Bishop Lamor Whitehead of Leaders of Tomorrow International Church in Canarsie, New York, took to social media on Tuesday, Nov. 14, to share his gratefulness to his followers. After more than a year since he was robbed at gunpoint during a livestreamed sermon, one of the robbers has come forward and pleaded guilty.
“I participated in a robbery,” Say-Quan Pollack said in the plea hearing.
“People like these guys should be off the street,” Whitehead said about the robbers, adding that he thinks each of the accused should get the maximum sentence. “If they can rob a church, then they can harm anybody. Prison is established for a reason.”
A Guilty Plea—More Than a Year After Armed Robbers Stole Jewelry From Bishop Lamor Whitehead
Back in July 2022, three armed men were caught on the church’s livestream as they stole $1 million worth of jewelry from Bishop Whitehead and his wife. The bishop later offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the robbers.
When he first saw the men, Whitehead said, “I didn’t know if they wanted to shoot the church up or if they was just coming for a robbery.” While the event was traumatic, he was also grateful that the incident didn’t end in tragedy.
Law enforcement officers arrested two of the men—Juwan Anderson and Say-Quan Pollack. The third suspect fled. Anderson and Pollack were later indicted on charges of armed robbery.
Anderson pleaded not guilty and awaits his trial. According to Gothamist, the judge was expected to sentence one of the suspects, Say-Quan Pollack, after he entered a guilty plea.
“I participated in a robbery,” Pollack said during the plea hearing. “I took another person’s property with a threat.”
In a Facebook Live video, Whitehead addressed his friends, family, and congregants with the news of the guilty plea. “God is so amazing, y’all,” he said.
“I want everyone who’s been following me, following this story, and following my life…and seeing the ups, downs, ins, and outs that I had to go through [to see that] things are starting to be completed now,” Whitehead continued. “I want to thank everybody who has trusted the bishop…who has trusted the God in me even though when everyone ridiculed me and made up all of these theories of how I set the robbery up at my church.”
Whitehead appeared relieved as he shared, “One year later, we have a guilty plea.”
Speaking of Pollack, Whitehead said, “He pled guilty today. He pled guilty to coming into the church, robbing myself and my wife…with a gun.”
“He had to admit it in order for the judge to accept it,” Whitehead said. “So, we’re moving forward, y’all. God is amazing. When everyone turned their back on you, God is just amazing.”
Whitehead explained that as he heard the news of the guilty plea, he reflected on the events of that day back in July 2022. “I thank God for peace because this has been a very traumatizing time. As a leader, I watched the video [of the service] and thought I should have done something,” he said. “And then, I knew that I did the right thing. But, being a leader and a man, I just thought I could have done more.”
