*The “Bling Bishop” of Brooklyn, Lamor Whitehead, was convicted last month on fraud charges and now he is pleading for his release from the Metropolitan Detention Center, citing deploring conditions.
According to the bishop’s attorney, Whitehead has been denied food and subjected to almost continual lockdowns, the Hastings Tribune reports.
In March, Whitehead was found guilty during his Manhattan trial and convicted of stealing the life savings of a parishioner’s mother. As we reported, jurors found the 46-year-old guilty on five counts, which included wire fraud, attempted extortion, lying to the FBI, and related charges arising from three distinct schemes.
Whitehead pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Dawn Florio, Whitehead’s lawyer, stated, “We are appealing the verdict.”
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Whitehead was sent to the Metropolitan Detention Center on May 20 after a judge revoked his bond and ordered him detained pending sentencing on June 17. He faces decades in prison under federal guidelines.
Whitehead’s attorney filed a memo in Manhattan Federal Court in which she noted that her client deserves a sentence of supervised release. She also claims Whitehead has been confined to his cell “for the overwhelming majority of his time” at the MDC, which is known for its history of abysmal conditions.
“Almost as soon as Mr. Whitehead entered the facility, it went on lockdown as a loaded and operable firearm was found in an inmate’s cell,” Florio wrote.
Florio also alleged Whitehead has been deprived of basic necessities in custody.
“In the weeks that Mr. Whitehead has been in the MDC, he has already lost over five pounds due to a lack of unspoiled and edible food,” the memo states.
The attorney also claims the bishops has “not been provided a mattress” to sleep on. She called the jailhouse conditions “shocking and unacceptable.”
READ MORE FROM EURWEB.COM: ‘Bling Bishop’ Lamor Whitehead Found Guilty of Fraud – He Looking A Potential 45 Year Sentence | VIDEO
