge William Kuntz brought up the wide shooting astatine the Emanuel AME Church successful South Carolina, wherever a achromatic supremacist murdered 9 members of a Black Church congregation successful 2015

Video unrecorded streamed during a sermon shows Bishop Lamor Whitehead being accosted by masked men, 1 equipped with a gun.

“When a transgression invaded the Mother Emanuel Church, President Obama stated a religion is much than a space,” Kuntz said earlier helium handed down the 63-month sentence.. “Every church, each synagogue, each mosque … each spot of worship successful the United States of America provides Americans with a constitutionally protected spot of information and worship.”

Kuntz successful August sentenced different subordinate of the heist crew, Say-Quan Pollack, to 7¼ years, rejecting an statement that helium get leniency because Whitehead is besides a crook.

The fallen pastor was sentenced to 9 years successful June, aft a Manhattan assemblage recovered him blameworthy of a drawstring of frauds, including stealing a parishioner’s beingness savings.

The 3rd robber, Shamar Leggette, was shot dormant successful a gunfight with constabulary and U.S. Marshals astatine a New Jersey motel successful January.

Anderson indispensable besides wage much than $402,000 successful restitution, contempt his defence lawyer’s arguments that Whitehead couldn’t beryllium trusted to accurately authorities however overmuch his jewelry was worth, and that 1 of items, a $100,000 Cartier watch, was appraised months aft the robbery based disconnected a photograph.

“You gonna person a obstruction travel successful and sway what the jewels were worth?” Kuntz asked Ben Yaster of the Federal Defenders, who responded with a “No, your honor.”

Kuntz repeatedly interrupted Yaster arsenic helium tried to reason that a photograph taken aft the robbery wasn’t capable to gauge the worth of the watch.

“I recognize the Bling Bishop is simply a criminal. I get that,” Kuntz said. “But criminals sometimes person precise costly worldly and precise invaluable stuff.”

When Yaster said, “My thought of world is that radical person their jewelry appraised erstwhile they’re successful possession of it,” the justice changeable backmost and asked if Yaster had anterior acquisition dealing with jewelry-related cases, past said,” I didn’t deliberation so.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Schuman said that prosecutors were utilizing a “conservative” estimation of however overmuch the jewelry was worth, and they weren’t relying soley connected Whitehead’s say-so.

Yaster besides pointed retired that Anderson had nary anterior transgression record, and has spent astir 2 years adhering to the rules of his location arrest.

Before the justice handed down his sentence, Anderson said helium understood the severity of the crime. “I conscionable privation everybody to cognize that what I did was not a portion of my character,” helium said. “I’m really a church-going person. I’m not a monster.”

Whitehead, who Mayor Adams took nether his helping arsenic a mentor, is known for sporting costly apparel and flashy jewelry and espousing the “prosperity gospel” — preaching that religion volition bring wealth and success, and that “seeds” of currency donation to his religion volition turn into wealthiness for his parishioners.

He was delivering his live-streamed sermon wrong the Leaders of Tomorrow International religion successful Canarsie, Brooklyn, connected July 24, 2022, erstwhile 3 masked bandits stormed in. They forced the bishop to the crushed and took jewelry from him and his woman — who was holding their young girl connected her lap.

Though constabulary had described their haul arsenic $1 cardinal worthy of jewelry, truthful acold the victims person lone documented immoderate of the stolen items to beryllium worthy much than $400,000.

Whitehead’s fortunes turned aft May 2022, erstwhile helium unsuccessfully tried to broker an accused subway shooter’s surrender, interfering with constabulary and defence lawyers’ attempts to bring the fishy successful peacefully.

The robbery happened 2 months aft that, and Whitehead started accumulating ineligible trouble, culminating with his condemnation successful Manhattan Federal Court successful a aggregate fraud scheme, including lying astir his ties to Adams to extort and effort to defraud a Bronx assemblage store owner.

Anderson was ordered to commencement his condemnation connected Jan. 6.