During his trial, prosecutors said that Whitehead tried to use his ties to Eric Adams, mayor of New York and a mentor of the bishop’s, to facilitate his alleged crimes. Adams has said that he upholds the law and that Whitehead’s actions are not connected to him.
In its announcement about Monday’s verdict, the U.S. Department of Justice said that Whitehead “was convicted of two counts of wire fraud, one count of attempted wire fraud, and one count of attempted extortion, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.” Whitehead was also convicted of “one count of making false statements, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.”
Whitehead, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, is scheduled to be sentenced July 1.
Whitehead’s attorney, Dawn Florio, told the jury, “The government has not met their burden of proof.” After the conviction, she said Whitehead will appeal the verdict.
In an Instagram video posted Tuesday morning, an upbeat Whitehead also said he plans to appeal the verdict and thanked people for their support and for their prayers for him and his family.
“God is just amazing, to continue to give me great wisdom, great joy, and in spite of it all, amen?” he said. The bishop said he wanted people to understand “God is still God, and the enemy wants you to give up on God, and I’m not gon’ do that.”
Whitehead claims that the reason he was put on trial was that federal agents wanted him to be an informant on Mayor Adams but that the bishop had refused, so the FBI made his life a “living hell.”
