Pauline Anderson accuses bishop Lamor Whitehead of convincing her to invest nearly her entire life savings in one of his firms under the promise he could help her improve her credit score and buy a home, according to the suit.
Anderson, 56, wrote the bishop of Leaders of Tomorrow International Churches a $90,000 check, as he promised to give her $100 monthly allowances for living expenses. However, those payments never came.
What did, though, was an email mistakenly sent to her son in July 2021, that included a contract of the sale for a Saddle River home at 14 Christopher Pl., Saddle River, totaling $4.4 million with a scheduled closing date of Aug. 11, 2022.
The palatial estate boasted an in-ground pool with a waterfall, outdoor fountains, hot tub, gym, wine cellar and more.
"Upon information and belief, LWI and Mr. Whitehead fraudulently converted Ms. Anderson’s investment of $90,000.00 as part of his down payment on the Contract to purchase the Premises as a personal residence for Mr. Whitehead himself," the suit reads.
"Ms. Anderson was instead left with nothing but a vague promise by Mr. Whitehead to pay the funds back in the future followed by an assertion that he had no further obligation to do so."
Whitehead told the Daily News that Anderson was lying, and that her son was removed from a member of his clergy because he was "unintegral."
“Everybody that tried to sue me because of my celebrity status is just gonna keep going in trying to do what they do," Whitehead said.
Last Sunday, Whitehead was giving his sermon during a Sunday service being streamed online when three men robbed him and his wife of nearly $100,000 worth of jewelry.
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