Two males have been arrested by federal authorities Wednesday within the brazen livestreamed armed theft of a flashy Brooklyn bishop.
Juwan Anderson and Say-Quan Pollack, each 23, have been picked up in Bedford Stuyvesant and hit with federal theft fees for the July 24 stickup of Bishop Lamor Whitehead, who was mid-sermon when he was allegedly accosted by masked bandits.
“Armed theft is an insupportable crime, however to commit such an act throughout a spiritual service is meaningless,” Breon Peace, US Legal professional for the Japanese District of New York, mentioned in an announcement.
The 2 males have been arraigned Wednesday afternoon, with bond set at $50,000 for Anderson, together with circumstances for his launch. Pollak was ordered held with out bail as his lawyer didn't make a bail request. Each pleaded not responsible by way of their attorneys.
“They caught the robbers, those that robbed my church July 24,” Whitehead mentioned in a Fb submit after the arrests have been introduced. “I’m going to be the primary to allow you to guys know that God is wonderful.”
The suspects have been charged in federal court docket beneath the US Hobbs Act, which criminalizes theft and extortion which interferes with interstate commerce — on this case as a result of some out-of-state donations have been used to buy the stolen objects, sources mentioned.
“I forgive them,” Whitehead mentioned as he arrived in Brooklyn federal court docket Wednesday earlier than the arraignments. “Now it’s time for justice. Me and my household and my church have suffered lengthy sufficient.”
At a press convention following the arraignment, the Fendi-loving bishop received heated when a Submit reporter requested him what sort of watch he was carrying.
“It doesn’t matter,” the bishop snapped. “There you go once more. You speaking about what sort of watch am I carrying.
“You don’t ask about my household. Who cares about my watch?” he griped in regards to the diamond-encrusted gold timepiece. “I care about my household, and also you guys aren't going to maintain with the narrative of fabric issues, okay? I'm an individual. I'm a human being. Let’s discuss that.”
The headline-grabbing clergyman added that the entire ordeal “has been a making an attempt, making an attempt time for my household.
“I’m hoping that they cooperate with the federal prosecutors,” he added of the suspects. “I’m hoping that we get justice. I belief on this justice system. My household and my church have been traumatized.”
Footage of the heist confirmed Whitehead hitting the ground after the thieves stormed his Leaders of Tomorrow Worldwide Ministries in Canarsie and made off with $1 million in loot.
The robbers allegedly took, amongst different valuables, the bishop’s $75,000 Rolex watch, a $75,000 Cavalier watch and a $25,000 ruby and diamond ring. The jewellery has not been recovered, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig mentioned at a information convention Wednesday.
NYPD detectives and ATF brokers have been in a position to determine the suspects together with by utilizing video and digital monitoring, Essig informed reporters.
Anderson has two prior arrests, one from July 2020 stemming from a home violence assault and a traffic-related bust from January. His alleged co-conspirator, Pollack, has beforehand been arrested seven occasions, all in 2015, Essig mentioned.
Earlier this month, the outspoken minister lashed out on the NYPD, saying he didn’t assume cops believed him and thought he had staged the theft.
“The gunmen put a gun in my 8-month-old child’s face,” he mentioned then. “So now, why would they respect me and my church in the event that they really feel I’m a felony?”
Whitehead’s feedback got here after one other live-streamed incident, by which he was seen shoving a girl who interrupted his companies on Sept. 18 — an incident which noticed the bishop get handcuffed and briefly questioned on the native police precinct.
Cops later let him go with out fees.
“This can be a win in the present day as a result of the narrative what was posted and offered that I had one thing to do with this theft,” Whitehead mentioned Wednesday. “It has destroyed my life. This was circled from me being a sufferer to a villain.
“To be checked out as a villain as a substitute of a sufferer actually traumatized my household and actually traumatized my church,” he mentioned.
Further reporting by Tina Moore, Amanda Woods and Joe Marino
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