New York bishop robbed of $1 million in jewelry during live streamed sermon

July 25 (UPI) — A bishop was robbed at gunpoint of extra than $1 million in jewelry while in the center of giving a are living streamed sermon at a church in New York City on Sunday, police mentioned.

The bishop, Lamor Miller-Whitehead, was speaking at his Leaders of Tomorrow Intercontinental Ministry on Ramsen Avenue in Brooklyn when a few folks barged and demanded jewelry from him and his 38-12 months-old spouse, a spokesperson for the NYPD confirmed to UPI.

“The folks eliminated additional than $1 million truly worth of jewellery from the two victims,” the spokesperson mentioned.

“The persons then fled the area on foot, entered a white Mercedes Benz and have been previous found touring eastbound on Avenue D. The victims ended up not wounded. The investigation is ongoing.”

Video footage from the live stream of the assistance was attained by WABC-Television and shows a few masked and armed suspects enter the church as Miller-Whitehead, dressed in maroon with gold trim, set his arms up before lying on the flooring as one particular stands more than him to lookup his pockets.

Miller-Whitehead, regarded for his costly tastes, himself has served five years in prison for a $2 million identity theft scam and was launched in 2013. He started the church following his launch and was ordained as a bishop in 2016.

“I just want to give you a brief synopsis of how the devil moves,” he explained in a video clip on his Instagram immediately after the robbery.

“Often when you are a recognised bishop, it is a gift and a curse. When you have a movie star position, it is a gift and a curse. You turn out to be the communicate of the town.”

Miller-Whitehead, 44, then walked his supporters by his recollection of the robbery and reported he noticed the armed guys “come into the sanctuary with their guns.”

“I informed every person to just get out. I failed to know if they preferred to shoot the church up or ended up just coming in for a robbery,” Miller-Whitehead explained.

“They were being all black guys. They had masks but I could see their face. They came in and they took all my wife’s jewelry and they took all my jewelry and they still left.”

Miller-Whitehead defended his style in pricey jewelry but stated he “was born devoid of jewelry,” adding that the suspects had ripped his collar off when snagging his necklace.

“It’s not about me staying flashy. It truly is about me paying for what I want to purchase. It is my prerogative to invest in what I want to acquire,” he stated.

The bishop said the males pointed a gun at his 8-thirty day period-aged little one and pointed out that his congregation was left “traumatized” by the incident.

“I ain’t in no way worried, and I’m not up below getting boastful or speaking lousy about no one, but you have these girls and children crying nonetheless,” Miller-Whitehead explained.

“Which is not gangster. Which is a layup, like, ‘Oh, I robbed a church.’ You will not get no details for that.”