US televangelist Jim Bakker, ensnared in fraud and sex scandal, dies at 86
Summary
Jim Bakker, a US televangelist who became famous in the 1980s before being convicted of fraud and involved in a sex scandal, has died at age 86. He spent years in prison for cheating followers, later restarted his television ministry, and supported President Donald Trump.Key Facts
- Jim Bakker was a televangelist known for the TV show The PTL Club in the 1980s.
- PTL stood for "Praise the Lord" and "People That Love."
- He was convicted in 1989 for defrauding followers out of $158 million through a fake vacation scheme.
- Bakker was sentenced to 45 years in prison, later reduced, and served about 4.5 years.
- The scandal included paying $265,000 to a woman to keep silent about a sexual encounter.
- Bakker’s ministry once earned $129 million a year and had 13 million TV viewers.
- After prison, he restarted his TV ministry in 2003 and became a supporter of President Trump.
- He died at 86, but the cause of death was not shared.
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