New York
Preacher who boasted of ties to NYC mayor gets 9 years for fraud
NEW YORK (AP) — A flashy Brooklyn preacher who has played up connections to New York City’s mayor was sentenced Monday to nine years in prison for multiple frauds.
Lamor Miller-Whitehead, 45, of Paramus, New Jersey, was sentenced in Manhattan federal court by Judge Lorna G. Schofield, who said she didn’t see meaningful remorse from the Rolls Royce-driving bishop convicted of fleecing one parishioner out of $90,000 in retirement savings, among other scams.
In a rambling statement, Miller-Whitehead claimed he was “very remorseful” but boasted of his good deeds for his community and expressed regrets about his trial, prompting the judge to interrupt him with a reminder that sentencing isn’t a time to relitigate the case.
“The jury heard the evidence. The jury rendered its verdict,” she said.
In March, a jury convicted Miller-Whitehead of all charges, including wire fraud, attempted extortion and making false statements. Schofield said the preacher committed perjury when he testified.
She said a significant prison sentence was necessary because there was a high probability that Miller-Whitehead would commit crimes in the future, particularly because previous convictions for similar crimes did not deter him from committing more crimes.
“You don’t seem to have an appreciation of the impact of your crimes,” Schofield said.
“Your honor, I am an honorable man and my children need me,” he said as he asked to be spared a prison term and requested to become the “poster child of another chance.”
Miller-Whitehead developed a friendship with Mayor Eric Adams while Adams served as Brooklyn’s borough president before his election to the city’s top job. Prosecutors contended that Miller-Whitehead used the name of Adams to commit fraud and attempted extortion. Adams was not accused of any wrongdoing in the case.
Miller-Whitehead mentioned Adams during his remarks before the sentence was announced.
Asked about the sentence during an unrelated news briefing Monday, Adams said, “Bishop Whitehead is in my prayers and I wish the best for him.”
Miller-Whitehead became a religious figure in 2013 when he formed the Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries. He was also known to wear designer clothing and was once the victim of a robbery when $1 million in jewelry was stolen from him by gunmen who surprised him during a church service.
Although he preached primarily in Brooklyn, he owned a $1.6 million home in Paramus, New Jersey, and an apartment in Hartford, Connecticut.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wikstrom requested a sentence of over 12 years in prison, saying Miller-Whitehead had defrauded large financial institutions as well as the parishioner who lost her life savings.
“He didn’t discriminate. He defrauded everyone,” Wikstrom said.
Miller-Whitehead, Wikstrom said, “lied and he stole over and over again.”
“He can’t stop stealing. He won’t stop lying,” the prosecutor said. “This is who the defendant is.”
Wikstrom said Miller-Whitehead possessed a “psychological and delusional failure” to accept that he committed crimes and must be punished.
Besides the prison term, Miller-Whitehead also was ordered to pay $85,000 in restitution and to forfeit $95,000.
His lawyer, Dawn Florio, had urged no prison time, citing her client’s charitable works and saying “you can’t ignore all he has done in the community.”
If not for those good works, the judge said, Miller-Whitehead’s prison sentence would have been longer.
Louisiana
Les Miles sues LSU, NCAA and College Football Hall of Fame over 37 vacated wins
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Les Miles, who coached the LSU Tigers to a 2007 national championship, is suing the university over its decision to vacate 37 of his teams’ victories between 2012 and 2015.
The lawsuit filed Monday in federal court in Baton Rouge alleges that LSU never gave Miles a chance to be heard before altering the coach’s career record significantly enough to disqualify him from consideration for the College Football Hall of Fame.
“Les was given no right to be heard, or even advance notice of LSU’s actions, despite LSU being a state-owned and state-run institution that is bound by constitutional safeguards,” Miles’ lawyer, Peter Ginsberg, said in a statement.
The decision in June 2023 to vacate the victories stemmed from an NCAA ruling that former Tigers offensive lineman Vadal Alexander had received financial benefits that violated NCAA rules at the time he played.
The lawsuit also names the NCAA and Atlanta-based College Football Hall of Fame as defendants, and it demands that they reinstate the vacated victories to Miles’ official career coaching record. LSU spokesman Michael Bonnette said the university was “not able to comment on pending litigation.” The other defendants did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit.
Vacating the victories changed Miles’ official career record from 145-73 (.665) to 108-73 (.597). The lawsuit notes that a .600 career win percentage is required to qualify for the College Football Hall of Fame.
The lawsuit also contends that while LSU formally tied the vacated victories to alleged football violations, the university was trying to minimize its overall exposure to NCAA punishment for an array of violations that included conduct by former men’s basketball coach Will Wade, who was subsequently found by an NCAA probe to have committed major recruiting violations.
“Trying to placate the NCAA and avoid punishment for recruiting violations that almost entirely involved the Men’s Basketball Team and its coaches, and in no way implicated Les, LSU voluntarily offered to reverse dozens of victories earned by Les’ teams,” Ginsberg’s statement said.
Ginsberg called that an “irrational and unfair self-inflicted punishment” by LSU, and he criticized the NCAA for accepting it.
The specific violation involved a booster who did not work for LSU giving cash to Alexander’s father for a no-show hospital job. The lawsuit notes that while NCAA bylaws hold coaches responsible for those who report to them, the booster was not a “staff member of LSU or its football program and the NCAA did not find that Miles, as head coach, bore any responsibility for the sole violation that occurred during his time with the LSU football program.”
Preacher who boasted of ties to NYC mayor gets 9 years for fraud
NEW YORK (AP) — A flashy Brooklyn preacher who has played up connections to New York City’s mayor was sentenced Monday to nine years in prison for multiple frauds.
Lamor Miller-Whitehead, 45, of Paramus, New Jersey, was sentenced in Manhattan federal court by Judge Lorna G. Schofield, who said she didn’t see meaningful remorse from the Rolls Royce-driving bishop convicted of fleecing one parishioner out of $90,000 in retirement savings, among other scams.
In a rambling statement, Miller-Whitehead claimed he was “very remorseful” but boasted of his good deeds for his community and expressed regrets about his trial, prompting the judge to interrupt him with a reminder that sentencing isn’t a time to relitigate the case.
“The jury heard the evidence. The jury rendered its verdict,” she said.
In March, a jury convicted Miller-Whitehead of all charges, including wire fraud, attempted extortion and making false statements. Schofield said the preacher committed perjury when he testified.
She said a significant prison sentence was necessary because there was a high probability that Miller-Whitehead would commit crimes in the future, particularly because previous convictions for similar crimes did not deter him from committing more crimes.
“You don’t seem to have an appreciation of the impact of your crimes,” Schofield said.
“Your honor, I am an honorable man and my children need me,” he said as he asked to be spared a prison term and requested to become the “poster child of another chance.”
Miller-Whitehead developed a friendship with Mayor Eric Adams while Adams served as Brooklyn’s borough president before his election to the city’s top job. Prosecutors contended that Miller-Whitehead used the name of Adams to commit fraud and attempted extortion. Adams was not accused of any wrongdoing in the case.
Miller-Whitehead mentioned Adams during his remarks before the sentence was announced.
Asked about the sentence during an unrelated news briefing Monday, Adams said, “Bishop Whitehead is in my prayers and I wish the best for him.”
Miller-Whitehead became a religious figure in 2013 when he formed the Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries. He was also known to wear designer clothing and was once the victim of a robbery when $1 million in jewelry was stolen from him by gunmen who surprised him during a church service.
Although he preached primarily in Brooklyn, he owned a $1.6 million home in Paramus, New Jersey, and an apartment in Hartford, Connecticut.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wikstrom requested a sentence of over 12 years in prison, saying Miller-Whitehead had defrauded large financial institutions as well as the parishioner who lost her life savings.
“He didn’t discriminate. He defrauded everyone,” Wikstrom said.
Miller-Whitehead, Wikstrom said, “lied and he stole over and over again.”
“He can’t stop stealing. He won’t stop lying,” the prosecutor said. “This is who the defendant is.”
Wikstrom said Miller-Whitehead possessed a “psychological and delusional failure” to accept that he committed crimes and must be punished.
Besides the prison term, Miller-Whitehead also was ordered to pay $85,000 in restitution and to forfeit $95,000.
His lawyer, Dawn Florio, had urged no prison time, citing her client’s charitable works and saying “you can’t ignore all he has done in the community.”
If not for those good works, the judge said, Miller-Whitehead’s prison sentence would have been longer.
Louisiana
Les Miles sues LSU, NCAA and College Football Hall of Fame over 37 vacated wins
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Les Miles, who coached the LSU Tigers to a 2007 national championship, is suing the university over its decision to vacate 37 of his teams’ victories between 2012 and 2015.
The lawsuit filed Monday in federal court in Baton Rouge alleges that LSU never gave Miles a chance to be heard before altering the coach’s career record significantly enough to disqualify him from consideration for the College Football Hall of Fame.
“Les was given no right to be heard, or even advance notice of LSU’s actions, despite LSU being a state-owned and state-run institution that is bound by constitutional safeguards,” Miles’ lawyer, Peter Ginsberg, said in a statement.
The decision in June 2023 to vacate the victories stemmed from an NCAA ruling that former Tigers offensive lineman Vadal Alexander had received financial benefits that violated NCAA rules at the time he played.
The lawsuit also names the NCAA and Atlanta-based College Football Hall of Fame as defendants, and it demands that they reinstate the vacated victories to Miles’ official career coaching record. LSU spokesman Michael Bonnette said the university was “not able to comment on pending litigation.” The other defendants did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit.
Vacating the victories changed Miles’ official career record from 145-73 (.665) to 108-73 (.597). The lawsuit notes that a .600 career win percentage is required to qualify for the College Football Hall of Fame.
The lawsuit also contends that while LSU formally tied the vacated victories to alleged football violations, the university was trying to minimize its overall exposure to NCAA punishment for an array of violations that included conduct by former men’s basketball coach Will Wade, who was subsequently found by an NCAA probe to have committed major recruiting violations.
“Trying to placate the NCAA and avoid punishment for recruiting violations that almost entirely involved the Men’s Basketball Team and its coaches, and in no way implicated Les, LSU voluntarily offered to reverse dozens of victories earned by Les’ teams,” Ginsberg’s statement said.
Ginsberg called that an “irrational and unfair self-inflicted punishment” by LSU, and he criticized the NCAA for accepting it.
The specific violation involved a booster who did not work for LSU giving cash to Alexander’s father for a no-show hospital job. The lawsuit notes that while NCAA bylaws hold coaches responsible for those who report to them, the booster was not a “staff member of LSU or its football program and the NCAA did not find that Miles, as head coach, bore any responsibility for the sole violation that occurred during his time with the LSU football program.”
