In the 1960s and 1970s, Jim Bakker was the most popular televangelist. Jim and his singer-wife, Tammy Faye, hosted a show on the PTL (Praise the Lord) network that 20 million people saw in various nations. They also constructed Heritage USA, the largest Christian-themed amusement park in the United States.
Others believed Bakker and Faye's pitch that they could become wealthy by putting their faith in God and giving to the pair. The couple's reign of terror came to an end when Jim was arrested on numerous fraud counts following a sexual assault scandal. In this article, we will read about “Where is Jim Bakker Now?”. Keep reading to know everything in detail.
Who Is Jim Bakker?
Jim's hometown is Muskegon, on the shores of Lake Michigan. While attending college in 1960, he met Tammy and eventually married her after only three dates. They soon quit school to devote themselves full-time to the life of traveling evangelists.
The PTL Satellite Network was established by Jim in 1974. The pair launched their own late-night chat program, dubbed “The PTL Club.” Between 1974 & 1977, the PTL network expanded to include hundreds of television stations.
The pair had come a long way from their modest beginnings, and they were now responsible for the network's $10 million monthly earnings. After purchasing 2500 acres of land in Fort Mill, South Carolina, the couple constructed Heritage USA.
Jim Bakker and his ministry, however, were thereafter rocked by two significant crises, which ultimately led to his demise. Jim resigned from PTL in March 1987 after it was revealed that he had an affair with church secretary Jessica Hahn at a hotel in Florida.
She stated that he had sexually assaulted her. He admitted subsequently that he had paid her a large sum of money to conceal their affair. Nonetheless, he did not personally fund the church's budget.
Federal records from the past revealed that Jim had utilized viewer donations for his own benefit. He spent a lot of money on a sports car, a houseboat & mink coats. Almost $350K was donated by viewers who thought their money was going to religious shows in South Korea & Brazil.
Theme park construction was funded in part by this sum as well. A former employee who claimed to have had sex with Jim Bakker testified in 1988, but Jim angrily denied the allegations, claiming “I'll tell you before God I've never had homosexual intercourse with anyone.”
James faced various fraud and conspiracy charges in the same year. He oversold vacations at his park and used corporate assets for personal use. In addition, he closed on over 70,000 hotel venture partnerships. Jim ultimately defrauded more than $150 million.
Where is Jim Bakker Now?
Jim received a 24-count fraud and conspiracy conviction in October 1989. The court eventually gave him a 45-year prison term the same year.
I am sincerely sorry for the people who have been hurt, the partners and the people who worked at Heritage USA,” he said after his sentence. I'm guilty of sin. I am human and have made some blunders, but it was never my intention to cheat anyone.
But, his sentence was lowered by an appeals court because of improper comments made by the original judge. After serving almost five years, Jim was released from prison in December 1994.
After roughly 30 years of marriage, Tammy had already filed for divorce. Jim eventually found love again and is now married to his co-host on “The Jim Bakker Show,” Lori Bakker. In 2003, the first episode aired.
He also claims the Rapture is imminent and markets freeze-dried food. In Blue Eye, Missouri, he established a new ministry under the name Morningside. In 2020, when a coronavirus epidemic was sweeping the globe, 81-year-old Jim once again found himself at the center of controversy.
Jim Paid $156,000 for Promoting a Fake Coronavirus Drug
Silver Solution was marketed by Jim Bakker as a panacea for the coronavirus outbreak. Jim spoke with Sherrill Sellman, a self-described “natural health specialist” and “naturopathic doctor,” who vouched for Silver Solution.
Jim inquired of Sherill as to the efficacy of the solution against the infection, and Sherill responded: Even if it hasn't been tried on this particular coronavirus strain, it has been tried on others and shown to be effective within 12 hours of administration.
Completely does away with it; it's dead. stops working” Attorney General Eric Schmitt claims that in eleven episodes of The Jim Bakker Show, Bakker advocated for the cure. Price ranged from $85 to $125 for the silver-particle-in-liquid solution.
The Food and Drug Administration issued a warning to Bakker saying that his medicine was illegal and could hurt patients. Jim persisted in pushing Silver Solution, although knowing it was a fraud and spreading bogus claims that it could treat coronavirus and improve the immune system.
Jim lost $156,000 due to his promotion of the fraudulent miracle medicine, but he maintains his innocence. Jim and his church were forbidden by the settlement agreement from promoting Silver Solution as a medical treatment.
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